WHEELING, W.Va. (Sept. 23) - The Wheeling Jesuit University men's soccer team was defeated 3-2 by No. 7 Charleston Sunday afternoon in a league match at Bishop Schmitt Field.

The Cardinals drop to 4-2-2 overall and 3-2 in the Mountain East Conference (MEC) with the loss. Meanwhile, the Golden Eagles, who were ranked No. 7 in the most recent United Soccer Coaches top-25, improve to 7-0-1 overall and 6-0 in the MEC standings with the win.

WJU didn't get many opportunities throughout the match, but made the most of them. The Cardinals scored twice despite registering only three shots on goal. Midfielder McKinley Fodness (Issaquah, Wash./Skyline) scored first for the Cardinals, while senior Martin Minuzzi (Cordoba, Argentina/Nazareth) scored his team-leading fifth goal with a successful penalty kick conversion in the second half. Minuzzi also contributed the primary assist on the team's first goal.

The first goal of the game came seconds into the third-minute, when Charleston's Williams N'Dah converted a header from close range off of a free kick to make the score 1-0.

The Cardinals answered six minutes later when Fodness chipped a ball past the keeper off of a corner-kick to tie the game at 1-1.

Charleston appeared to take control of the match with a pair of unanswered goal to build a 3-1 lead, but once again the Cardinals answered quickly. A Charleston foul in the box allowed Minuzzi to take a penalty kick that he struck off the crossbar and over the goal-line to make the score 3-2 in the 55th-minute.

The Cardinals had a free-kick from about 30 yards out and a corner-kick opportunity near the 75-minute mark, but neither chance resulted in a game-tying goal, allowing Charleston to escape with the win.

WJU was seeking its second-consecutive win over at top-25 team. The Cardinals defeated No. 13 Notre Dame (Ohio) 2-1 earlier in the week.

Wheeling Jesuit continues its conference schedule with a trip to West Liberty on Wednesday, September 26 at 1 p.m.