No. 7 WVU Men’s Soccer made program history Wednesday night, recording its eighth consecutive shutout in a 1-0 overtime win over Coastal Carolina to advance to the Sun Belt Conference Tournament Championship.
Civan de Jesus Ferreira scored the game-winner in the 96th minute, finishing a cross from Aurelien Cormier to send the Mountaineers through.
The victory was not an easy one for West Virginia. The Mountaineers created chances throughout the night but could not get past Coastal Carolina goalkeeper Nash Skoglund until extra time. The match also featured multiple cards, an overturned WVU goal, and the dismissal of assistant coach Andy Wright. Read more: No. 7 West Virginia keeps the door shut, downs Chanticleers 1-0 in extra time to reach Sun Belt final.
Despite the challenges, West Virginia found a way to advance and extend its record-setting shutout streak.
Mountaineers create chances in first half
West Virginia put pressure on the Coastal Carolina defense early, earning multiple corner kicks and getting shots from Julen Recalde and Kanta Ishii blocked.
The Mountaineers tested Skoglund, who made several saves, including back-to-back stops on Isaac Scheer in the 18th minute. Pablo Pozos and Ishii also put shots on target, but the Coastal Carolina goalkeeper kept WVU off the scoreboard.
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Coastal Carolina had a chance of its own in the 15th minute when Hector Blanco put a shot toward the bottom-right corner, but Toby Mawer made the save.
West Virginia created more opportunities before halftime, but could not find the opening goal. The two teams headed into the locker room scoreless.
Head coach Dan Stratford said the Mountaineers were up-and-down early.
“We were inconsistent the first half and had some really good moments and some good spells and some really under-performing spells,” Stratford said.
He felt the team played much better after the break, even though the match continued to be difficult to finish.
Red cards and a controversial review
West Virginia poured more pressure onto Coastal Carolina after halftime, earning more corner kicks and creating opportunities around the goal.
The match took a turn in the 57th minute when Coastal Carolina’s Alberto de Miguel received a red card for dissent, leaving the Chanticleers with 10 players.
The Mountaineers looked to take advantage of the extra player, but Skoglund kept coming up with saves. Pozos had an opportunity in the 77th minute, while Juan Alvarez put another shot on target in the 84th minute.
West Virginia appeared to have finally broken through late in regulation, but the goal was overturned following a video review for offside.
Stratford questioned the explanation behind the decision, saying he had not seen an angle that clearly showed Pozos was offside.
“If the angle behind the goal, the camera behind the goal shows Pablo was offside, then I’ll eat all of my words,” Stratford said.
He also took issue with the explanation that the camera behind the goal provided the evidence needed to overturn the call.
“There was clearly an angle when the ball has made contact with Juan when the shot has come off, where for me, the left back is playing him on,” Stratford said.
The sequence also led to a red card for WVU assistant coach Andy Wright. Stratford said Wright was frustrated with the decision and will now be unavailable for Sunday’s championship game.
“He’s gutted and I’m gutted as well because I might have to organize set pieces now during the game against South Carolina,” Stratford said jokingly.
Stratford said the number of stoppages and disciplinary decisions made it difficult for his team to maintain its rhythm.
“There’s a lot of reviews, a lot of cards, a lot of different things that can be distracting and kind of break up the rhythm of things,” Stratford said.
Even with Coastal Carolina down a player, Stratford said the Chanticleers remained a threat.
“They played with 10 men incredibly well,” Stratford said.
Neither team found the back of the net through 90 minutes, sending the match into overtime.
Ferreira sends Mountaineers to championship
West Virginia finally broke through in the 96th minute.
After the Mountaineers worked the ball to the right side, Cormier delivered a cross into the box. Ferreira attacked the ball and headed it into the bottom-left corner to give WVU the 1-0 victory.
Ferreira explained that he recognized the opportunity when the ball moved across the field to Cormier.
“When he swung it in, I just went and attacked the ball,” Ferreira said. “I just tried my best to get my head in there. And it was a great cross.”
The goal came after a long night of missed opportunities and several saves from Skoglund. Stratford gave the Coastal Carolina goalkeeper credit for keeping his team in the match.
“He’s a good goalkeeper,” Stratford said. “He commands his box well, he comes for things, he’s quite aggressive off his line, capable of making the save. And I think he’s got good distribution.”
Stratford also praised his own team’s ability to stay focused through the difficult moments and eventually find a winner.
“We’ve got to give a ton of credit for our guys for the way we persevered,” Stratford said.
Ferreira said the team believed a goal would eventually come, even as the match moved into overtime.
“We just keep going and we keep believing,” Ferreira said. “That was the main thing between us.”
The victory extended West Virginia’s shutout streak to eight consecutive games, setting a new program record.
Stratford said the defensive streak had been a point of emphasis heading into the semifinal. He credited the defensive group and the relationships the players have built throughout the season.
“We were very aware of where we were at with that,” Stratford said. “Let’s take real pride in keeping a clean sheet and have ultimate faith that if we keep a clean sheet, we will win the game.”
Ferreira said the players regularly check the team’s defensive numbers and are proud of prolonging the streak.
“We’re taking a lot of pride, for sure,” Ferreira said. “We’re checking the stats every day, seeing how many clean sheets the other teams have. And it’s always in the back of our head.”
He added that the team is not simply playing to preserve the streak, but still wants to find a way to win every match.
Tristan Pusztahegyi pointed to the chemistry within the defensive group as a major reason for its recent success.
“I think just like the friendship we all have,” Pusztahegyi said. “Especially off the field, we all were always hanging out together, talking in the locker room, going out to eat, all that kind of stuff.”
The Mountaineers now turn their attention to Sunday’s Sun Belt Conference Tournament Championship against South Carolina. West Virginia aims to carry its defensive momentum into the final while playing without Wright on the sideline.
