The WVU Men’s Soccer team (9-1-2, 4-0-0) defeated the American Eagles (5-7-1, 4-1) 2-0 on Tuesday evening at Dick Dlesk Soccer Stadium in Morgantown. A brace from offensive powerhouse Pablo Pozos proved to be the deciding factor in the final non-conference match on the Mountaineers’ schedule. Read more: Pozos leads WVU Men’s Soccer to 2-0 Win Over American
First Half
A defensive battle defined the first 20-plus minutes of action at Dick Dlesk Soccer Stadium. The feeling-out process ensued until the 36th minute.
Pablo Pozos came off the bench for West Virginia yet again on Tuesday and immediately shifted the momentum in the match. The decision to not start the star scorer didn’t hinder Pozos’ performance, according to WVU Head Coach Dan Stratford.
“I think he was very open to the idea that we were going to rotate a little bit and look to utilize depth,” Stratford said. “Obviously he was one of five changes we made at that point in the game. I think he was totally comfortable with the idea of trying to make an impact when he came in and obviously he did.”
Pozos found the back of the net for the ninth time off assists courtesy of Felix Ewald and Marcus Caldeira.
Ewald and Caldeira picked up their second and seventh assists, respectively. Pozos struck again less than three minutes later to complete the first-half brace.
Constantinos Christou set up Pozos’ tenth goal of the season, with Christou collecting his second assist of 2025. The American Eagles’ goalkeeper, Matthew Tibbetts, allowed two goals and collected three saves in the frame.
American had a golden opportunity late in the half, but WVU goalkeeper Marc Bonnaire turned away a penalty kick attempt in a full-body effort. The Mountaineers led 2-0 at halftime.
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Second Half
Both defenses settled in after halftime, leading to a second-half stalemate between WVU and AU. The second half box score was rather even outside of the corner kick category, a stat in which the Mountaineers dominated. WVU kicked seven second-half corners compared to American’s three.
Four of the seven second-half corners for WVU came between the 54th and 56th minute. Despite not leading to a goal, it chewed up time of possession in chunks.
West Virginia doubled American in overall shots throughout the match, 12-6. In terms of shots on goal, WVU had the upper hand as well, 6-2.
Final Wrap
In terms of goalkeeping, Marc Bonnaire saved both shots he faced in a shutout performance. As for AU, Matthew Tibbetts tallied four saves and allowed both Mountaineer goals. Both keepers went the distance.
The playing of “Take Me Home, Country Roads” signaled another win for the third-ranked Mountaineers. Now, the focus returns to conference play.
The remaining scheduled consists solely of Sun Belt Conference opponents, including likely-ranked matchups against Kentucky and in-state rival, Marshall. Both the Wildcats and Thundering Herd are currently listed in the top 25 rankings.
West Virginia is back in action on October 18, when the Mountaineers face Georgia State in Atlanta at 7 P.M. EST. For more coverage on all things WVU Athletics, stay up to date with WV Sports Nation.
