Pair of Goals Give Dukes Draw with No. 3 West Virginia

Sunday, October 8

Morgantown, W.Va.

4 p.m.

James Madison University

4-3-4, 0-2-2

West Virginia

8-0-4, 1-0-3

James Madison

West Virginia

10/8/2023 7:00:00 PM | Men's Soccer

Box Score

MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – Goals from sophomores Kevin Larsson and Cameron Arnold aided the James Madison in drawing No. 3 West Virginia, 2-2, in Sun Belt Conference men's soccer on Sunday afternoon at Dick Dlesk Soccer Stadium.

The Dukes moved to 4-3-4, 0-2-2 SBC while the Mountaineers moved to 8-0-4, 1-0-3.

Arnold led the JMU attack with four shots, putting three on goal. In addition to his goal, he also assisted on Larsson's goal. Sophomore Sebastian Conlon made a pair of saves in his 90 minutes of work between the posts.

How It Happened

The Dukes got on the board first in the 28^th minute, as a turnover in their attacking half created an opportunity for Arnold to send a pass to a running Larsson who found the back of the net from just outside the top of the 18-yard box.
WVU equalized in the 34^th minute on a goal from Frederik Jorgensen, as he found the top corner of the net off a free kick.
JMU regained the lead in the 51^st minute, as Arnold dribbled across the top of the box before sending a screamer past Jackson Lee, who was in goal for the Mountaineers.
Once again, West Virginia equalized, utilizing a header from Sergio Ors Navarro off a cross to tie the match.
Arnold had a chance for a brace in the 87^th minute as he found himself going 1-on-1 with Lee, but his shot was saved.

Quick Facts

The draw is the first result for the Dukes against a ranked opponent in the regular season since defeating No. 13 UNCW on April 9, 2021. It is the highest ranked result for the side since beating No. 1 Wake Forest on Sept. 17, 2019.
The Dukes are now 2-1-3 when tied at halftime.
JMU put seven of its nine shots on goal.

Quoting Head Coach Paul Zazenski
Today was a solid performance overall. Playing an undefeated top five team away is a tough test and we were proud of the efforts on the day. The first half started slow for both teams and picked up momentum in the second half. Good to get a Sun Belt point and move on.

Up Next
The Dukes will travel to Lexington to face Kentucky on Friday, Oct. 13 for a 7 p.m. kickoff in a rematch of last season's Sun Belt Tournament Championship.