MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — West Virginia isn’t striving to play from behind, but that method has done nothing to harm the Mountaineers through a pair of matches in the Sun Belt Conference Tournament.

On Wednesday, the top seed Mountaineers allowed No. 4 seed Kentucky to score 2:15 into the contest at Dick Dlesk Stadium, creating an early deficit for the home team.

Less than 3 minutes later, Sergio Ors Navarro provided the equalizer, and the WVU defense buckled down the rest of the way, while Carlos Hernando scored what proved to be the winning goal less than 10 minutes into the second half as the Mountaineers picked up the program’s first win over Kentucky in six tries, 2-1.

“The goal didn’t phase us and we got the equalizer very quickly, but incredibly proud with the quality of performance tonight. Really professional and mature at times and some really nice football at times and felt we were dominant the entire way through,” WVU head coach Dan Stratford said. “The way the guys approached the game and the quality and brand of football the guys played, we very much deserved to win this.”

The result allows West Virginia (12-1-6) to welcome Marshall for Sunday’s Sun Belt title game. It’s a rematch of last year’s final, which the Herd won, 3-2. Marshall blanked James Madison 1-0 in the other Sun Belt semifinal Wednesday.

“It’s the game we wanted,” Stratford said. “It’s the best RPI game and the best chance of us squeaking us into the top 8 from a RPI perspective and hopefully having as many home games as possible in the NCAA Tournament. It’s the type of game you want to play in.” 

After rallying from a 2-0 first-half deficit for a 3-2 victory over Georgia Southern in Sunday’s Sun Belt quarterfinal, West Virginia was again forced to play from behind after UK’s Logan Dorsey made the most of extended space after receiving a pass, maneuvered around the Mountaineer defense and blasted a shot with his right foot that got by Marc Bonnaire.

WVU got even 4:55 into the match following a corner kick taken by Frederik Jorgensen that was initially touched by teammate Felix Ewald and wound up off the head of Sergio Ors Navarro and into the back of the net.

It was the 14th goal this season for both Dorsey and Ors Navarro.

“We started the game well and it helps to have such a mature group that has been in this position before,” Stratford said. “It’s something that hasn’t phased us. I assure you it’s not the game plan, but this group has shown time and time again they’re capable of showing really good resilience and coming through adverse moments like this.”

Neither team scored again for the remainder of the first half, though the Mountaineers generated more quality chances.

“We felt like we were the better team. We felt like we had played well. I didn’t feel like a great deal needed to change,” Stratford said. “There were some minor details and the alertness and awareness in some of our communication to nullify their capacity to get behind us or nullify moments where we would lose territory and we’re defending a long throw with a difficult wind. Those details are really important against a team with Kentucky’s athleticism and size. The message was kind of stay the course and continue to trust that the longer the game goes on, the more our depth and energy levels will kick in and we’ll be the team that finishes stronger.”

Jorgensen delivered another gem off a set piece to give WVU its first lead less than 9 minutes into the second half. This time, Jorgensen sent a ball into the box on a free kick and it found the head of Carlos Hernando, who made the most of the golden opportunity and sent it past UK goalkeeper Casper Mols.

“We’ve never beat Kentucky as we talked about,” Jorgensen said. “You could tell from everybody today we wanted to beat Kentucky and be in that final Sunday. It’s a little sweet that it’s against Marshall. We want to beat Marshall at home in the final and get that revenge from last year.”

It marked WVU’s second goal off a set piece in the match and its third goal off a set piece over its last two games.

“Two games ago, we ripped up everything we were doing and started again,” Stratford said of the team’s approach to set pieces. “Sometimes you just have to give a fresh pair of eyes to it and for the players to see it that way as well.” 

Bonnaire stopped one shot and Mols made two saves.

The Wildcats fell to 6-6-6. They entered the match 3-0-2 all-time against the Mountaineers.

Kentucky’s 2024 season has not gone as planned. The Wildcats only have three wins in nine outings with a 0-4 record in SEC games at Kroger Field. This team has lost outright as a betting favorite four times but has also gone toe-to-toe with top-15 teams three times, including a road win over Ole Miss that continues to look better. Injuries are piling up, and two more games against top-20 foes remain on the schedule.

It’s been a tough year for Kentucky. Leaving the bye week, the Wildcats will host FCS Murray State in the penultimate home game of the season. The offense will be looking to build off some of the good things accomplished in the last outing against top-10 Tennessee.

“I think we know exactly the heart of this team and the fight of this team. Again, I think they played extremely hard. We’re probably a couple plays away from getting that one done. A work in progress, obviously. Constant state of improvement,” Kentucky offensive coordinator Bush Hamdan said on Tuesday. “I thought there was a lot of good things in that game. We, just from a consistency standpoint, have gotta get that stuff done to finish a game.”

“The focus is on us playing good football and continuing to find the identity.”

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That identity is beginning to include some younger players as Malachi Wood, Jamarion Wilcox, and Hardley Gilmore IV have all stepped into bigger roles in recent weeks. Kentucky is not ready for a full-on youth movement as the goal is to give the team the best chance to win football games on Saturdays, but it’s clear the coaching staff is willing to try something different. True freshman quarterback Cutter Boley received a ton of reps with the first unit last week and is expected to get extended game action on Saturday.

Kentucky is looking for answers and attempting to fix all the mistakes plaguing the offense all season. However, this is a group that has not quit yet. The Wildcats have continued to go back to work and are fighting through this tough slump.

“I’ve been super fortunate of this group. I really have. I mean they are out there today ready to get back to work just like they have been all year,” Hamdan said. “I’ve been appreciative of those guys and their buy-in, and I think it speaks volumes of the culture of this program.”

How strong is that culture? We got a positive answer with how Kentucky performed against Tennessee. Will that effort translate into the last three weeks of the season after another bye week? Stay tuned.

A new Maker’s Mark activation is bridging Kentucky and New York City this holiday season. Dubbed “Le 46,” the limited-time pop-up will launch at the Maker’s Mark Distillery in Loretto, Kentucky, before transferring for a longer stint in one of New York City’s busiest hubs. To create a bespoke cocktail menu bridging the two locales, the brand has tapped one of the world’s most celebrated cocktail mavens: 44 year industry veteran Colin Field.

For consumers and brands alike, the holidays are often the busiest time of year. That’s doubly true in the whiskey world, when American brands vie for attention with limited bottlings positioned as ideal holiday gifts (or rare personal splurges). The past two years, Maker’s Mark has followed that trend, dropping their highly limited Cellar Aged expression — the brand’s first-ever age-stated bourbon — right as Fall whiskey shopping ramps up.

But with Le 46, Maker’s is taking a different approach, focusing instead on the readily available Maker’s 46. Initially launched in 2010, Maker’s 46 starts with the brand’s mature wheated bourbon and finishes it for an additional nine weeks with seared French oak staves. Maker’s 46 is now a part of the brand’s core lineup. In a world of allocated, hard-to-find bottles, it’s a reliable standard that’s almost always on shelves.

The first iteration of Le 46 kicks off at Maker’s Mark’s Loretto, Kentucky, distillery on December 6th. The $35, reservation-only experience includes after-hours distillery tours, cocktails, and snacks. (And, yes, guests can dip their own bottles in the famous red wax.)

A few days later, on December 11th, Le 46 moves to NYC’s Union Square Park at 31 East 17th Street (2nd Floor) for a one-night experience. The brand’s Union Square popup then continues as “Maker’s Mark Winter Wheat Wonderland” through December 22nd. According to the brand, registered Maker’s Mark ambassadors will get first dibs at reservations throughout the NYC run.

Of course, seasonal popups are nothing new in the cocktail space. New York is likely to be chock-full of them this season, which can give bargoers decision fatigue on where to sip the holiday spirit.

To stand out from the crowd, Maker’s tapped noted mixologist and author Colin Field to create a bespoke cocktail menu for the events. Field is one of mixology’s most veteran superstars, best known for helming Bar Hemingway in Paris. He’ll be hand-mixing cocktails at the distillery on December 6th, as well as the NYC event on December 11th from 6-8pm.

“I’m looking forward to embracing southern hospitality and marrying it with my French-bartending influence,” Field tells Forbes.

As of this writing, Field — who often works through five or more iterations in designing cocktails — was still tweaking the Le 46 drinks menu. That has involved a deep dive into the Maker’s Mark flavor profile, including pairings with potential food items on offer at the Kentucky and New York City popups.

“My first tip for aspiring mixologists is to get to know the bourbon. Sip it neat, add a drop of water, or enjoy it alongside something simple like bread and butter.”

But when it comes to bourbon cocktails, emphasized that over-complication can be any mixologist’s Achilles’ heel.

“Sometimes, the most memorable cocktails are those with just a few well-chosen ingredients that allow the bourbon to shine.”