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Nov. 21—MORGANTOWN — The difference in the game between West Virginia and St. John’s in the opening round of the NCAA men’s soccer tournament on Thursday night in Morgantown was simple.

The Mountaineers had Marcus Calderia, and St. John’s didn’t.

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What began as a cagey, scoreless contest ended as a 4-3 WVU victory in extra time, powered by a second-half hat trick from senior forward Marcus Caldeira, who refused to let the Mountaineers’ season end on their home turf.

“He didn’t train at all yesterday, ” said WVU head coach Dan Stratford. “I just joked with him and said I am going to kick him in his heel when he leaves here today, so he can’t train tomorrow and then just comes off the bench and scores three for us at High Point.”

The Sun Belt Player Of The Year scored his 41st goal of his career to help his team advance into the second round of the NCAA tournament with a visit to 10-seed High Point slated for Sunday at 7:30 p.m.

“Strats knows I would have played regardless of how hurt I was, to be honest, ” Caldeira said. “It kind of happened quickly, ” Caldeira said of the game-winner. “I think I just remembered turning, and the center back was kind of jockeying. So I tried to get on my strong side. I saw an opening and just shot it. Thank God it went in.”

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WVU controlled much of the opening 10 minutes, owning the ball and generating a few early set pieces, but little of it translated into danger for St. John’s. The Red Storm produced the first real threat of the night around the 20th minute, flashing a dangerous ball across the box that went untouched.

For a stretch midway through the half, St. John’s grew into the match, creating some half-chances that tested WVU’s back line but didn’t crack it. WVU’s closest opportunity came around the half-hour mark, when defender Thijs Veldhorst struck a shot that ricocheted off the far post.

The match flipped immediately after the break. St. John’s won a penalty in the opening minute of the second half on an accidental handball in the box by WVU. Bjorn Nikolajewski buried the spot kick in the 46th minute to put the Red Storm ahead 1-0.

Five minutes later, St. John’s doubled its lead. A cross from Andrew Porucznik found Gabe Smyth at the back post for a headed finish, giving the visitors a 2-0 advantage.

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“I will be honest, I let my brain think about what I would have to say, obviously at 2-nil down. We would have had to take ownership and be accountable for a couple of mistakes, ” Stratford said.

The breakthrough came in the 69th minute. After an intense buildup, Pablo Pozos slipped Caldeira through on goal. The striker rounded the goalkeeper and calmly finished to cut the deficit to 2-1.

WVU kept pressing and found the equalizer in the 79th minute. A corner kick swung into the box met the head of Nic Scargle, who buried it to tie the match at 2-2.

But the celebration barely had time to settle. St. John’s stormed back down the right flank, worked the ball into the area, and after a brief scramble, Guilherme Gomes tucked home the go-ahead goal. The Red Storm led 3-2 with 10 minutes left, and WVU once again found itself desperate for a response.

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With five minutes to go, they got one with a well-executed combination play that freed Caldeira behind the back line, and the veteran striker delivered again, finishing the play for his second goal of the night and the 40th of his career.

It didn’t take long for Caldeira to etch his name deeper into WVU lore.

Early in the extra period, he danced through three or four St. John’s defenders, carving out just enough room to slip a low shot into the left corner. The golden goal sealed his hat trick, his 41st career tally, and his sixth game-winner of the season.

“You see the guys behind me on the ground emotional and all that ; I don’t want to know that feeling, ” Caldeira said. “Job’s not finished.”