Wheeling, W. Va. - After having three straight home games to start the season, the Wheeling University Men's Soccer team (3-4, 2-3) has had a stretch where they have played on the road in three of their last five games. They continue this stretch on the road on Sunday when they head down to Charleston, West Virginia, to face the University of Charleston at 4 PM. 

The Cardinals are looking for a bounce-back effort after falling to rival West Liberty their last time out 3-1. It was a battle throughout the evening, coming down to quite literally the final minute, but Wheeling was unable to overcome an early deficit. West Liberty got on the board first in the eighth minute, but it didn't take too long for Wheeling to respond. Sophomore Richar Afolayanka (Uniondale, NY./Uniondale) got the ball in open space and beat a defender to tie the game at 1-1 on his fourth goal of the season. 

West Liberty would retake the lead in the 20th minute, and Wheeling found themselves down 2-1 for the next 59 minutes of the game. Wheeling had a shot in the 84th minute when Afolayanka took a shot off a corner kick, but it missed the mark and gave the ball back to the Hilltoppers. West Liberty would take the ball down the field and scored in the 89th minute to make it 3-1 and officially put the game out of reach for the Cardinals. 

The loss dropped Wheeling to 2-3 in Mountain East Conference Play as they get ready to head into one of their toughest stretches of the 2021 season. They will be taking on the top two teams in the MEC back-to-back in their next two games. It begins with The University of Charleston on the road on Sunday, and they follow it up with the MEC's top team Davis & Elkins on Wednesday back home at Bishop Schmitt Field. Wheeling currently sits in seventh place in the MEC entering play Sunday and is looking to make up some ground against two top opponents. 

The Match-up 

The history between the Cardinals and Golden Eagles is a storied one going back to the 2002 season. During that span, the teams have matched up 33 times, with Wheeling going 10-22-1 in those matches. They have faired slightly better at home than on the road, losing 13 of the 18 games played at the University of Charleston. Wheeling will be looking for their first win against the Golden Eagles since the 2015 season. 

The last time these two teams met, The University of Charleston would win the game 11-1 at Bishop Schmitt Field. Wheeling had the early lead in the 12th minute on a Penalty Kick converted by Simen Moksnes. However, the Golden Eagles scored 11 unanswered points in the game on their way to an 11-1 win. Wheeling is hoping for a bounce-back on Sunday, as they try and make some noise against the top teams in the MEC. 

The Details 

Kick-off for Sunday's game is scheduled for 4 PM in Charleston, West Virginia. You can watch the game live by clicking HERE or follow along with Live Stats by clicking HERE.