CHARLESTON, W.Va. – The Saginaw Valley State University men's soccer team earned a statement road victory Sunday afternoon, defeating No. 9 Charleston 3-1 at Welch Athletic Complex and handing the Golden Eagles their first home loss in nearly five years.
Charleston had not lost on its home field since a 1-0 defeat against Davis & Elkins on September 15, 2021.
The Cardinals (1-0-1) made the most of their opportunities against the nationally ranked Golden Eagles, scoring three times on six shots to earn their first victory of the season.
Charleston generated the first two shots on goal of the afternoon, but goalkeeper Nick Kay (Walled Lake, Mich., Walled Lake Central HS) denied both attempts in the 14th and 17th minutes to keep the match scoreless.
Saginaw Valley broke through in the 24th minute. Jo Bédard (Québec City, Canada, St. Andrew's School) helped create the opportunity before Noah Jackson (Redford, Mich., North Farmington HS) finished the play for his first goal of his career. Bédard and Narcis Gavalda (Rossell, Spain, IES La Senia) were credited with assists as the Cardinals took a 1-0 lead.
Kay came up with another stop in the closing minutes of the half, making his third save in the 44th minute to send SVSU into the break with the one-goal advantage.
The Cardinals doubled their lead less than 10 minutes into the second half. Lorenzo Calaiacomo (Colleferro, Italy, ITIS Cannizzaro Colleferro/LOVISS San Benedetto) entered the match in the 55th minute and needed just 12 seconds to score his first collegiate goal off assists from Matty Telfer (Newcastle, England, Sunderland College) and Bédard to make it 2-0.
Saginaw Valley struck again in the 71st minute. Oleksiy Kharko (Mississauga, Ontario, Philip Pocock Secondary Catholic School) set up Telfer, who found the back of the net to extend the Cardinal advantage to 3-0. The goal was Telfer's second of the season.
Charleston pulled one back at 78:45, cutting the deficit to 3-1 with just over 11 minutes remaining.
The Golden Eagles continued to push forward in the closing minutes, but the SVSU defense held firm. Charleston recorded three more shots following its goal, with none finding the target as the Cardinals closed out the historic road victory.
Charleston finished with a 15-6 advantage in shots and a 12-0 edge in corner kicks, but the Cardinals put four of their six attempts on goal and converted three of those opportunities. The Golden Eagles finished with four shots on target.
Bédard finished with two assists to lead the SVSU attack, while Telfer recorded a goal and an assist. Jackson and Colaiacomo each scored their first goals of their careers, while Gavalda and Kharko added assists.
Kay played all 90 minutes in goal and made three saves to earn his first victory of the season.
The win moves Saginaw Valley to 1-0-1 after opening the season with back-to-back matches against nationally ranked opponents.
Head coach Louis Barrow had this to say after the victory,
"Incredibly gritty win. Every single player played 110%. We worked incredibly hard against arguably the best program in the country. I cannot articulate how proud I am of the team and how much this win means!"
Up Next: Cardinal men's soccer heads back on the road against a top 25 opponent on Thursday, September 3, when they travel to Tiffin. SVSU and TU are set for a 3 PM kickoff at Paradiso Soccer Field. Afterwards, Saginaw Valley hosts Northern Michigan on Sunday, September 6 at 2 PM for a non-conference matchup.
