MATCH #8
WHO: ODU (4-2-1) vs. West Virginia (4-0-2)
WHEN: Sept. 21 – 7 p.m.
WHERE: ODU Soccer Stadium
SERIES RECORD: West Virginia leads 5-1-2
LAST MEETING: Oct. 31, 2023 – West Virginia 2, ODU 1 – in Morgantown, W.Va.
STREAM: ESPN+
LIVE STATS: here
NORFOLK, Va. – The Old Dominion men’s soccer team begins Sun Belt Conference action on Saturday, September 21 when they host fifth-ranked West Virginia at 7 p.m. inside the ODU Soccer Stadium.
The game will have live stats and be streamed on ESPN+.
In last year’s meeting in Morgantown, West Virginia, Karan Mandair scored the equalizer with his fifth penalty kick goal of the year at 84:05 to get ODU level 1-1. The then seventh-ranked Mountaineers got a penalty kick goal 33 seconds later to take a 2-1 win.
ODU (4-2-1) starts league play after a 1-0 win on Sunday night over previously undefeated George Mason. Junior Michael Eberle was on the receiving end of a Key White feed with just under seven minutes left in regulation to break the scoreless tie. Michael Statham made one save on the night in recording his third clean sheet of the season and 12th of his career. ODU held a 12-11 advantage in shots, 4-1 in shots on goal, and 5-1 in corner kicks.
West Virginia played to its second straight draw on Tuesday night as their game with UNC Greensboro ended in a 2-2 stalemate. Marcus Caldeira and Sergio Ors Navarro each found the back of the net for WVU while Isaac Scheer collected his second assist of the season. Overall, the Mountaineers outshot UNCG, 16-7, with shots on goal even at four. West Virginia also had a 7-3 advantage in corner kicks.
ABOUT ODU
ODU trails the all-time series 5-1-2 and have lost both meetings as Sun Belt Conference foes. The last meeting in Norfolk was in the 2022 season with West Virginia winning 4-0.
Through seven matches, Eberle leads the team in goals scored (3) and points (7). Key White is next with a team high four assists and one goal for six points, while Timothy Ennin has two goals and two assists for six points as well.
In the net, Michael Statham has three clean sheets, a save percentage of .794 and a goals against average of 1.00 through seven matches. He is third in saves per game, second in shutouts per game and total shutouts.
The four goals in the win at George Washington were the most in a season opener since 2011 in a 6-0 win over Houston Baptist in a tournament at West Virginia.
Tennant McVea takes over as head coach of the Monarchs from long-time coach Alan Dawson who retired at the end of the 2023 season. He had served on the staff for seven years, including being on the Conference USA winning staff in 2014.
Michael Eberle was named Sun Belt Conference Offensive Player of the Week after a pair of game-winning goals against William & Mary and previously undefeated George Mason. He shares the lead in the conference in game-winning goals (2) and is sixth in goals scored (3).
ABOUT WEST VIRGINIA
The Mountaineers were a NCAA College Cup Semifinalist last season as they finished 17-3-4 falling to Clemson in the semifinals 1-0.
Navarro leads the team in goals scored (8) and points (16), while Simon Carlsson has four goals and a team-high four assists for 12 points. Caldeira has three goals, while Felix Ewald has two to round out the goal scorers for WVU.
In the net, Marc Bonnaire has started in all six matches making nine saves. He sports a save percentage of .600 and a goals against average of 1.03.
NEXT UP
The Monarchs will hit the road on Sunday, September 29 when they finish their West Virginia portion of the Sun Belt schedule visiting Marshall at 4:30 p.m.