The WVU Men’s soccer team will be heading into Harrisonburg, Virginia, with positive momentum as they are set to play James Madison University on Wednesday night.
Recently the Mountaineers have found themselves in good spirits in their last three matchups. Two out of three games were shutouts against Lehigh (3-0) and Old Dominion (4-0).
A driving force behind the two victories was freshman Forward Marcus Caldeira as he would combine for three goals and one assist.
At the passing end, fifth-year Forward Adam Burchell would make a significant impact and collect three total assists in those two games.
West Virginia would recently face their most formidable opponent yet, #2 Kentucky.
This matchup would turn into a shoot-out, and no team could seem to put the winning goal in the net, as the game would end in a 3-3 draw.
Senior Midfielder Defender Dyon Dromers, who is currently leading the team in goals with four, would continue his impressive season as he scored twice in this matchup.
After the game, Dromers explained why his team was able to keep up with the number two team in the country,
“We wanted to prove something today against the number two, and I think it was a little bit hard when we didn’t have the ball in the first half,” said Dromers. “When you saw us battle back in the second half, that’s where I was very proud of the team.”
For JMU, they will be entering Wednesday night’s matchup with an overall record of 5-6-2. They have found success in their last three matchups as they would beat Gardner-Webb (2-1) and Georgia Southern (3-0). They would also have a 2-2 draw against American last Tuesday.
In those two victories, junior Foward Evan Southern and freshman Foward Camron Arnold would make significant impacts during those matchups.
Against Gardner-Webb, Southern would score two goals, and Arnold would also find the back of the net twice against Georgia Southern.
So far this year, Southern and Arnold have been critical players for the Dukes. Southern is first on the team in goals (4) and in points (9), while Arnold is second on the team in goals (3) and his tied for the team lead in shots on goal (10).
This matchup dates back to 1988; since then, WVU has had a 3-6 all time record. The last time the Mountaineers faced JMU was in 2015, and they would go on to win by a significant margin of 6-2.
This week’s matchup will be held at Sentara Park at 7:00 pm and can be viewed on ESPN+.
Photo Credit: Aaron Parker, Blue Gold Sports
