Buckhannon, W. Va. - The Wheeling University Men's Soccer team (2-1, 1-1) went on the road on Wednesday night when they faced West Virginia Wesleyan. Things did not go the way the Cardinals wanted as they fell to the Bobcats 4-0.
The two teams went back and forth through the first 18 minutes of the game with only two shots taken between the two teams, and West Virginia Wesleyan took both of those shots. Goalkeeper Austin Aaron (Prince George, VA./Prince George) made the two early saves as both teams were looking for the advantage.
The Bobcats were the first team to get that advantage when Nika Monaselidze found the net in the 18th minute to make it 1-0. Neither team would find the net the rest of the half, and the two teams went into the locker room with that same score. Wheeling was struggling to find opportunities offensively, and we're outshot during that first half 7-2, putting one of those two shots on goal. Aaron made four saves in that first half but wasn't getting any support from his offense.
The second half started much like the first half with neither team being able to get on the board. While West Virginia Wesleyan controlled the ball for a majority of the half, their shots were not very accurate and the score remained 1-0. However, with 10 minutes on the clock, the Bobcats found their groove, scoring their second goal of the day to make it 2-0. They would add two more goals during that ten-minute span, and turned what was a close back and forth game into a deficit that Wheeling just couldn't battle back from. They fell 4-0 for their first loss of the season. It brings their Mountain East Conference (MEC) record to 1-1 before they return home again this weekend.
Senior Miguel Martin (El Tigre, Venezuela/Marcet Football Academy) led the offensive effort with two shots, one on goal. The other two shots came from Harry Martin (London, United Kingdom/Mount Grace), one-shot/one on goal, and TJ Cherry (Pittsburgh, PA./Seton LaSalle), one shot. Aaron faced nine shots on goal during the night and was able to make five saves.
The Wheeling University Men's Soccer team is back in action when they return home to take on Sunday to take on Frostburg State at 4 PM
