HUNTINGTON, W.Va — No. 21 WVU Men’s Soccer (5-1-2, 1-0-1) and Marshall (4-1-3, 1-0-1) ended in a draw Sunday in the 2026 Mountain State Derby.
The final score at Hoops Family Field in Huntington, West Virginia, was 1-1. Read more: 2026 Mountain State Derby ends in an 1-1 draw in Huntington.
The Mountaineers were without leading goal scorer Pablo Pozos in the contest. Seventh-year head coach Dan Stratford acknowledged the injury was an issue with his ankle.
“It was an issue on his ankle against Duquesne. He’s probably week to week right now.” Stratford said. “He showed up on crutches, to be fair to him. A week’s a long time in college soccer, so we’ll do everything in our power to get him fit for South Carolina.”
Related: Late goal gives WVU win over Duquesne
First half
The 2026 Mountain State Derby began with great defense from both sides. Neither team put up a shot in the first 20 minutes.
WVU took the first shot of the night in the 22nd minute. The shot was targeted at the bottom center of the net by Civan de Jesus Ferreira, but it was saved by Marshall goalkeeper Yurji Obert.
Marshall capitalized in the 25th minute when Carl Romberg, assisted by Haruhi Taneda, scored in the bottom left of the goal off his right foot, taking the 1-0 lead.
“As is often the case when we play one another, it was a bit of a chess match for a period there,” Stratford said. “They had a nice moment in transition to lead to their goal, and obviously we had to respond.”
The goal was Romberg’s third of the season and Taneda’s second assist of the season. It was only the sixth goal that WVU goalkeeper Toby Mawer had allowed this season.
In the 36th minute, the first yellow card of the night was handed out to Marshall’s Luka Lukic, his third of the season.
Shortly after, in the 38th minute, Tyler Zapata got the first yellow card of the night against WVU. WVU has the least number of yellow cards in the Sun Belt Conference with only eight this season.
WVU and Marshall both attempted one last shot before the end of the half in the 39th minute, but neither scored.
At the end of the first half, WVU outshot Marshall 3-2. However, the Thundering Herd carried its 1-0 lead into halftime.
Second half
The second half began with solid defense from both sides again.
The Mountaineers got the first two shots of the second half in the 57th and 58th minutes. One off target, and the other blocked.
Marshall’s Adam N’Goran had a solid strike in WVU’s penalty box in the 60th minute, but it was blocked by WVU.
The second yellow card of the night for Marshall was handed out to Romberg for unsporting shortly after.
A free kick was awarded to WVU at the end of the 62nd minute for a foul by Romberg. WVU capitalized on the opportunity and Jacob Redenfors, assisted by de Jesus Ferreira, scored a goal off his left foot into the bottom right of the goal.
The equalizer was Redenfors’ first goal of the season and de Jesus Ferreira’s second assist of the season.
“When Jacob’s in and around that position with his left foot, he has quality, and he’s a threat,” Stratford said. “Extremely pleased and not just for the team, but for him as well.”
Both squads exchanged shots following the WVU goal, but none made the back of the net.
In the 79th minute, the Mountaineers got its second yellow card of the night from de Jesus Ferreira for unsporting. Prior to the match, WVU had the fewest yellow cards in the Sun Belt Conference with only seven this season. Its season total is now nine.
Marshall received its third yellow card of the night in the 81st minute. It was given to Joao Roberto for unsporting.
Both teams had some more opportunities before the end of the half, but ultimately the game ended in a 1-1 draw.
Looking ahead
WVU next faces No. 1 South Carolina (7-1-1, 1-0-1) in its return to Dick Dlesk Soccer Stadium Saturday.
The Mountaineers lead the Gamecocks in the all-time series, 4-1-1. The Mountaineers have won the past four meetings.
Head coach Stratford says there are tiny details he would like to see the team clean up before the match.
“The nature of how we’re going to press, they were forced to play a little more vertical at times. Stratford said. “We often won the first contact and then just switched off in the moment of secondary transitions.”
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