The West Virginia Mountaineers (13-4-3) advanced in Thursday’s first-round match of the NCAA D1 men’s soccer tournament. WVU played host to the Red Storm of St. John’s University and won, 4-3. Read more: Caldeira’s hat trick against St. John’s sends WVU Men’s Soccer to second round
WVU erased a 2-0 deficit and a 3-2 deficit against St. John’s on Thursday, sending the Mountaineers to the second round. A second-half trio of goals from Marcus Caldeira solidified the match as what many might consider an instant classic.
First half
St. John’s pressured WVU early on, a trend that persisted throughout the frame. The Johnnies seemingly had an answer for every high-quality Mountaineer possession.
West Virginia was held to two shots on goal and one corner kick through the first 45 minutes. St. John’s also recorded a quiet offensive outing in the half.
The biggest story from the first half was the surge in bookings. St. John’s racked up three cards in the half, all in the final 10 minutes before the break.
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WVU’s Marcus Caldeira was sidelined for a hefty portion of the half, and his absence was felt in the Mountaineers’ performance early on.
The match remained scoreless as the first half clock read zeroes.
Second half
The action came fast and furious in the opening sequence of the second half. The nil-nil affair was broken by a St. John’s goal in the 46th minute off the foot of Bjorn Nikolajewski, putting the Red Storm in front.
Nikolajewski’s tally came by way of a penalty kick, further capitalizing on the myriad of WVU mistakes in the early moments out of the break. The Mountaineers could not do much before the Red Storm doubled them up.
St. John’s struck for a second time in the 51st minute, this time thanks to a score from Gabe Smyth. Proficient ball movement from the duo of Ank Nibogora and Andrew Porucznik made the play possible, with both Johnnies notching assists on the play.
Caldeira gave the Mountaineer faithful a shot of adrenaline in the 69th minute, weaving his way into scoring position. Assists from Pablo Pozos and Isaac Scheer set the stage for the Canadian star to cut the Red Storm lead in half.
Late-match drama
Both teams had opportunities and did not capitalize for a stretch. That was until Nicolas Scargle headed in an improbable equalizer in the 79th minute. The USF transfer came up in a big way after not seeing game action in 2024.
Heartbreak was not far behind, as St. John’s Guilherme Gomes scored 1:36 later to take the lead back. Godwin Partey and Julian Jakopovic assisted the score.
But when all seemed lost, Caldeira tallied a brace to keep the Mountaineers alive in the 87th. Late chances did not yield results for either squad and the first round showdown headed to extras.
OT
Caldeira created a “wow” moment on the biggest stage with an overtime goal to eliminate St. John’s. The Mountaineer captain etched his name even deeper into the program’s lore with the second-half hat trick.
Final wrap/team stats
WVU advances with the win and has a rematch with High Point set for Sunday, Nov. 23. The two teams drew in Morgantown earlier this season in a then-top 15 matchup.
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WVU: 4 goals/11 shots/7 shots on goal/5 corners/5 fouls/2 offsides
SJU: 3 goals/10 shots/5 shots on goal/4 corners/14 fouls/3 offsides
