Wheeling, W. Va. – The Wheeling University Men's Soccer team (4-7, 3-6) hosted The University of Charleston on Wednesday night. They were fighting for their Moimtain East Conference (MEC) playoff lives, but they just couldn't keep up, falling to the Golden Eagles 5-1.

It didn't take long for the offense to get going as The University of Charleston got on the board in the seventh minute. The Golden Eagles Adrian Camacho found the net off of a pass that made the score 1-0. Ten minutes later, Wheeling was able to respond and tied the game in the 17^th minute. Harry Martin got the ball off a pass from Armando Loynaz and was set up on the far right side of the net. Martin took his shot and snuck the ball into the right side of the net to make the score 1-1. Wheeling showed that they could hang with one of the top teams in the MEC, keeping the Golden Eagles off the board for the next 15 minutes.

However, in the 33^rd minute, the Charleston offense was back on the board. Alejandro Larrayoz scored his fifth goal of the season and put the Cardinals behind 2-1. The teams would head into halftime with that same score standing, and Wheeling still sitting within striking distance. Wheeling was outshot 12-4 in the first half, putting just one of those shots on net. With the game still very much in reach, Wheeling was hoping to come out and get the offense going. Instead, it was the Golden Eagles that finished the game strong, scoring three second half goals.

The scores came in the 53^rd, 67^th, and 87^th minutes of the game, leading to Wheeling's eventual 5-1 defeat. The Cardinals offensive opportunities were limited in the second half, as they got off just one shot compared to nine for Charleston. The loss was Wheeling's sixth conference loss of the season, and keeps them in sixth in the MEC. With one game remaining against Davis & Elkins and West Liberty, Wheeling will be looking for a strong end to the season if they want back into the playoff race.

Freshman Daniel Skarpness led the offense with two shots on the day, while three other players each got off a shot in the loss. Goalkeeper Tyler Serman faced 10 shots on the night, and was able to make five saves in the game. Wheeling wasn't very efficient putting just one of their five shots on net, and it equalled very few offensive opportunities for the Cardinals.

The Wheeling University Men's Soccer team is back in action on Saturday when they go on the road to face Frostburg State with kick-off at 6 PM.