MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — No. 25 West Virginia (3-1-1) upset No. 15 Coastal Carolina (2-2) in a 5-2 swarming win at Dick Dlesk Stadium Friday night.
Freshman Rodrigo Robles Grajera put in two goals, and Andres Muriel Albino, Tony Pineda and Pascal Derwaritsch knocked in a goal each. The win wouldn’t have come as easy for the Mountaineers if it wasn’t for a dual attack leading to seven assists — the most since WVU’s 2015 matchup with San Francisco.
The Chanticleers netted the first goal in the 32nd minute, but Grajera responded with the tying goal in the 37th minute. He then scored his second goal 32 seconds later on a cross into the box by Luke McCormick, who shortly after got his second assist on another pass into the box to Albino. Coastal Carolina picked up their second and final goal in the 48th minute on a penalty kick. West Virginia responded with their final two goals in the closing minutes.
“Both times we conceded, our response was outstanding,” coach Marlon LeBlanc said. “And it was against a top 15 team in the country … I thought our kids’ resiliency was like shades of a year ago. We went behind, we were explosive going forward.”
The win was WVU’s first 5-goal game since the team’s 5-2 win over SIU Edwardsville on Oct. 20, 2018. The win also marks LeBlanc’s 12th top-25 victory in his 14-season tenure with the Mountaineers.
West Virginia will next play Cincinnati at Getler Stadium in Cincinnati Tuesday at 7 p.m.
