NEW ORLEANS - A meeting between No. 9 West Virginia and No. 25 Kentucky will prove to be crucial for two teams vying for the top stop in the league standings.
TIED AT THE TOP
No. 10 West Virginia, No. 9 Marshall and No. 25 Kentucky are all tied at the top of the Sun Belt standings with 5-1 records (15) points. Marshall has the head-to-head with Kentucky, defeating the Wildcats 4-1 earlier in the season. Marshall and West Virginia will meet on Oct. 31
st, while West Virginia and Kentucky meet this weekend. The top two teams in the league will host the first-round matches of the Sun Belt Conference Tournament, making a win for these three teams vital.
WILDCATS AND THE Mountaineers
Kentucky comes off a midweek victory over No. 20 Georgia Southern, a team that defeated West Virginia earlier in the year. The two teams met twice last season, during the regular season the match ended in a 0-0 draw, the second meeting came in the semifinals of the conference tournament with the Mountaineers winning 2-1 in Morgantown.
HERD ON A HOT STREAK
Marshall is getting hot at the right time having won five straight dating back to Oct. 4. During the five-game streak they have outscored opponents 14-2 while recording three shutouts. Also of note is that all five matches were played on their home pitch, making their home record 6-0-1. On the road the Herd is just 1-1-3 and are faced with a two-game road trip over the next week including a ranked meeting with in-state foe, West Virginia. Marshall now boasts the highest scoring offense in the league as well, with a league best 30 goals and 2.308 scoring average.
MOUNTAINEER OFFENSE
West Virginia’s offense includes the leagues points leaders with Pablo Pozos and Marcus Caldeira both tied at 21. Pozos leads the league in goals with 10, while Caldeira is tied for second with seven and is second in assists with seven. As a team the Mountaineers produce a 2.143 scoring average with 30 total goals on the season.
THE KNIGHTS ASSIST KING
UCF’s Clarence Awoudor is the nation’s leader in assists with 12. The forward has appeared in all 13 of the teams games this season ( .923 apg). Awoudor also has three goals bringing his point total to 18, good for third in the league. He leads a Knights offense that is tied for third in the league in scoring offense (2.00 gpg) and fourth in total goals (26).
FOUR IN THE TOP 25
For the sixth consecutive week four Sun Belt men’s soccer teams are ranked in the United Soccer Coaches Poll. Marshall (7-1-4, 4-1) comes in at No. 9, West Virginia (9-2-2, 4-1) dropped to No. 10, Georgia Southern (10-2-1, 3-2) moves up to No. 20 and Kentucky (7-2-3, 4-1) holds on to No. 25.
SBC IN THE RPI
Seven Sun Belt teams rank within the top 100 of the RPI. Marshall has the best in the league at 18, followed by West Virginia (20), Georgia Southern (27), Kentucky (47), UCF (55), South Carolina (65), James Madison (89).
INDIVIDUAL STAT LEADERS
POINTS: Marcus Caldeira & Pablo Pozos, WVU, 21
GOALS: Pablo Pozoz, WVU, 10
ASSISTS: Clarence Awoudor, UCF, 12
SHOTS: Ethan Ballek, SC, 44
SHOTS ON GOAL: Marcus Caldeira, WVU, 21
SAVES: Loan Marin, GSU, 55
SAVE PERCENTAGE: Erik Jaspers, JMU, .804
GOALS AGAINST AVG: Nate Martinez, GS, .786
TEAM STAT LEADERS
POINTS: West Virginia, 94
GOALS: West Virginia, 30
ASSISTS: West Virginia, 34
SHOTS: West Virginia, 204
SHOTS ON GOAL: West Virginia, 101
SAVES: James Madison, 59
SAVE PERCENTAGE: Georgia Southern, .784
GOALS AGAINST AVG: Georgia Southern, .786
WHERE TO WATCH
| Date |
Time |
Matchup |
Broadcast |
| Sunday, Oct. 26 |
3:00 p.m. |
UCF at Georgia State |
ESPN+ |
| Sunday, Oct. 26 |
6:00 p.m. |
Marshall at Old Dominion |
ESPN+ |
| Sunday, Oct. 26 |
6:00 p.m. |
Georiga Southern at James Madison |
ESPN+ |
| Sunday, Oct. 26 |
6:00 p.m. |
Coastal Carolina at South Carolina |
ESPN+ |
| Sunday, Oct. 26 |
6:00 p.m. |
West Virginia at Kentucky |
ESPN+ |