HUNTINGTON, W.Va. – No. 1 Marshall used a late strike in the second half to seal its fate and post a 3-2 victory over No. 5 West Virginia to win the 2023 Sun Belt Conference Men’s Soccer Tournament Championship.
The feat, secured in front of a record 3,151 fans at Hoops Family Field, marks the first for the Herd as a member of the Sun Belt and their second championship in program history. As part of its Sun Belt tournament run, Marshall avenged its only two losses of the season, shutting out Kentucky (2-0) in the semifinals before edging its Mountain State Derby rival in the finals.
Marshall (17-2, 7-2 SBC) earns the Sun Belt’s automatic berth in the 2023 NCAA Men’s Soccer Tournament and is expected to be a top overall seed in the event. No. 5 West Virginia entered the conference tournament as the third seed, and boasts an impressive 14-2-4 record and 5-1-3 mark in Sun Belt action. The 2023 NCAA Division I Men’s Soccer Championship Selection Show is set for Monday at 1 p.m. ET live on NCAA.com.
HOW IT HAPPENED
The Mountaineers were first to strike, finding the back of the net in the 18
th minute as Sergio Ors Navarro converted on a free kick. Despite failing to strike following a pair of back-to-back corner kicks, the Herd’s front line was able to break through just seven minutes later. Matthew Bell, positioned in the bottom left corner of the box, found Alvaro Garcia-Pascual through traffic to even the score at one with 20 minutes to go in the half. The back-and-forth battle continued, with the Mountaineers regaining their one-goal lead as Ors Navarro registered his second tally of the match off a beautiful cross by Ryan Baer. Once again, Marshall retaliated with a goal of its own. This time, it was Aymane Sordo darting past the WVU backline on a pair of fresh legs. Garcia-Pascual saw the midfielder from Casablanca, Morocco wide open in the box to give the Herd a much-needed tally to even the score heading into the break.
Tied up at two apiece, both squads battled to break the deadlock. It was Garcia-Pascual who put the Herd on top for the first time of the day with a solo strike on a breakaway in the 77
th minute. The junior forward zipped past the WVU back line, connecting on a pass from Rai Pinto via Taimu Okiyoshi to put Marshall out front. With the title on the line, the Mountaineers offense gave it all they got, firing off three shots in the final 10 minutes of the match. The Herd back line held strong, staving off West Virginia’s final press to clinch the Championship.
2023 Sun Belt All-Tournament Team
Most Outstanding Player – Alvaro Garcia-Pascual, Marshall
M – Alymane Sordo, Marshall
D – Rai Pinto, Marshall
D – Alex Bamford, Marshall
M – Sergio Ors Navarro, West Virginia
F – Yutaro Tsukada, West Virginia
M – Luke McCormick, West Virginia
GK – Casper Mols, Kentucky
F – Ben Damge, Kentucky
D – William Nilsson, South Carolina
D – Kasper Lehm, South Carolina