West Virginia’s defense passed its first major test of the season Friday, as the visiting No. 10 Mountaineers shared the points with No. 16 Akron. West Virginia held the Zips silent, but couldn’t break through itself, settling for a scoreless draw at Akron’s FirstEnergy Stadium.
The Mountaineers did again answer one of their biggest questions, as the defense appears to have learned from its issues against Manhattan. Akron (2-0-1) pressed the issue for nine shots and forced West Virginia keeper Mark Bonnaire into action three times. Bonnaire turned aside two and had a third go awry, earning the Mountaineers’ second clean sheet of the season.
West Virginia (2-0-1) found the going much tougher than it did against LaSalle and Manhattan, and the stats showed. The Mountaineers created a few chances, but never had anyone in position to get the final touch against the Zips’ defense.
Marcus Caldeira notched WVU’s only shot on goal, forcing Akron’s defense into action in the 58th minute. Otherwise, West Virginia spent the entire match a touch short of troubling the Zips’ defenders.
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The Mountaineers got their best chance in the second half, as Thomas Bowe sent a cross into the box that could have made things interesting. However, as it had all match, Akron had things well defended. No Mountaineer could find the final touch, leading the ball harmlessly away.
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Although the Mountaineers had their problems with the Zips, the overall result suggests good things for Dan Stratford’s men. West Virginia isn’t going to be able to blow out all of their opponents the way it did in the first two matches. Akron represents the kind of team the Mountaineers will have to solve in the NCAA tournament, and West Virginia showed that its defense can handle that kind of attack
Offense Needs to Step Forward
A match like this also suggests that the West Virginia offense has room to grow. Scoring nine goals in the first two matches was nice, but West Virginia’s going to have to prove it can unlock better defenses. The Mountaineers certainly have the pieces to do that with Caldeira, Pablo Pozos and Ethan Dekel Daks; it’s just a matter of getting everyone on the same page.
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The Mountaineers also showed that they can handle a hostile environment. Even though West Virginia is ranked 10th nationally, the Mountaineers will likely have to go on the road at some point in the NCAA tournament. There are too many top schools in the eastern half of the country for the Mountaineers’ schedule to match up, which always hurts a team’s seed come tournament time. Getting a result against a good Akron team away should be a stepping stone for Mountaineers men’s soccer moving forward.
West Virginia sees its next test come at home against Gardner-Webb on Wednesday. The Bulldogs bring a 3-0 record and a national ranking into Morgantown, as they sat No. 20 in this week’s rankings. Given that they remain undefeated, they’re likely to rise next week, making this an intriguing early test for WVU.
