Wheeling, W. Va. - On Sunday, the Wheeling University Men's Soccer team (4-6, 3-5) scored a come from behind overtime victory as they took down Concord University 2-1. Now, they bring that momentum back with them to their home field as they get ready to host The University of Charleston on Wednesday night at 7 PM.
Sunday's game was a big day for the program as not only did they score an overtime win, but they were able to get two players involved in the offense scoring the first goals of their collegiate career. After Concord scored the first goal of the game in the 41st minute, it didn't take Wheeling long to respond. Sophomore Declan Moloney got the ball and brought it up the court and into the Mountain Lion's offensive zone. He took his shot and notched the first goal of his collegiate career in the 43rd minute to tie the game at 1-1.
After the big moment right before half, both teams went silent for the final 47 minutes of regulation, and the game was forced to overtime. The teams went back and forth for the first four minutes before freshman Salem Mwelwa got the ball in his team's offensive zone. He geared up and scored the golden goal, the first of his collegiate career, to give Wheeling the 2-1 victory. The win broke a five-game losing streak for the team and brought the momentum back to their side as they head back home.
The win moved them up to sixth in the Mountain East Conference (MEC) standings sitting just a half-game behind Frostburg State for the fifth-place spot. With one game remaining against four of the five teams that sit in front of them, Wheeling still has a chance to play its way into the 2021 MEC Fall Playoff tournament. However, in order to do so, they are going to have to score some big wins, starting with the game ahead of them against the University of Charleston.
The Golden Eagles have been one of the top men's soccer teams in the MEC over the last couple of seasons but are currently ranked second in the MEC. They are 9-1 overall and 8-1 in MEC play entering Wednesday night's game and are one of the four teams that Wheeling is going to need a big performance against. In the last game between these two teams, Wheeling played tough staying in the match the entire way, and they are looking to once again give the Golden Eagles a fight.
The Match-up
In 25 career games between these two teams, The University of Charleston has had the advantage, going 23-10-2 against the Cardinals. However, Wheeling is looking for their first victory against Charleston since the 2015 season, when they handed them a 2-1 loss in Charleston, West Virginia. The Cardinals are 0-1 against Charleston this season but stayed in the game until the very end before falling on the road 3-1.
After the Golden Eagles got out to a lead eight minutes into the game, Wheeling battled for the rest of the first half. They got on the board in the 41st minute when freshman Hugo Rodriguez found the net for his second goal of the season, bringing the score to 1-1. The tie would last for nearly 30 minutes before Charleston notched two goals over the final 20 minutes of the game to pick up the win. Wheeling is out for revenge this time as they defend their home turf and look for the season series split.
The Details
Kick-off for Wednesday evening's game is scheduled for 7 PM at Bishop Schmitt Field. You can watch the game live by clicking HERE or follow along with Live Stats by clicking HERE.
