Wheeling, W. Va. - Last time they took the field, the Wheeling University Men's Soccer team (2-0, 1-0) scored a dramatic win over Alderson Broaddus in their Mountain East Conference opener. Now, they are looking to keep that momentum going when they head out on the road to face West Virginia Wesleyan on Wednesday at 4 PM.
Last time out, they were led by senior Miguel Martin's (El Tigre, Venezuela/Marcet Football Academy) big game, as he scored two goals including the game winner with 18 minutes left on the clock. Wheeling got the chance for a goal kick and ended up sending the ball downfield to sophomore Richard Afolayanka (Uniondale, NY./Uniondale). Afolayanka drove the ball into Alderson Broaddus's offensive zone and found Martin on the right corner of the net. Martin was able to sail the ball over the goalkeepers head and give Wheeling a 3-2 lead.
It was a lead they would hold onto for the rest of the game on their way to their first conference win of the season. Martin had a big day scoring two goals while putting all three of the shots he took on net. He is one of five seniors who were here in 2018 for the MEC playoff run, and his leadership is being passed down to this new generation of soccer players at Wheeling University.
Defensively, Wheeling has seen two different goalkeepers get time in net in senior Tyler Serman (Auburndale, FL./Auburndale HS) and sophomore Harry Firth (Reading, United Kingdom.Wellington) each getting a start in net. As a unit, the two players have allowed three goals on 11 shots on goal for a save percentage of .727. They have been helped by some strong defensive play in front of them, and have helped give the Wheeling offense confidence to score all those goals.
After playing each of their first two games of the season at home, this will be Wheeling's first test on the road as they try to keep the momentum going. The offense has been strong for Wheeling so far this season, and it will be the thing that the Cardinals are looking for to carry them for the entirety of their MEC schedule.
The Match-up
Wheeling and West Virginia Wesleyan are two teams that are very familiar with each other, playing 31 times dating back to the 2002 season. During that span, Wheeling has a record of 8-18-5 and have lost the last three matchups between the two teams. Two of those three matchups have been in Buckhannon, and all three games have been decided by three goals or fewer.
Their last game came on February, 21st, 2021, in a game that Wheeling lost 2-1 on the road in what was the team's MEC opener. Neither team scored in the first half of the game, and it took 57 minutes for the first score of the night to be tallied. It was West Virginia Wesleyan that would take the 1-0 lead, but Wheeling's Miguel Martin came back five minutes later and found the net to tie the game at 1-1. Unfortunately, it would be West Virginia Wesleyan who broke the tie with just three minutes remaining on the clock, and Wheeling would end up falling 2-1.
The Details
Kick-off for Wednesday's game is scheduled for 4 PM in Buckhannon, West Virginia. You can watch the game live by clicking HERE or follow along with Live Stats by clicking HERE.
