Tech punches ticket to RSC title match

BECKLEY, W.Va. — WVU Tech men’s soccer is headed to the River States Conference Championship match after shutting out IU Columbus, 1-0, Saturday at the YMCA Paul Cline Memorial Sports Complex.

Freshman Francisco Mustra scored the lone goal in the 14th minute, while Ramon Ferrari and the Golden Bear defense limited the Crimson Pride to two shots as Tech improved to 9-2-4 overall.

IU Columbus produced the first chance of the night, forcing Ferrari into a save in the fifth minute. WVU Tech answered with pressure of its own before breaking through at 13:45.

Gonzalo Sabeh and Joost Hermeling combined to set up Mustra, who finished for his fourth goal of the season and gave the Golden Bears a 1-0 advantage.

Tech continued to create opportunities throughout the opening half. Hermeling put an attempt on goal in the 22nd minute, and Wilfredo Briceno forced another save late in the half as the Golden Bears carried the one-goal lead into the break.

The Golden Bears kept IU Columbus from finding an equalizer after halftime. Ferrari stopped Matheus Ornellas Gubert in the 61st minute on what proved to be the Crimson Pride’s only shot of the second half.

At the other end, Sabeh put two second-half attempts on frame, Hermeling added another shot on goal and Benjamin Niles tested IU Columbus goalkeeper Jordin Jones in the closing minutes.

WVU Tech finished with a 9-2 advantage in shots and put seven attempts on goal compared with two for IU Columbus. Jones made six saves for the Crimson Pride, while Ferrari stopped both shots he faced.

Ferrari played all 90 minutes in goal to record the shutout. Senior Dylan Matthew Wilkes also went the full 90 minutes on the back line, while Arturo Caballer played 86 minutes, Myron Bentil logged 72 and Inaki Sacramento played 61.

The clean sheet was WVU Tech’s sixth of the season and second consecutive shutout. The Golden Bears also improved to 5-0-1 at home, extended their winning streak to three and pushed their unbeaten run to seven matches.

Through 15 matches, Tech has scored 41 goals while allowing 15 and owns a 9-2-4 overall record.

Record book notes

Gonzalo Sabeh recorded his 11th assist of the season on Francisco Mustra’s goal, raising his documented WVU Tech career subtotal to 21 assists. Sabeh moves into a tie with Eduardo Gutierrez for fifth in the program’s recovered career assists rankings.
WVU Tech has advanced to the River States Conference Tournament championship match for the fourth consecutive season. The Golden Bears won the tournament in 2023, finished as runners-up in 2024, captured the championship again in 2025 and will play for the title again in 2026.