Mountaineers Defeat James Madison to Claim Sun Belt Conference Title

Tuesday, November 3

Harrisonburg, Va.

7:00 PM

West Virginia University

10-2-4, 6-1-2

James Madison

7-6-4, 4-2-3

Team	1	2	Final F
West Virginia	1	1	2
James Madison	0	0	0

Harry Hogben in action for WVU men's soccer against James Madison

Photo by: James Madison Athletics

November 03, 2026 10:23 PM | Men's Soccer

Box Score

By: Adam Grossman

HARRISONBURG, Va. (Nov. 3, 2026) – The No. 9 West Virginia University men's soccer team defeated James Madison, 2-0, Tuesday evening at Sentara Park. With the victory, the Mountaineers claimed a share of the Sun Belt regular-season championship.

West Virginia shares the trophy with Marshall and will be the No. 1 seed in the Sun Belt Conference tournament, meaning the Mountaineers will play at home throughout the championship. It gets started on Sunday against No. 8-seed Georgia Southern.
2026 MSOC Sun Belt Champions Banner

Against the Dukes on Tuesday night, WVU got goals from senior Pablo Pozos and junior Civan de Jesus Ferreira. Junior Isaac Scheer, senior Sebastian Burke, junior Tristan Pusztahegyi, and sophomore Tyler Londono Zapata all picked up assists on the night.

Redshirt sophomore Toby Mawer made three saves as he secured his ninth clean sheet of the season and sixth consecutive for the Mountaineers. Overall, WVU has not given up a goal in 577 minutes, the longest active streak in the nation.

The Mountaineers outshot the Dukes, 15-7, and had a 6-3 edge in shots on goal, while also having a 4-3 advantage in corner kicks.

The game got off to a great start for West Virginia as Pozos scored in the 6^th minute of the contest. Scheer delivered a ball into the box where Pozos executed a scissor kick, hitting the ball into the ground before bouncing high and into the corner of the net. It was his team-leading seventh goal of the season.

In the 11^th minute, the Dukes had a breakaway with just Mawer to beat, but the Brit was up to the challenge, knocking the shot away. JMU had another big opportunity right before the half, but once again Mawer was there to push it aside before the Mountaineers cleared it away.

In the 64^th minute, the Mountaineers got the goal they were looking for to provide cushion in the game. Londono Zapata sent a ball into the box where Pusztahegyi headed it back toward the front of the goal. De Jesus Ferreira was on the receiving end of that pass as he headed the ball into the back of the net for his second goal of the season.

The Dukes managed just one more shot in the game where, once again, Mawer was there to make the save.

It is West Virginia's second Sun Belt regular-season title in the last three seasons. Back in 2024, the Mountaineers pulled off the double, winning the tournament as well. Tickets for the 2026 Sun Belt Tournament will go on sale, Thursday.

For more information on the Mountaineers, follow @WVUMensSoccer on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook.