WHEELING, W.Va. - The Cardinals surrendered a two-goal lead late, but managed to notch the winning goal in a 3-2 overtime win over the University of Pitt.-Johnstown at James LaRosa Stadium.
With the win WJU moved to 4-4-1 on the season and 3-1-1 in the league while Mountain Cats fell to 5-3 overall and 3-2 in WVIAC play.
The Cardinals opened with a two goal lead only to have the Mountain Cats even the match in the last 13-minutes of play. A resilient Cardinal squad persevered in the overtime period as Ignacio Fernandez notched the game winner from Andrew Hickey.
In the first half the Cardinals and the Mountain Cats played to a 0-0 stalemate as both teams aggressively attacked the goal. Wheeling Jesuit attempted eight shots compared to UPJ's six, earning four set shots while giving up none. Victor Picchio attempted three shots with one being on goal while Philip Mshelbwala got-off two shots with one on target.
Defensively, Billy Wilson neutralized two Mountain Cat breakaways while Andrew Hickey assisted with slowing down the opponent's offense, taking the pressure off the Cardinal keeper, Cody Thompson.
In the second half, the two teams battled for position when, in the 59th minute, Hilario Gimon broke the scoring silence. Gimon came from the far side of the field and sent a left-footed shot into the lower corner of the net.
Fifteen minutes later, Mshelbwala increased the Cardinal lead after the UPJ goalie recorded a save but couldn't retain possession. Dominic Welch fired the initial attack and Mshelbwala sent the rebound into the net for a 2-0 advantage.
In the 80th minute, an offensive attack by the Mountain Cats was slowed down by a WJU defender, but Zeke Buchta was there and ripped a mid-air shot which narrowed the Cardinal lead, 2-1. UPJ continued to pressure the Cardinal defense, and with 2:52 left in regulation, Bryce DeLizio found Buchta who netted the equalizing goal, sending the match to overtime.
With just under five minutes to play in the overtime period, Hickey found an opening and began to attack the top left portion of the box. He played the ball deeper into the box to Fernadez who went past a defender, blasting the game winner into the lower corner of the second post.
For the game, Wheeling Jesuit attempted 28 shots compared to UPJ's ten and also held a 8-1 advantage in corner kicks. Pitt-Johnstown keeper finished with 10 saves as WJU's Thompson earned the decision.
Wheeling Jesuit will host Malone College on Saturday, October 1st at James LaRosa Stadium. Kick off is scheduled for 3:00 p.m.
