ORANGE BEACH, Ala. – WVU Tech men's soccer is headed to the NAIA National Championship semifinals for the first time in program history after a dominant 4–0 win over No. 17 Indiana Tech on Thursday night at the Orange Beach Sportsplex. The No. 11 Golden Bears (19–0–1) extended their unbeaten season to 21 matches and secured the deepest postseason run the program has ever achieved.
Tech controlled the match from the opening whistle, striking twice in the first 18 minutes to seize early momentum.
Freshman Leny Duperray opened the scoring in the 8th minute, finishing a chance created by senior Keishon Clarke and senior defender Nicholas Ihnat. Duperray then turned provider ten minutes later, slipping a ball through for Ihnat, who guided home the second goal for a 2–0 lead.
Indiana Tech mounted pressure after halftime, but senior goalkeeper Luka Felix shut the door throughout the second half, making all five of his saves after the break. His sequence of stops between the 54th and 72nd minutes kept the Warriors from gaining any traction.
Freshman striker Julen Recalde put the match out of reach with a second-half brace. He scored in the 69th minute to make it 3–0, then added his second of the night in the 87th minute off a setup from freshman Gonzalo Sabeh. The two-goal performance pushes Recalde to 16 goals this season.
Both sides attempted 10 shots, but the Golden Bears were far more clinical, placing seven on frame and converting four. The shutout was WVU Tech's 11th of the season, and the defense of Ihnat, Julian Diaz, Tom Renner and Tiago Costa limited Indiana Tech to just four shots on goal.
With the win, WVU Tech advances to its first-ever NAIA National Championship semifinal and continues one of the strongest seasons in the nation with 71 goals scored and just 15 conceded.
Golden Bear Highlights
- Historic milestone: WVU Tech advances to the NAIA semifinals for the first time in program history.
- Recalde's quarterfinal brace: The freshman struck twice in the second half, extending his team-leading goal total to 16.
- Duperray sparks the attack: Delivered a goal and an assist in the first 20 minutes.
- Ihnat all over the stat sheet: Recorded a goal and an assist while anchoring the back line.
- Sabeh adds another dangerous service: Assisted Recalde's late goal.
- Felix's second-half wall: Made five saves after halftime to preserve the clean sheet.
- Back-line dominance: Tech earned its 11th shutout while allowing only four shots on target.
- Clinical finishing: Seven shots on goal, four goals scored.
What's Next
WVU Tech advances to Saturday's NAIA National Championship semifinal, facing No. 7 MidAmerica Nazarene at 5 p.m. ET in Orange Beach, Alabama. Coverage is available at goldenbearathletics.com/coverage.
