Morgantown, W.Va — The scene is set for one of the most anticipated matchups of the year in college soccer. The West Virginia Mountaineers and South Carolina Gamecocks are set to face off against one another on the pitch of Dick Dlesk Soccer Stadium in Morgantown on Saturday.
The Mountaineers, unanimously ranked No. 1 in the nation by the United Soccer Coaches Poll following a 4-2 win over Georgia Southern, are out to prove themselves after a rocky road trip to Dayton, Ohio where the team was stunned by the unranked Dayton Flyers, 5-1.
The team is led by their leading scorer, forward/midfielder, Sergio Ors-Navarro. The graduate student from Castellón, Spain has been one of the many bright spots for the Mountaineers all season long. Ors-Navarro has compiled an impressive stat sheet this season, scoring a total of 11 goals, which leads the team and is tied for fourth in the nation.
On the other side, South Carolina comes into this game with an overall record of 7-2-2, with both of their losses coming in conference play. The Gamecocks are coming off of a 2-0 win at Georgia State on Friday night where they launched 22 shots with eight of them landing on target.
They are led by the one-two punch of junior Virginia Tech transfer Ethan Ballek and British, senior forward, Harrison Myring. Each of these stars have scored seven goals this season, with Ballek adding four assists to that tally and Myring contributing one assist of his own.
This game undoubtedly has the potential makings of a classic. Both teams are looking to cement themselves as contenders as the end to regular season play looms.
Kick-off is set for 1:00 pm on Saturday and you can catch Nicco Caretto on play by play, Lance Jonzen on color, and Richard Turkovich, Cody Burton and Andy Hartlove covering pre/half/post. The broadcast is aired on 91.7 FM locally, u92themoose.com, an Alexa At-Home Device, or the RadioFX and TuneIn apps.
Photo sourced from WVU Athletics