Box Score GREENSBORO, N.C. – The UNCG men's soccer team went toe-to-toe against the 24th-ranked team in the country in West Virginia Saturday night but the Spartans allowed a second-half goal to fall to the Mountaineers 1-0 at the UNCG Soccer Stadium. The game wraps up the Spartans' non-conference season at 4-2-2 and they open Southern Conference play Tuesday afternoon at VMI.
West Virginia (6-1-1) posted its seventh straight shutout in the victory and ran its shutout streak to 716:42 as the Mountaineers have not allowed a goal since the opening game of the year against No. 9 Seattle. WVU goalkeeper Jose Santos made four saves in the victory
The first half was evenly matched between the two teams with most of the game played within in the midfield. The teams each recorded three shots apiece in the half with the Spartans generating the top two chances of the opening 45 minutes.
UNCG's best chance came in the 17th minute of action as freshman forward Faisal Almubaslat (Greensboro, N.C./Northern Guilford) made a run down the left-hand side and was able to turn the corner on the end line. Almubaslat walked the tight rope down the end line and centered a ball into the six-yard box. Senior forward Damieon Thomas (St. Catherine, Jamaica/Georgia Military Institute) one-touched the ball on goal but WVU goalkeeper Jose Santos was able to smother the shot to keep the game scoreless.
The Spartans had one last chance before the first half was over in the 43rd minute. Sophomore midfielder Jesper Larsson (Halmstad, Sweden/Marquette) won the ball in the midfield and ripped a shot from 30-yards out. The ball seemed to handcuff Larsson as he made the save but a big rebound bounced in front of him. No Spartan was in the area though and Santos was able to cover the loose ball without a problem.
The second half saw the game pick up offensively with WVU out-shooting the Spartans by a slim 8-6 margin. Sophomore Leeroy Maguraushe (Milton Keynes, England/Stantonbury) made a run in the 54th minute, beating three WVU defenders before slotting a pass across the top of the 18-yard box. Classmate Matteo Busio (Greensboro, N.C./Western Guilford) ran on to the ball and ripped a shot that sailed just over the cross bar.
West Virginia had a prime chance off a counter attack in the 59th minute after a UNCG corner kick. The Mountaineers came down on a 4-on-2 and got the ball to Sebastian Garcia-Herreros at the top of the box, but his shot sailed over the cross bar to keep the game scoreless.
The Mountaineers scored the game's lone goal in the 62nd minute of action off a play that seemed harmless. WVU sent a long ball into the box that looked like it was going out for a goal kick by Garcia-Herreros hustled to keep the ball in play and sent it back to the box. Jad Arslan kept his run going and pounded home a shot from six-yards out that beat senior goalkeeper Logan Rohde (Cary, N.C./Greensboro College).
The Spartans picked up the attack once down a goal but could not break the Mountaineer defense. UNCG had its best chance in the 79th minute of action off a free kick from 30-yards out. Maguraushe stood over the ball and bent a shot over the wall but Santos was able to punch the ball away from the corner. UNCG had two cracks at the rebound but the WVU defense stood tall.
