WVU Men's Soccer Upsets #8 Marshall

The Mountaineers defeated their in-state rivals 1-0 in Morgantown.

West Virginia defeated in-state rivals Marshall 1-0 on Wednesday night behind a 66th minute goal from Fairmont, West Virginia, native Ike Swiger. The junior midfielder took a beautiful pass from midfielder Luke McCormick and flicked it over the keeper to net the only goal of the match.

"[It was] a brilliant piece of buildup, [it was] a magic moment for Luke, and he deserves a ton of credit, and I'm also incredibly pleased for Ike," head coach Dan Stratford said during his post-match press conference. 

Wednesday's matchup with Marshall was West Virginia's first regular season fixture with their in-state rivals since 2004. The two schools have renewed the rivalry and will be playing again in the upcoming fall season.

After a scoreless first half where Marshall controlled possession, the Mountaineer attack adjusted and took control to start the second half.

Swiger's goal in the 66th minute was the first goal of his career at West Virginia.

"There will be no more satisfying feeling for Ike [than] to have come on today and scored his first goal of the season," Stratford said. "As a local kid, he's going to know what it means to beat Marshall, and to do it for his hometown and for West Virginia University, he's going to be incredibly proud."

Marshall controlled possession for the final 20 minutes, but the Mountaineer defense held up well against a powerful Marshall attack. 

Senior goalkeeper Steven Tekesky made six saves in the match. All four of West Virginia's wins this season have come behind clean sheets, helping the Mountaineers to a (4-2) record to start the spring season. 

The Mountaineers were scheduled to play Bowling Green on Sunday, but the match has been postponed due to COVID-19 protocols within the Falcons' program. Their next scheduled match will be against 19th-ranked Akron on April 4. 

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