The Mountaineer men’s soccer team advanced to the semifinals of the Sun Belt Conference Tournament following a 3-1 win over Georgia State.
Georgia State started the game off strong with the Panthers Simon Carlson getting two shots on goal in the first 12 minutes but West Virginia’s Jackson Lee made the save on both.
Halfway through the first half the No. 7 ranked Mountaineers began to find opportunities for shots but were unable to place any of them on target.
West Virginia had their best chance during the first half in the 39th minute when the team was awarded a penalty kick however Yutaro Tsukada’s attempt was saved by the Panthers Josh Hangi.
Just before halftime Yutaro Tsukada took a shot that was just wide of the goal which sent the teams to the locker room with a halftime score of 0-0.
Just five minutes into the second half the Panthers were able to strike as Justin McClean and Hideto Gondo connected to find Ethan Sassine who put the Panthers up 1-0.
Five minutes later Luke McCormick found the back of the net for the Mountaineers on a rebounded ball that put the teams level at 1-1.
The Mountaineers continued to push the ball offensively with Sergio Ors-Navarro finding a window for a shot but Hangi was there to make the save.
In the 68th minute West Virginia’s Marcus Caldeira connected with Yutaro Tsukada who put the ball in the back of the net to give the Mountaineers a 2-1 lead.
In the 75th minute Tsukada struck again with a left footed shot from outside the box that gave the Mountaineers a 3-1 lead which would prove to be the final score.
West Virginia will await the winner of UCF and South Carolina for their semifinal matchup that is scheduled for November 8 with kickoff set for 7:00.
