Mountaineers Dominant in Georgia Southern Win

Sunday, October 31

Statesboro, Ga.

1:00 p.m.

West Virginia University

10-2-4, 3-1-1

Georgia Southern

4-11-1, 0-4-1

West Virginia

Ga. Southern

October 31, 2021 04:28 PM | Men's Soccer

Box Score Box Score Season Stats

By: Joe Mitchin

MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – The West Virginia University men's soccer team earned a 5-0 win over Georgia Southern on Sunday afternoon at Eagle Field – Erk Park in Statesboro, Georgia.

The Mountaineers were dominant for all 90 minutes in the road, conference fixture, scoring five goals for the first time since Nov. 12, 2019, against Butler in the NCAA Tournament. WVU fired 22 total shots in the win and earned its seventh shutout of the season.

Sophomore forward Ciro Bourlot Jaeggi scored a pair of goals for WVU, while redshirt junior midfielder/defender Dyon Dromers, junior midfielder Luke McCormick and senior forward Tony Pineda also found the back of the net in the win.

"That was just about a perfect outcome as far as the result and our ability to manage the middle of a three-game stretch in the space of a week," WVU coach Dan Stratford said. "You couldn't have drawn it up any better when it comes to the score line and the utilization of everyone that came on the trip. I'm very, very pleased in that regard."

WVU (10-2-4, 3-1-1 MAC) got on the board in the 28th minute when Bourlot Jaeggi scored the first of his two tallies. It marked the Sante Fe, Argentina, native's third game-winning goal in as many games. McCormick earned the assist on the play.

Later, the Mountaineers doubled the lead in the 41st minute when Dromers scored a header goal off a cross from senior forward Adam Burchell to make it 2-0. Redshirt sophomore midfielder/defender Sergio Ors Navarro also chipped in on the assist.

West Virginia held a 12-3 advantage in shots in the first half and took a two-goal lead into the locker room for halftime.

WVU scored three more in the second half, including a blast from McCormick from inside the center of the box in the 59th minute. Fifth-year senior midfielder Pau Jimenez Albelda and senior forward Ike Swiger began the play before the Derby, England, native cashed in for a 3-0 Mountaineer lead.

Bourlot Jaeggi's second goal of the day came in the 61st minute when he volleyed in a rebounded shot off the Georgia Southern goalkeeper inside the 6-yard box. The tally marked his team-leading sixth goal of the year, as well as his fourth in the last three games.

"He is hitting a nice little patch for us," Stratford said of Bourlot Jaeggi. "It feels like if we continue to put ourselves in good situations and create good chances, we can get someone on the end of those to take full advantage of them. That's what he's been able to do. When the ball is falling in their area, you want players to light up and get wide eyes. I think he's in that spot right now, where he wants the ball at his feet and is ready to take full advantage of every opportunity he gets."

Senior forward Tony Pineda capped the scoring in the 73rd minute when he found the back of the net off a deflection in front of the goal. In all, WVU scored on five of its nine shots on goal in the victory.

Meanwhile, Georgia Southern (4-11-1, 0-4-1 MAC) recorded seven shots, three of them on frame.

The Mountaineers used 21 players in the win, including redshirt junior goalkeeper Jacob Castro, who made his WVU debut on Sunday. Fifth-year senior goalkeeper Steven Tekesky started the game and made three saves.

Sunday marked West Virginia's first-ever meeting with Georgia Southern. With the win, the Mountaineers earned their third consecutive win and posted its 22nd 10-win season in program history.

Next up, WVU concludes the 2021 regular season against Bowling Green on Thursday, Nov. 4, at Dick Dlesk Soccer Stadium in Morgantown. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. ET.

For more information on the Mountaineers, follow @WVUMensSoccer on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.