MORGANTOWN, W. Va. – The St. Bonaventure University men's soccer team battled until the final whistle but fell to the Sun Belt preseason favorite and nationally ranked No. 23 West Virginia, 1-0, on the road Monday evening.
West Virginia pressed early as the Bonnies defense was able to fend off a flurry of near chances in the 12th minute.
Bona's looked to have scored the game's first goal off the head of Josh Seyer on a corner kick sent in by Benjamin Haynes, but the goal was called off due to a St. Bonaventure foul.
Bonnies goalkeeper Winston Jory was able to keep the Mountaineers off the board in the 34th minute when he turned away a shot from Sammie Walker.
The two sides entered halftime scoreless.
Jory was tested again in the 58th minute and was able to make the save to keep the Mountaineers from taking the lead.
West Virginia broke through in the 62nd minute when Julen Recalde got behind the defense on a low cross and found the back of the net for what would be the game-winning goal.
Jack Steel looked to even the game with Bonnies best chance of the night in the 77th minute, but his low shot was caught by West Virginia's goalkeeper Toby Mawer.
Jory finished the game with four saves.
QUOTES FROM HEAD COACH MICK GIORDANO
"We are incredibly proud of the resilience, energy and dedication to defending from our group tonight. Let's not kid ourselves, West Virginia is one of the best programs in the country and they created a lot. But wow, true bravery and unity to continue to defend and limit their chances. To compete in that environment was amazing for our group to experience. We need to use this as motivation to kick on now and dedicate ourselves to doing the extra one percent. If we care about being in that environment for an NCAA tournament game, tonight needs to be the start of the work to get there. Once again though, extremely proud of every player and staff member for pouring into the effort to give us a chance to compete with a powerhouse program."
UP NEXT
The Bonnies will make their 2026 home debut Sunday, Aug. 30 when they host Le Moyne. Kickoff is slated for 5:00 p.m. at the Marra Athletics Complex.
---
For the latest news on St. Bonaventure athletics, stay connected on social media. Follow the Bonnies on X @GoBonnies and get men's soccer updates @BonniesMSoccer. Keep up with the Bonnies on Facebook /GoBonnies and on Instagram @GoBonnies. Bonnies Men's Soccer can be found on Instagram @bonniesmsoccer
