PHILADELPHIA – Amidst shot-after-shot of the home attack, the Wheeling Jesuit men's soccer defense held strong with only a single ball finding the net. The Cardinals' Yafu Rougier tied the game, 1-1, in the 85^th minute and his team earned the tie result at Philadelphia University Sunday afternoon.
 
Following a scoreless opening 78 minutes of action, the Rams (1-0-1) received their lone goal from Paolo Martinez on a free kick (78:14). WJU (1-0-1) tied the match at 84:44 when Rougier headed Dominick Palmieri's pass from the right side penalty area into the goal. The Cardinal defense stopped 32 of 33 Ram shots in the stout effort to earn the tie result.
 
"Great defensive effort in 80-degree weather! I am proud of the way my guys came back after going one down in the last eight minutes. It is a great result against a regionally-ranked opponent," said WJU Head Coach James Regan.
 
Cardinal goalie Matt McCormick made some flashy saves in his eight on the day. The WJU defensive in front of McCormick has allowed only a single score in the season's first 200 minutes of action.
 
The sophomore Rougier's goal was his first collegiate score and his lone shot on the afternoon. Palmeiri posted his first WJU assist on the goal.
 
WJU makes its 2015 home debut on Tuesday afternoon, Sept. 8, starting at 5 p.m. against Mountain East Conference foe Concord.