WVU men’s soccer dominates South Carolina, 4-0, to win Sun Belt Conference tournament
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MORGANTOWN -- Top-seeded West Virginia men's soccer left no doubt about who the best team in the Sun Belt Conference was Sunday afternoon.
The Mountaineers dominated from start to finish to beat No. 6 seed South Carolina 4-0 in the championship match. This was the second Sun Belt Conference title in program history and the first since 2024. WVU completed the double, winning the regular season and postseason title.
WVU rides an eight-game winning streak and a 13-2-4-record into the NCAA Tournament. The Gamecocks' tournament run ends at 12-6-2. The Mountaineers haven't lost a game since Oct. 9 against Old Dominion. With the win, WVU is in the tournament with the automatic bid, but will await its seeding on Nov. 16 at 1 p.m. on NCAA.com.
“Most comfortable, certainly from my heart rate and blood pressure of a finals that you would probably find,” head coach Dan Stratford said, who won Sun Belt Conference Coach of the Year. “Just huge credit to the quality performance against a very good South Carolina team.”
WVU was led once again by its top goal-scorer, Pablo Pozos, who was named first-team all-conference prior to the match and top player in the tournament after. Pozos put the Mountaineers on the board early. Sophomore Japanese midfielder Kanta Ishii put the ball on a platter for Pozos, who buried it in the back of the net in the 25th minute. Pozos won a penalty kick in the 51st minute. He made it look easy, scoring in the top of the net.
Pozos' two goals in the title contest put him at 11 goals on the season, and five in the Sun Belt Conference tournament.
“I think he had to be patient at different times this year,” Stratford said. “He had to continue to work tirelessly, which he did in the press. Now he has 11 by his name and is now kind of recognized for that goal talent.”
Pozos' two goals were joined by a Julen Recalde goal in the 35th minute. The West Virginia Tech transfer scored his fourth of the year, and first this postseason for the Mountaineers. Nacho Martinez added even more cushion in the 72nd. It was Martinez’s first collegiate goal. This was WVU's second game of at least four goals this tournament.
Like it had this tournament, WVU issued the offensive pressure the entire game, keeping in mind the Gamecocks put up a fight in the regular season, earning a draw after going up 1-0. The Mountaineers outshot South Carolina 22-4 in the win. WVU could've had more, and had 12 shots on goal.
“We knew that they were going to push for it,” Pozos said. “This was a final. We had to keep going. Keep the momentum as well.”
A lot of credit for WVU's run goes to the back line. The Mountaineers’ defense had its ninth clean sheet in a row, which already passed the program record in the semifinals. South Carolina had just four shots the entire game and had one at the very end on target.
The Gamecocks had a big come-from-behind victory over Marshall in the semifinals. South Carolina trailed 3-0 at half, and ended up winning 4-3 in overtime. The Gamecocks couldn't muster up a comeback against WVU's defense.
The Mountaineers will celebrate for a little before turning their attention to the NCAA tournament. WVU lost in the second round of the tournament last year 3-2 to High Point. The Mountaineers 4-0 win over South Carolina will be a big boost in the committee’s eyes, looking for a spot in the top eight, guaranteeing two home games.
“We knew the win gave us the greatest potential, not only to continue the momentum, but to perhaps offset some of the things and budge our way into the top eight,” Stratford said. “We’ve given ourselves a shot at top eight, and we know how important that is, given our history in 2023, as well as a top five seed. Fingers crossed.”