Mountaineers Advance to Sun Belt Semifinals, Set to Clash with Rival Marshall
HUNTINGTON, W.Va. – The West Virginia University men’s soccer team secured its place in the Sun Belt Championship semifinals with a 1-1 (6-5 PK) victory over Old Dominion on Sunday, and will now face in-state rival Marshall in the tournament’s next round. The match will be played in Huntington, West Virginia.
West Virginia finished the Sun Belt season with 21 points and a 7-2-0 conference record, earning the No. 2 seed in the championship. the Mountaineers boast a 12-3-2 record and are ranked No.16 in the United Soccer Coaches poll and No. 12 in the NCAA RPI. the semifinal matchup pits two of the Sun Belt’s top teams against each other, with notable implications for an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament.
During Sunday’s quarterfinal match,WVU’s Yoran Pozos scored his 11th goal of the year – the team’s 10th goal of the season – with assists from freshman Juan Alvarez and graduate student Carlos Hernando. Mountaineer goalkeeper Marc Bonnaire recorded a season-high six saves and secured the shootout win by stopping the Monarchs in the sixth round.
West Virginia has been bolstered by a roster recognized for its talent, including Sun Belt Player and Offensive Player of the Year, senior Marcus Caldeira. Joining Caldeira on the All-Sun belt First Team is Pozos, while Hernando, senior Felix Ewald, and sophomore Nacho Martinez were named to the second team. Alvarez and Sammie Walker earned All-Freshman Team honors. Caldeira currently leads the Sun Belt with 25 points (nine goals, seven assists), and Pozos leads the conference with 11 goals.
Marshall, coached by Chris Grassie (110-39-29 record), finished third in the Sun Belt with a 6-2-1 conference record and an overall season record of 10-2-5. The Thundering Herd are led offensively by Joao Roberto (4 goals, 3 assists) and Carl Rombert (3 goals, 5 assists), both with 11 points. eddie Demarco has recorded 26 saves and five shutouts for Marshall this season.
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