The Shotgun/Throwdown (8/29/25): No. 10 WVU men’s soccer heads to No. 16 Akron for its first real test of 2025

Welcome to The Shotgun/Throwdown, your daily West Virginia sports roundup (that we didn’t already talk about in another article) with some sophomoric humor and daily distractions thrown in for good measure. And if there’s something we missed, be sure to talk about it in the comments.

HEAT CHECK

West Virginia men’s soccer faces their first real test of 2025 tonight when the No. 10 Mountaineers travel to Akron. WVU opened the year with two comfortable home wins — a 5–2 rout of Manhattan and a 4–0 shutout over

La Salle — behind the attacking duo of Marcus Caldeira and Pablo Pozos, who are the only teammates in the country with three goals apiece so far. Caldeira has also piled up three assists, giving him nine points in just two matches.

But the Zips present a different level of test. Picked as Big East co-favorites and led by veteran head coach Jared Embick, Akron has yet to concede a goal this season with back-to-back clean sheets against VCU and Northern Kentucky. They’re anchored in net by Mitch Budler, the Preseason Big East Goalkeeper of the Year, and come into the night ranked No. 16 nationally.

The Mountaineers haven’t beaten Akron since 2018, and the Zips still own a commanding 18–4–2 lead in the all-time series. The two teams last met in 2021, when Akron claimed a 2–0 win. For Dan Stratford’s squad, this is the first road trip of the season and a chance to prove that their early-season offensive fireworks can hold up against one of the stingiest defenses in college soccer.

Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. on ESPN+.

MOUNTAINEER ROUNDUP

Season tickets are gone. WVU sold out all 33,634 for 2025, the most since joining the Big 12. The Backyard Brawl vs. Pitt is also sold out, but Family Day packages are still on the table for Saturday’s opener against Robert Morris.
Rich Rod admitted he still gets butterflies — even heading into his 29th season as a head coach. With 79 newcomers set to take the field for the first time in Morgantown, he’s not alone. Senior DT Edward Vesterinen says he’ll be jittery until that first hit, while WR Jaden Bray and C Landen Livingston both echoed the same thing: nerves fade fast once the ball is snapped.
“Just a kid from Helsinki.” That’s what Edward Vesterinen’s team-issued shirt reads, and it’s a reminder of how rare his journey is. The senior defensive lineman is WVU’s lone European, one of only a handful of Finns to ever play college football. After breaking out as a starter in 2023, his 2024 season was cut short by injury, but he’s back healthy for one last run. Vesterinen says he plays with pride every time he takes the field, representing a place where “this is not something people from back home do.”
Bowl projections are back back, and the early outlook isn’t too kind to the Mountaineers. Most outlets (ESPN, Athlon, The Athletic, 247) have WVU missing the postseason altogether, but a few see a path. CBS slotted the Mountaineers to Mobile for the 68 Ventures Bowl, while USA Today has them in Shreveport for the Independence Bowl.
WVU volleyball is back in action tonight at the Quest for the Crown in Norfolk. The Mountaineers opened their season this morning against Towson and now turn around for a primetime matchup with Old Dominion at 7 p.m. inside the ODU Volleyball Center. WVU leads the all-time series with the Monarchs 3–1, and this will be the only match of the weekend streamed on ESPN+. Live stats are available for all matches at WVUsports.com.
WVU cross country opens its 2025 season tonight at the Lehigh Invitational, a course they’ll see again in November for NCAA Regionals. The Mountaineers enter ranked No. 1 in the Mid-Atlantic and No. 5 nationally after last year’s runner-up finish at the NCAA Championships — the best in program history. The race starts at 6:15 p.m., with live results on WVUsports.com.

MOUNTAINEER PROS

Former WVU center Kylee Blacksten is headed overseas. After starting all 96 games of her Mountaineer career, she’s signed with IK Eos Lund in Sweden’s Superettan league. Blacksten averaged 6.1 points and 2.7 rebounds at WVU, highlighted by a 24-point performance against Arizona State last January.
Kade Strowd got another shot in Baltimore’s bullpen, and he delivered a steady outing at Fenway. The righty worked two innings in relief against Boston, giving up just a pair of hits and no walks to keep the Orioles in it. He didn’t factor into the decision, though, as the O’s couldn’t hold on late and dropped a tight one, 3–2.

AROUND THE LEAGUE (AND BEYOND)

It was a rough start for Cincinnati in Kansas City on Thursday night. The Bearcats fell 20-17 to Nebraska at Arrowhead, with Brendan Sorsby throwing for just 69 yards but running for 96 and two scores. His late-game push nearly pulled off a comeback, but a Huskers interception in the end zone with 34 seconds left sealed it. UC finished with only 271 yards of offense and will try to regroup next week against Bowling Green.
Micah Parsons is out in Dallas. The Cowboys shipped the All-Pro pass rusher to Green Bay for Kenny Clark and two future first-rounders, then the Packers made him the highest-paid non-quarterback in NFL history with a four-year, $188 million deal. Parsons, who piled up 52.5 sacks in four seasons, will be back in Jerry World quick — Week 4 Sunday Night Football with the Packers.
Dana White says it’s official — the UFC will hold a fight card on the South Lawn of the White House next July 4th to celebrate America’s 250th birthday. White said the deal was finalized this week, with details on the event still to come. Conor McGregor has already signaled interest in being part of the card.

VIDEO(S) OF INTEREST

Have any tips, suggestions or requests for what you want to see in The Shotgun/Throwdown? Drop it in the comments or holler at us on social media.

We’ll be back for more on Monday. LET’S GO!

FOLLOW US
Twitter: @smokingmusket
Bluesky: @smokingmusket.bsky.social
Facebook: The Smoking Musket

.redcircle-link:link { color: #ea404d; text-decoration: none; } .redcircle-link:hover { color: #ea404d; } .redcircle-link:active { color: #ea404d; } .redcircle-link:visited { color: #ea404d; }