NEW ORLEANS - For a second consecutive season West Virginia and Marshall will face off in the Sun Belt Men's Soccer Championship.
The two nationally ranked programs advance to the championship match after 10th-ranked and No. 1-seed West Virginia defeated No. 4-seed Kentucky 2-1 and eighth-ranked No. 2-seed Marshall defeated No. 6-seed James Madison.
No. 1-seeded West Virginia def. No. 4-seeded Kentucky, 2-1
No.1-seeded West Virginia overcame an early 1-0 deficit versus No. 4-seeded Kentucky to win their way into the Sun Belt’s tournament Championship
Kentucky found the back of the net less than three minutes into the game. Forward Logan Dorsey made a streaking run up the left side of the pitch, before making a move towards the middle and rocketing the ball into the bottom right corner past West Virginia’s goalkeeper Marc Bonnaire.
The Mountaineers didn’t waver and just under three minutes later West Virginia would set up a corner kick that resulted in a header by the Sun Belt’s player of the year, Sergio Ors Navarro. Knotted up at 1-1 in the 5th minute, the two teams would hold each other scoreless through the remaining 40 minutes of the half.
West Virginia would swing the momentum their way in the 54
th minute, as the Mountaineers earned a free kick near the goal line and Frederik Jorgensen would send the kick into the box for defender Carlos Hernando to put into the back of the net. Up 2-1, The Mountaineer defense would hold the Wildcats to just one shot on goal the rest of the match and secure the semifinal win.
Both Ors Navarro and Hernando have a pair of goals through tournament play, with Jorgensen leading the team with three assists through the first two rounds.
For the second straight season West Virginia will meet Marshall in the Sun Belt Championship. This is the first time The Mountaineers will host the championship since joining the Sun Belt.
No. 2-seeded Marshall def. No. 6-seeded James Madison, 1-0
No. 2-seeded Marshall rode a first-half marker to a 1-0 victory over No. 6-seeded James Madison, despite having to play the final 30 minutes a man down.
After Marshall created a number of first-half chances, senior forward Lineker Rodrigues dos Santos rocketed a ball from a step outside the 18-yard box toward the James Madison frame. The ball ricocheted off a Dukes defender’s head and into the far side netting for the 36th-minute ice breaker.
A massive 44th-minute sequence by junior netminder Sebastian Conlon helped the Dukes keep the halftime margin at 1-0. The Sun Belt Goalkeeper of the Year made back-to-back diving saves, the first on a low shot by Marshall freshman forward Loic Sany Kong and the second on the ensuing rebound on a shot off the boot of Rodrigues dos Santos from inside the six-yard box.
After James Madison freshman midfielder Milo Wray was shown a yellow card in the 50th minute, Marshall junior midfielder Alexander Stjernegaard curled a long free kick toward the upper 90, where Conlon pushed it beyond the post for another crucial save.
Marshall sophomore defender Rai Pinto was shown a straight red card in the 60th minute after taking down a charging Dukes redshirt senior forward Evan Southern just outside the 18-yard box, forcing the Thundering Herd to play a man down for the final 30 minutes. James Madison junior midfielder Kevin Larsson’s shot sailed over the cross bar on the ensuing free kick.
In the 78th minute, Conlon knocked another long Marshall free kick off frame—this time off the foot of senior midfielder Pablo Simon—to keep the Dukes within a goal.
Despite the valiant five-save effort from Conlon on the back line—and a number of second-half opportunities in the attacking third—James Madison could not push across an equalizer.
No. 2-seeded Marshall will now meet in-state rival and No. 1-seeded West Virginia in the Sun Belt Men’s Soccer Championship final at 1 p.m. ET on Sunday, Nov. 17. The two nationally-ranked programs played to a 0-0 draw in the regular-season finale on Tuesday, Nov. 5.