MORGANTOWN, W.Va. -- A top newcomer and an unheralded veteran each found the back of the net twice as the WVU men's soccer team shutout St. Francis, 4-0 at Dick Dlesk Soccer Stadium. The No. 3 Mountaineers (2-0) have scored four goals in each of their contests.
After tallying a hat trick in the season-opening, 4-2 win over Purdue Fort Wayne on Thursday, graduate student Sergio Ors Navarro scored in the 15th and the 82nd minutes, upping his total to five goals on the season. Ors Navarro finished third on the team in goals last season (8), but perhaps didn't garner the same attention as MLS SuperDraft picks Yutaro Tsukada and Marcus Caldeira.
"We have a very versatile attack and a lot of players in our arsenal in that regard," WVU head coach Dan Stratford said. "I think Sergio should feel a little hard done by just as valuable as he was last year and the lack of attention he got."
Georgia State transfer Simon Carlson followed up a two-assist game on Thursday with a two-goal effort against the Red Flash (1-1).
"It is just about contributing to the team and helping us get the three points to start the season out strong," Carlson said. "It is nice, obviously. But really all that matters is getting that winning momentum going into the season."
"When the opportunity came to bring him here, we were really, really excited," Stratford said. "He wants to be in a position where, with respect to Georgia State because they are a formidable opponent, he wanted to feel as though he was in an environment where could win things and an environment where maybe he was going to be challenged a little bit more as far as the quality of competition we have."
Carlson's second goal came in the 75th minute. He blasted a free kick around the wall and into the corner of the net.
"I realized that the keeper might be blindsided by our little wall -- I think it was Otto Ollikainen and someone else in the wall -- I just thought that if I hit it there and get it on target, he'll see it late and it will probably go in," Carlson said.
The Mountaineers went just under 60 minutes of game time in between goals. However, they quickly doubled their 2-0 lead with a pair of goals late in the second half.
"There's some things we can learn from in making sure we put games away," Stratford said.
"We've got to be a little more clinical and a little more ruthless. But I also think there was an appetite to keep a clean sheet because I think they felt there was a missed opportunity on Thursday in that regard. It was good to be as prolific as we have been and to sure things up on the other end."
After sitting out WVU's season opener with a preseason ankle injury, Caldeira made his season debut. He tallied two shots -- one on goal -- in 37 minutes on the pitch.
"I am sure he wanted to stay out there. He looked pretty disappointed to come off. But a little bit of it is just us protecting him and making sure we don't get too far ahead of ourselves."
WVU outshot St. Francis, 17-1. The Red Flash went undefeated in 2023 (7-0-8).
The Mountaineers conclude their season-opening three-game homestand Friday against George Washington.