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.
STREAK BROKEN
For the first time in more than three years, West Virginia lost at Dick Dlesk Soccer Stadium. The No. 6 Mountaineers
fell 1–0 to No. 13 Gardner-Webb on Wednesday night, ending a 32-match home unbeaten streak that stretched back to September 2022.
The Runnin’ Bulldogs struck in the 14th minute on a strike from midfielder Tiago Campos, which turned out to be the only goal of the night. Marc Bonnaire kept the margin at one with four saves, including a diving stop on a first-half penalty.
West Virginia had chances late but couldn’t find the net. Carlos Hernando put a header just over the bar in the 83rd minute, and Thijs Veldhorst nearly tied it five minutes later with a header off a corner that was cleared at the line. That was as close as the Mountaineers would come, and the home unbeaten streak that stretched back to 2022 is over.
The loss drops WVU to 2-1-1 and 0-1-1 against ranked teams this season.
The Mountaineers head to No. 22 George Mason on Sunday. Kickoff is set for 4:00 PM in Fairfax.
MOUNTAINEER ROUNDUP
- Bailey Herfurth is the Big 12 Goalkeeper of the Week after posting back-to-back shutouts against Duquesne and Dayton. The redshirt junior is off to a perfect start in net, leading the league with a 1.000 save percentage. The Mountaineers host Army on Saturday at Dick Dlesk.
- WVU volleyball opens the West Virginia Invitational tonight at 6 p.m. against North Dakota, with Liberty up Friday and Coppin State on Saturday. The Mountaineers are off to a 3–0 start after sweeping the Quest for the Crown in Virginia, where Trinity Sheridan, Laila Ibrahim, and Maddy McGath all earned MVP honors. All matches stream on ESPN+.
- WVU has a new “Official Realtor.” Howard Hanna Premier Properties expanded its partnership with the athletic department, becoming the first brand to have a presence across all Olympic sports. We’ll see their name on signage, in-game promotions, and social media features year-round.
MOUNTAINEER PROS
- Wyatt Milum showed up on Jacksonville’s first injury report, listed as limited ahead of Sunday’s opener with Carolina. Milum missed camp and the preseason but is back on the practice field, and the Jags expect him to work his way into the lineup as the year goes on.
- Ryan Bergert turned in five scoreless innings for Kansas City on Wednesday, striking out three before handing it over to the bullpen. The rookie right-hander has now allowed two runs or fewer in five of his last six starts, lowering his ERA to 2.62 on the year.
AROUND THE LEAGUE (AND BEYOND)
- The West Coast Conference is adding UC San Diego, with the Tritons set to join in 2027. UCSD just wrapped its D-I transition and made the NCAA tournament in both men’s and women’s basketball last year. They’ll become the WCC’s 10th member following Gonzaga’s move to the Pac-12.
- The new College Sports Commission says it has cleared more than 8,300 NIL deals worth nearly $80 million since launching its NIL Go platform in June. Over 28,000 athletes have signed up, with deals ranging up to $1.8 million. About 300 contracts were flagged, mostly for missing info or unclear terms.
- Florida State freshman linebacker Ethan Pritchard was shot in the back of the head Sunday night while driving his aunt home from a family gathering. He’s in stable condition as doctors monitor swelling, and an investigation is ongoing.
VIDEOS 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 tomorrow.
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; }
Powered by RedCircle Subscribe Now! Spotify Apple Podcasts Amazon Music RSS
.redcircle-link:link { color: #ea404d; text-decoration: none; } .redcircle-link:hover { color: #ea404d; } .redcircle-link:active { color: #ea404d; } .redcircle-link:visited { color: #ea404d; }Powered by RedCircle Subscribe Now! Spotify Apple Podcasts Amazon Music RSS
