Mountaineers Claim Sun Belt Regular Season Title
HUNTINGTON, W.Va. (Nov. 5, 2024) – The No. 10 West Virginia University men’s soccer team took home its first Sun Belt regular season title in program history on Tuesday, escaping a hostile environment at No. 8 Marshall with a 0-0 draw. The Mountaineers finish with 19 points, two clear of the Thundering Herd in the conference table.
Overall, West Virginia goes 10-1-6 on the season while Marshall goes to 9-1-6.
The Mountaineers are the No. 1 seed in the upcoming Sun Belt Tournament and will play Georgia Southern, Sunday at Dick Dlesk Soccer Stadium with kickoff set for 3 p.m.
The WVU defense was phenomenal on Tuesday evening, allowing just three shots on goal against the high-powered Marshall attack. Redshirt-senior Marc Bonnaire made three saves to earn his eighth clean sheet of the season.
Overall, Marshall outshot the Mountaineers, 13-7, with a 3-2 edge on shots on goal. West Virginia had a 4-3 advantage in corner kicks while Marshall committed seven fouls to WVU’s six in a relatively clean contest.
Marshall had three of the best chances in the game, first hitting the crossbar in the 28th minute. In the second half, the Thundering Herd looked to have open nets as they got past Bonnaire, but the WVU defenders stayed calm and cut off angles, forcing a pair of shots to go wide.
The best chances for the Mountaineers came late in the first half, but shots by junior Felix Ewald and sophomore Sam Nyenka were saved.
With Marshall needing a win, the Thundering Herd kept the attack on, earning two corner kicks in the final five minutes but could not find the back of the net.
Overall, it is the eighth conference title and third regular season championship in program history, having won the Big East in 2006 and the MAC in 2018.
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