South Euclid, Ohio – On a cold rainy day in northeast Ohio, the Wheeling Jesuit University Men's Soccer team collected a 2-0 win over Notre Dame College in a MEC Conference Semifinal match.
The Cardinals will now will play the University of Charleston in Charleston at 3 p.m. on Sunday, November 9 for the MEC Championship.
With a trip to the Championship on the line, the game started shakily. Both teams showed some nerves, changing possession often in the early minutes. As the game settled in, the Cardinals showed some offensive prowess creating several chances from early corner kicks and free kicks. Although they were not able to connect, it still gave the team momentum as the game continued to play out.
The Cardinals struck first in the 21
st minute as Defender
Sean Murphy served a ball across the 18 yard box for a crashing outside midfielder
Daniel Undreiner to head in at the back post.
The Falcons started to control possession a bit more after the goal. As Notre Dame College pressed for the equalizer, the Cardinals were very organized in their defending and ultimately holding the lead. In the 37
th minute, midfielder Aitor Iniguez De Heredia played a pass to forward
Luke Roan, who buried a second goal for the Cardinals. Wheeling Jesuit University led at the break 2-0.
The second half started with the Falcons on the front foot, attacking with speed and creating a few dangerous opportunities. Those advances were shut down by an organized Cardinal defensive effort. The tensions were rising as early fouls came early and often.
As the second half settled in, the Falcons began to tally a number of shots and corner kicks, but none really challenged WJU Goalkeeper
Cody Thompson. The Cardinals poured their effort into defending their two goal lead and playing a counter attacking style for most of the half. It paid off.
After absorbing heavy pressure late in the game as the Falcons threw caution to the wind attacking in large numbers, the Wheeling Jesuit University Cardinals won with a final score of 2-0. Head Coach Jim Regan said, "We knew how important it was for us to get that first goal. We had a plan going in and our team bought into that plan. After we got a two goal lead, we played smart not overcommitting in the offensive zone. We had great effort and were rewarded today. This was a huge victory for us."
The Wheeling Jesuit University Men's Soccer team now will play the University of Charleston in Charleston at 3pm Sunday 11/9/14.
