Sunday, November 5
Orlando, Fla.
3 p.m.
West Virginia University
13-1-4, 5-1-3
3
vs
1
Georgia State
6-7-5, 3-4-2
1
2
F
Georgia St.
0
1
1
West Virginia
0
3
3
Mountaineers Advance to Sun Belt Semifinals with Win Over Georgia State
November 05, 2023 07:28 PM | Men's Soccer
ORLANDO, Fla. – A trio of second half goals propelled the No. 7 West Virginia University men's soccer team to a 3-1 victory over Georgia State in the Sun Belt Championship quarterfinals on Sunday. The Mountaineers advance to the semifinals against the winner of the UCF-South Carolina match on Wednesday night at 7 p.m.
Senior Yutaro Tsukada scored a brace with senior Luke McCormick adding the third for the Mountaineers while sophomore Marcus Caldeira collected an assist.
West Virginia outshot the Panthers, 16-9, including a 6-3 advantage in shots on goal. WVU also had a slight 3-2 edge in corner kicks. Senior Jackson Lee also made two saves, none bigger than a diving stop in the first half.
Both teams had a couple of chances in the first 45 minutes, but the score remained scoreless heading into the break. Tsukada had the best chance in the 40th minute as the Mountaineers earned a penalty on a Panther handball in the box, but his attempt was saved by the GSU keeper.
In the second half, the Panthers took the lead in the 51st minute, but WVU answered just five minutes later on McCormick's fifth goal of the season, corralling a rebound before firing a shot into the back of the net.
Tsukada put the Mountaineers on top in the 69th minute, taking a pass from Caldeira before slotting a shot past the keeper and into the back of the net. In the 76th minute, junior Max Trethewey won a header that went to Tsukada, who took a couple of dribbles before ripping a shot with his left foot from just outside the box and getting it past the diving GSU keeper. Tsukada nearly had a third a few minutes later but settled for the brace.
West Virginia is now 13-1-4 overall this season, reaching the 13-win plateau for just the seventh time in program history.
For more information on the Mountaineers, follow @WVUMensSoccer on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.
Senior Yutaro Tsukada scored a brace with senior Luke McCormick adding the third for the Mountaineers while sophomore Marcus Caldeira collected an assist.
West Virginia outshot the Panthers, 16-9, including a 6-3 advantage in shots on goal. WVU also had a slight 3-2 edge in corner kicks. Senior Jackson Lee also made two saves, none bigger than a diving stop in the first half.
Both teams had a couple of chances in the first 45 minutes, but the score remained scoreless heading into the break. Tsukada had the best chance in the 40th minute as the Mountaineers earned a penalty on a Panther handball in the box, but his attempt was saved by the GSU keeper.
In the second half, the Panthers took the lead in the 51st minute, but WVU answered just five minutes later on McCormick's fifth goal of the season, corralling a rebound before firing a shot into the back of the net.
Tsukada put the Mountaineers on top in the 69th minute, taking a pass from Caldeira before slotting a shot past the keeper and into the back of the net. In the 76th minute, junior Max Trethewey won a header that went to Tsukada, who took a couple of dribbles before ripping a shot with his left foot from just outside the box and getting it past the diving GSU keeper. Tsukada nearly had a third a few minutes later but settled for the brace.
West Virginia is now 13-1-4 overall this season, reaching the 13-win plateau for just the seventh time in program history.
For more information on the Mountaineers, follow @WVUMensSoccer on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.
Team Stats
GSU
WVU
Goals
1
3
Shots
9
16
Shots on Goal
3
6
Saves
2
2
Corners
2
3
Fouls
15
11
Scoring Plays
Ethan Sassine (7)
Assisted By: Hideto Gondo , Justin Mclean
GOAL by GSU Sassine, Ethan Assist by Gondo, Hideto and Mclean, Justin.
50:38
Luke McCormick (5)
GOAL by WVU McCormick, Luke.
55:48
Yutaro Tsukada (8)
Assisted By: Marcus Caldeira
GOAL by WVU Tsukada, Yutaro Assist by Caldeira, Marcus.
68:21
Yutaro Tsukada (8)
Assisted By: Max Trethewey
GOAL by WVU Tsukada, Yutaro Assist by Trethewey, Max.
75:37
Game Leaders
Shots
6
SOG
3
Goals
2
Assists
0
Shots
3
SOG
2
Goals
1
Assists
0
Shots
4
SOG
0
Goals
0
Assists
1
Shots
0
SOG
0
Goals
0
Assists
1
Players Mentioned
F
/ Men's Soccer
GK
/ Men's SoccerMF
/ Men's SoccerMF
/ Men's SoccerF
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