HUNTINGTON, W.Va. — If recent history is any indication, an eighth meeting in four seasons between the WVU and Marshall men’s soccer teams could be in store at some point in the Sun Belt Conference Tournament in November. Should the Mountaineers and the Thundering Herd find each other again in the draw, neither side can claim the upper hand based on their regular season meeting Sunday night at Hoops Family Field.
The Mountaineers and the Thundering Herd played to a 1-1 draw in a highly-entertaining contest played in front of a crowd of 3,307 fans.
“It was very well-fought. I thought it was a contest that went back-and-forth. I thought it had some great moments for the fans,” said Marshall head coach Chris Grassie. “There were definitely some great moments for us. You could see the makings of a great team in us.”
“I don’t know that there will ever be a bad draw at Marshall. Their home record is fantastic,” said WVU head coach Dan Stratford.
“You kind of expect when you play Marshall that you are going to get the best version of them. I thought both teams played well, I did. I thought it was a really good game, an entertaining game. It was a little bit of a chess match at times in the first half early. The nature of being 1-nil down at halftime when you have the crowd and the momentum they would have felt in that moment, I am so proud of the players with the way they stepped up in the second half.”
Marshall broke the stalemate in the 25th minute when Haruhi Taneda sent a cross in the box to Carl Romberg and Romberg blasted the shot home for his fourth goal of the season. The Thundering Herd led 1-0 at halftime.
West Virginia began to elevate their level of play shortly after halftime and the Mountaineers’ improved attacking was rewarded in the 63rd minute. Civan de Jesus Ferreira found Jacob Redenfors just outside the Marshall box. Redenfors sent a low-driven shot just inside the right post to equalize the match at 1.
” I thought there were silly fouls leading up to [the goal] that hurt us,” Grassie said. “We should have just stood on our feet a little bit more, been a bit tougher and managed it a little better. It was foul, foul, foul and then we were kind of all out of position.”
Both teams had quality chances in the final 25 minutes. In the 69th minute, David Cho ripped a shot that required a diving save from WVU’s goalkeeper Toby Mawer. In the 86th minute, Sammie Walker sent a shot towards the Marshall net that was deflected and went just wide of the post.
West Virginia played without their leader scorer Pablo Pozos. He was injured in the second half of WVU’s 1-0 win over Duquesne on Tuesday. His status for Saturday’s home match against No. 1 South Carolina is uncertain.
“It was in about the 60th minute. He played on for about another 20 probably playing on adrenaline. It is an ankle sprain,” Stratford said. “We’ve had the X-rays and everything has come back clean. It is kind of a week-to-week situation right now.With South Carolina not until Saturday, we are optimistic that his progressions are quick.”
WVU led in shots, 11-7 and they held a 7-3 edge in corner kicks.
No. 21 West Virginia (5-1-2) and Marshall (4-1-3) have played seven times in the last four seasons in the Mountain State Derby.
“The occasion is fantastic. It is something to look forward to,” Grassie said. “It is a big occasion and it is enjoyable. We’ll probably see them again in the [Sun Belt] Tournament if current history sticks.”
“I think the good news for both teams right now is that there’s a lot of football ahead of us and a lot of conference play ahead of us,” Stratford said. “Both teams are 1-0-1 in conference and both of us, I am sure, are convinced we can win the league.”