With its Sun Belt Conference title hopes on life support, the WVU men’s soccer team came up with perhaps its best performance of the season. West Virginia received a brace from Marcus Caldeira and blitzed in-state rival Marshall, winning 3-0 on Friday night in Morgantown.
The Mountaineers (11-3-2, 6-2 Sun Belt, 18 points) recorded their third consecutive shutout of the Thundering Herd (8-2-5, 5-2-1, 16 points). West Virginia has mostly dominated the series when playing at home, winning 12 of 16 matches against Marshall and going 12-2-2 overall. More importantly, the Mountaineers leapfrogged the Thundering Herd in the Sun Belt standings with the win.
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West Virginia now has a chance to secure home field in the first two rounds of the Sun Belt Conference tournament. All the Mountaineers must do in their final regular season match against South Carolina is avoid defeat and they’d put their record beyond Marshall’s reach. With head-to-head being the first tiebreaker, a West Virginia draw with the Gamecocks would get the Mountaineers to an insurmountable 19 points.
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West Virginia didn’t get the help it needed to pull the conference race back into chaos. While the Mountaineers were handling Marshall, Kentucky beat Georgia State 1-0 in Lexington. The Wildcats thus secured a share of the regular season title, and more importantly, home-field advantage through the Sun Belt Conference tournament. West Virginia could tie Kentucky on 21 points if the Wildcats lost to Old Dominion, but the Mountaineers’ loss in Lexington gives Kentucky the tiebreaker.
As a result, West Virginia can do no better than the No. 2 seed in the league tournament. The No. 2 seed would see the Mountaineers play two matches in Morgantown, with the championship either played in Lexington if it’s against Kentucky or in Morgantown against anyone else.
Mountaineers Create Opportunities
This was exactly the match West Virginia needed. After the Kentucky match, reasonable questions existed about West Virginia’s ability to finish when it mattered. The Mountaineers are going to face good defenses in the NCAA tournament, and they’ll have to show creativity in breaking them down.
The Mountaineers did it, and Caldeira showed exactly why he’s been such a reliable piece for Dan Stratford during his career. In the 23rd minute, he changed the match with a key tackle, getting the ball at midfield and driving into the box. He created a chance out of almost nothing, and the result was a deserved lead for WVU.
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Caldeira came up big again just as the clock shifted to the 72nd minute. Constantinos Christou sent a ball into the box with West Virginia already ahead 2-0, and Calderia slotted it home for the final score of the game. West Virginia ultimately took 17 shots for the game, putting eight on frame. Dante Huckaby’s goal in the 63rd minute provided the full margin.
Mountaineers Reach Final Regular Season Game
Even with the conference title off the table, West Virginia still has plenty to play for against South Carolina. If the Mountaineers beat the Gamecocks, it will go a long way toward earning a top-16 seed. West Virginia would have a much easier time making a run in the NCAA tournament if it gets a bye and gets to play at home. That requires a few more solid wins on the resume.
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Further, the Mountaineers don’t want to open the door for Marshall. They’ve shown they play much better at home than on the road, as most teams do. Getting a rematch with the Thundering Herd at home would be vital to the Mountaineers’ chances for a conference tournament title.
West Virginia will travel to Columbia to play South Carolina on Tuesday.
