Matchday information
WHO: No. 3 West Virginia
When: Thursday, August 22 | 7 p.m.
Where: Morgantown, West Virginia | Dick Dlesk Soccer Stadium
Live statistics: link
Regard: ESPN+
Ranked Opponents
This will be the first time the ‘Dons have played against a ranked team since losing 2-0 at No. 5 Denver on Oct. 5, 2018. The last time the ‘Dons had a positive result against a ranked opponent was a 1-1 tie at No. 24 Omaha in double overtime on Sept. 30, 2017.
Know your enemy
The Mountaineers were 17-3-4 and 5-1-3 in the Sun Belt last season before falling in the national semifinals. They were picked to finish second in the Sun Belt in the 2024 preseason poll. Marcus Caldeira was named the Sun Belt Preseason Offensive Player of the Year, while Max Broughton, Ryan Baer and Frederik Jorgensen join Caldeira on the Preseason All-Conference Team. In 2023, Caldeira was selected as a First Team All-American by College Soccer News and a Second Team All-American by United Soccer Coaches after scoring 27 points with 12 goals and three assists.
Welcome back, welcome back, welcome back
Some notable returnees for the ‘Dons’ this year:
– Seth Mahlmeister led the Horizon League with 10 goals and added three assists. He was selected to the 2023 All-Horizon League First Team. He was named a Forward to Watch by United Soccer Coaches on their national watch list. Top Drawer Soccer also ranked him 75th on its top 100 forwards list for the 2024 season.
– Juan Romero was named to the second team last year after recording two assists and playing a key role in Mastodon’s defense. He started 14 games and played all 90 minutes in five contests. He was also named to the 2023 Horizon League All-Tournament Team and selected to the 2023 CSC Academic All-District team.
– Aidan Antcliff is back after appearing on the 2023 Horizon League All-Freshman Team. He played in 16 games with 10 starts last year and scored a game-winning goal against Wright State.
Welcome to Fort Wayne
Some new additions to note:
– Andrew Hollenbach played two seasons at Dallas Baptist in NCAA Division II. He was selected to the league’s third team in 2023, played in all 19 games and helped the Patriots finish second in the league.
– Marcos Soria played two seasons for Western Texas College. He started 12 games in 2023 with three assists. He was a First Team NJCAA All Region V pick. He started 11 games in 2022 with one assist.
– Felipe Medina was selected to the All-Summit League Second Team at Oral Roberts in 2022. He played a total of three seasons for the Golden Eagles
Next
The ‘Dons travel to Eastern Illinois to play the Panthers on August 29th.
~ Feel the rumble ~
