RIVERSIDE, Calif. – The No. 1 West Virginia University men’s soccer team passed its toughest test of the season on Friday against California Baptist, rallying to defeat the Lancers, 3-2, at CBU Soccer Stadium. The Mountaineers improve to 4-0-0 while CBU suffers its first loss of the year to go to 1-1-2.
Junior Marcus Caldeira scored the game-winning goal in the 87th minute around 1 a.m. eastern time to provide the late-night drama. Caldeira’s goal was only possible after graduate student Sergio Ors Navarro tied up the contest in the 75th minute with his NCAA-leading seventh goal of the season.
Graduate student Simon Carlson continued his torrid start to the season as well with his fourth goal and is now up to 12 points on the year. Freshman Isaac Scheer picked up his first-career point with an assist.
Overall, West Virginia outshot the Lancers, 21-10, including a 9-5 advantage in shots on goal. The Mountaineers also had a 6-4 edge in corner kicks.
Carlson opened the scoring in the sixth minute as he won a free kick just outside the box. He then stepped up the ball and curled in a right-footed shot off the tips of the diving goalkeeper’s outstretched fingers.
The Mountaineers remained in front until the 34th minute when Andrew Lovell headed in a goal for California Baptist to tie up the game.
With the contest still tied, CBU took the lead in the 62nd minute as Blake D’Agostino went top shelf from a tough angle.
The Mountaineers kept fighting and with just 15 minutes to go, Scheer sent a ball to the top of the box where Ors Navarro was able to bend a shot around a couple of defenders and into the corner of the net.
Not satisfied with a draw, Caldeira took matters into his own hands in the 87th minute, maneuvering his way around four defenders in the box before getting a shot past the CBU keeper.
West Virginia will remain in California for its next match when it takes on Loyola Marymount on Tuesday, Sept. 10, at 8 p.m. ET. It is a rematch of last season’s NCAA quarterfinal, a contest in which the Mountaineers won, 3-1, at Dick Dlesk Soccer Stadium to advance to the College Cup for the first time in program history.
For more information on the Mountaineers, follow @WVUMensSoccer on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.
The West Virginia Mountaineers (10-3) welcome the Maryland Terrapins (10-5) to Kendrick Family Ballpark Tuesday afternoon the first encounter between the two programs since 2023 and the first meeting in Morgantown since 2018. The first pitch is set for 2:00 p.m. EST and the action will stream on ESPN+.
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The Mountaineers captured their fourth consecutive series of the season after taking two of the three games from Columbia over the weekend. West Virginia sophomore Matt Ineich and senior Brodie Kresser both blasted grand slams during the series. Ineich lifted WVU in game two with a walk-off grand slam in the 10th in game two, and Kresser ignited a 16-1 rout, capping a six-run second inning in the series finale.
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Gavin Kelly leads West Virginia at the plate with a .436 batting average with a Big 12 leading nine doubles. Ineich and senior Paul Schoenfeld has raked in a team-leading 16 RBI apiece, while senior Matthew Graveline has clubbed a team-high three home runs.
On the mound, West Virginia is expected to start sophomore David Hagen. The right-hander has made four appearances on the season, including one start. He last started in the home-opener against Ohio where he pitched two scoreless innings and recorded a strikeout to collect his first win of the season. He holds a 1.00 ERA with five strikeouts on the season.
After starting 3-4, Maryland is 7-1 in its last eight games. The Terrapins won two of three at UNC Wilmington in the season opening series, followed by a midweek win against Georgetown before getting swept at Louisiana. The Terps bounced back with a pair of midweek wins versus Delaware and swept a one-win Wagner team.
Junior Brayden Martin is batting a team-best .443 to go with four doubles and 12 RBI. Redshirt freshman Ryan Costello leads the Terps in home runs (9) and RBI (21) and is third in batting average at .328, while freshman Ty Kaunus has a team-high seven doubles and has .269 batting average.
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Maryland is scheduled to start freshman Nic Morlang. The right-hander has four appearances on the season, including four starts. He allowed five earned runs in his appearances, coinciding with his two starts, in six innings of work. In his last two appearances in relief, He’s allowed one earned run on five hits.
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West Virginia leads the all-time series 8-5, including a five-game winning streak over Maryland.
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — Multiple law enforcement agencies responded to a series of parties in Morgantown over the weekend.
Morgantown police officers, West Virginia University Police and state police responded to reports of overcrowded parties, underage drinking, physical altercations and multiple injuries.
Morgantown Communications Director Brad Riffie said several citations were issued for open containers and underage consumption.
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Two large parties were dispersed and six arrests were made without incident.
None of the reported injuries are believed to be serious or life-threatening.
The Morgantown Fire Department assisted in the operations.
Hancock County, WV — A Weir High School senior has been recognized as the 2026 West Virginia Student Journalist of the Year.
Hailey Hans was selected for the statewide honor after building a journalism portfolio since her freshman year. She also serves as the staff manager of Weir Student Media, where she oversees articles and is in charge of deadlines.
“When I was a freshman I was placed in the journalism one class, and I actually tried to get pulled from the class. But, then after I sat in the class and I learned a little bit, that’s where my love grew and then from there I continued to take classes, I helped pass a law, and I got to these national conventions. Where it just lit a fire inside me,” Hans said.
Hans is planning to attend West Liberty University in the fall to study education with a minor in journalism, with the goal of becoming a journalism teacher. She will now submit her portfolio for the national-level contest.
