MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – The West Virginia University men's soccer team opened the NCAA Tournament on Thursday with a 2-1 victory over North Florida at Dick Dlesk Soccer Stadium. The Mountaineers improve to 13-1-7 on the season and will now travel to No. 11 Virginia for a matchup with the Cavaliers on Sunday, Nov. 24, at 5 p.m.
 
Graduate student Sergio Ors Navarro and junior Marcus Caldeira each scored for the Mountaineers to provide the offense. Junior Felix Ewald and freshman Isaac Scheer both had assists for WVU.
 
In goal, redshirt-senior Marc Bonnaire made three saves to earn the victory.
 
Overall, North Florida outshot the Mountaineers, 10-9, while WVU had a 5-4 edge in shots on goal. UNF earned four corner kicks compared to three for the Mountaineers.
 
Each team had a couple of chances in the first 20 minutes before Ors Navarro scored in the 27^th minute, heading in a perfect cross from Ewald. It was the 15^th goal of the season for the Spaniard, the first Mountaineer to reach that number since Andy Leardini in 1995.
 
West Virginia held onto a one-goal lead until the 79^th minute when Caldeira doubled it. Scheer took the initial shot, which was saved by the Osprey keeper, but Caldeira was there to clean it up with a class goal, his 10^th of the year.
 
North Florida did not go away with a fight, scoring in the 86^th minute, but the Mountaineers held on for the victory.
 
It is the fifth NCAA Tournament victory in the last four seasons for the Mountaineers, which includes a run to the 2023 NCAA College Cup.
 
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