Caldeira, Mountaineers put on dominating performance to knock off No. 6 Georgia Southern

MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — West Virginia men’s soccer hosted a top-10 opponent at Dick Dlesk Soccer Stadium for the second time in 11 days, welcoming No. 6 Georgia Southern on Saturday night.

Unlike last Tuesday’s 2-2 draw with then-No. 9 High Point, which left head coach Dan Stratford displeased with the demeanor of his team, the No. 8 Mountaineers (7-1-2, 3-0 SBC) were victorious on Saturday, defeating the Eagles (8-1-1, 2-1) 2-0.

“That was the most energy we’ve had, from the support of the bench, how we want to finish the game, the appetite,” Stratford said. “There was no point in that game when we didn’t feel like we were the team with the momentum and I think that’s really important.”

Stratford felt that his squad didn’t carry themselves as a top-10 team against High Point and challenged them over the last two weeks to correct that. 

The Mountaineers were the clear top dogs on Saturday, dominating possession and dictating nearly every facet of the game.

“Everyone had their chests out,” said senior Marcus Caldeira, who had a hand in both goals. “Everyone played like a winner and like we’re a top-10 team. We train like a top-10 team and we were a collective unit, like a top-10 team.”

Against a Georgia Southern team that had only allowed four goals prior to Saturday, West Virginia had a flurry of chances in the first 20 minutes of play. When Caldeira got one-on-one with a defender in the box in the 23rd minute, he was able to draw a foul and earn a penalty kick.

Carlos Hernandez took the kick and sent a left-footed kick into the back of the net for the 1-0 lead.

“We were very quick to make sure that the team recognized how good Georgia Southern are,” Stratford said. “This was a real opportunity for us, so there was no conversation of taking them lightly or not respecting them.”

Caldeira doubled WVU’s lead in the second half when Bryce Swinehart passed up a shot attempt on a breakaway to find him wide-open for a 72nd minute goal.

“The isolation worked really nice for him (Caldeira) again,” Stratford saod. “When he’s in those moments and he’s at it, he’s terrifying.”

West Virginia was credited with 60% total possession, outshooting the Eagles 12-9 and doubling up shots on goal 6-3. The Mountaineers also took eight corner kicks to GSU’s two. 

Marc Bonnaire made three saves in WVU’s net, including a huge one-on-one save against Mitch Picksley to preserve the 1-0 lead in the 25 minute.

The top-10 win came in front of 1,879 fans, easily the biggest crowd the Mountaineers have draw this season.

“The crowd tonight was kind of what we’ve been craving,” Stratford said. “My hope is next time we’re at home, we’re going to get another 2,000 people because we’ve gave them a great experience and they’ll want to come back.”

The Mountaineers now sit atop the Sun Belt standings, tied for first place with Kentucky, which is also 3-0 in conference play. 

The Mountaineers will be looking to ride their wave of confidence into a match at Coastal Carolina next Friday at 7 p.m.

“If I was questioning what you belive we’re capable of, what do you believe now, two games later with a win over the No. 6 team in the country,” Stratford said.

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