For the first time as members of the Sun Belt, the West Virginia Mountaineers are men’s soccer conference champions.
After 90 minutes of scoreless soccer, followed by five rounds of made penalty kicks from both teams, West Virginia won the title with a sixth round save by Marc Bonnaire in the first extra round.
Graduate student Dyon Dromers, who has yet to play a minute this postseason, made the penalty kick that won the match for WVU.
Sunday afternoon marked the second time Dan Stratford coached WVU against Marshall for the conference title, but unlike last year, he did so in Morgantown. Also unlike last time, the Mountaineers won, giving Stratford his first Sun Belt title.
As usual, the Mountaineers’ pressure forced Marshall in a defensive position for much of the first half. Thanks to three saves from junior Aleksa Janjic, though, neither team left the first half with a goal.
WVU took six shots compared to Marshall’s three in the first 45. Despite more offensive energy, though, neither team let the foot off the gas in terms of aggression. The Thundering Herd had 11 fouls compared to WVU’s nine in the first half, and each finished with totals of 24 and 17 respectively.
Sun Belt Conference second team goalkeeper Marc Bonnaire tallied one save of his own in the first half, but it would be his only for the match before the penalty kicks. Janjic finished with five saves.
The second half saw a lot more action near the halfway line. Still, though, the Mountaineers found themselves with more scoring opportunities, taking 10 more shots compared to Marshall’s five. WVU also took advantage of 12 corner kick opportunities to keep the pressure on.
After the match, West Virginia took home additional hardware in the form of Sun Belt Conference Championship awards. Forward Sergio Ors Navarro added to his regular season Player of the Year and Offensive Player of the Year honors by earning the championship’s Player of the Year as well.
With the Sun Belt title, WVU earns an automatic bid to the NCAA Men’s Soccer Tournament. The Mountaineers’ seed for the tournament will be announced Monday in the selection show at 1 p.m. ET.
Last season, WVU finished its year in the College Cup Semifinals against Clemson. 2024 first round play is set to begin Nov. 21, but the Mountaineers could wait until Nov. 24 to play if they earn a top-eight seed.
Photo by Korey Moore, Blue Gold Sports
