West Virginia (5-1-1) needed a moment of late magic to break through, and Sammie Walker delivered it. The Mountaineers defeated Duquesne 1-0 on Tuesday night at Dick Dlesk Soccer Stadium on a Walker goal in the 85th minute. No. 21 West Virginia picked up its fourth consecutive victory, as they have a tough test against Marshall in Huntington, WV on Sunday, September 27. Read more: Late goal gives WVU win over Duquesne.
How it happened
West Virginia dominated the run of play from the opening whistle but could not find the breakthrough for over 84 minutes. Pablo Pozos was the most active Mountaineer. He had five shots, and one on goal. He hit the crossbar in the 63rd minute. Julen Recalde also had five shots with two on goal in 54 minutes of action. Two of them came back-to-back in the 80th minute and were saved by Duquesne defenders after getting by the goalkeeper.
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The breakthrough came off a pass from Harry Hogben, which ricocheted off a defender in front of the net. Walker set his feet and fired into the bottom left net, in between the goalkeeper and a Duquesne defender. He had just come on to the pitch in the 82nd minute for Tyler Londono Zapata. Walker made his 19 minutes of action count with two shots, both on goal, including the goal.
Sammie fires it home!!#HailWV pic.twitter.com/p4IuHXEICm
— WVU Men’s Soccer (@WVUMensSoccer) September 23, 2026
Toby Mawer earned the clean sheet. He did not have a save in the entire match as Duquesne only managed a single shot on goal. The Dukes had a chance in the final minute of the match after being awarded a corner kick. They had three consecutive shots, but none threatened.
By the numbers
The Mountaineers had 11 more shots than the Dukes, finishing 16-5. Five West Virginia shots were on goal. WVU also won the corner kick battle, 8-3. Still, the Mountaineers had to wait until the final 10 minutes to find the net to extend their winning streak. That goal was only the third goal allowed by the Dukes this season as they entered the match as the nation’s top defense.
Both teams picked up two yellow cards in a physical second half. WVU’s Tyler Bush and Kanta Ishii received one, along with a team card. Fouls were even at 6-5 in West Virginia’s favor.
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Outside of Mawer, three players played the full 90 minutes. Aurelien Cormier, Isaac Scheer, and Tristan Pusztahegyi played the entire match.
No. 21 West Virginia University (1-0-0 Sun Belt) continues with its conference schedule on Sunday, September 27, against Marshall. The game kicks off at 7:15 p.m. at Hoops Family Field. Marshall received nine votes in the United Soccer Coaches poll, narrowly missing the top 25. WVU welcomes No. 1 South Carolina to Dick Dlesk Soccer Stadium on October 3 in a tough matchup. The College of Charleston beat the Gamecocks, 2-1, tonight.
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