In a battle of two undefeated teams, No. 6 West Virginia put the nation on notice with a 5-2 demolition of No. 1 Marshall. Sensational sophomore Marcus Caldeira led the way with his hattrick marking the first by a West Virginia player since 2014. The pick of the goals was his 65th-minute strike to make it 4 to 2.

🎩 🎩 🎩

The first hat trick for a Mountaineer since 2014!#HailWV pic.twitter.com/1dDwLwpZAy

— WVU Men's Soccer (@WVUMensSoccer) October 19, 2023

Before the game, Marshall had conceded five goals all season, as no one would have had a 5 goal performance by West Virginia on their bingo card. But you could sense something special was brewing as 3,147 packed the stadium to cheer on the Mountaineers, marking a new program record.

Especially after Marshall went up 1-0 in the sixth minute, West Virginia relied on the momentum of the crowd to storm back, scoring three goals in 105 seconds of game time between the 11th and 13th minute as Caldeira notched his first two after a Sergio Navarro equalizer. It was a breathtaking flurry spearheaded by one of the best atmospheres in college soccer.

As easy as 1️⃣, 2️⃣, 3️⃣ #HailWV pic.twitter.com/5To4FfPimr

— WVU Men's Soccer (@WVUMensSoccer) October 18, 2023

And although Marshall would pull one back in the 18th minute, you could sense going into halftime that the crowd would not relent, and neither would the players. That sentiment would hold with Caldeira completing his hattrick followed by a Constantinos Christou knockout punch in the 74th minute.

Make it five!!!!#HailWV pic.twitter.com/MaidCXyOrq

— WVU Men's Soccer (@WVUMensSoccer) October 19, 2023

The win launches West Virginia to the top of the food chain as the team to beat, while Marshall receives what could be a vital wakeup call with just a few weeks left until the postseason.