Wheeling, W. Va. – Heading into Wednesday's game, the Wheeling University Men's Soccer team (3-3, 2-2) is looking to turn things around after back-to-back tough losses. They will get an opportunity to try and do just that when they battle West Liberty university on the road at 7:30 pm.
 
The last time the men took the field, they battled valiantly against #15 Gannon University in non-conference action but fell 2-0. It was a step in the right direction for Wheeling, after allowing seven goals in the game prior against Notre Dame College. Wheeling was able to keep Gannon off the board over the first 56 minutes of the game, but eventually Gannon was able to break through and pick up the victory.
 
The reason for Wheeling's success early on in the game was because of the effort of their goalkeeper Harry Firth (Reading, United Kingdom/Wellington). The Golden Knights had some prime opportunities to score in the first half, by Firth was able to stop them making three saves in the half. Wheeling had a chance with a Penalty Kick in the 23^rd minute, but Sophomore Simen Moksnes (Trondheim, Norway/Strinda) banged it off the goal post and the score would sit at 0-0. The teams would head to halftime with the game sitting at that same score as Wheeling tried to fight back in the game.
 
However, it would be Gannon that found their way on the board in the 50^th minute, and they added another goal in the 71^st minute to get the game to its eventual 2-0 score. Wheeling's Moksnes gave it one more effort in the 87^th minute, but a save kept the ball out of the net and handed Wheeling their third loss of the season.
 
Entering play on Wednesday, Wheeling currently sits in sixth place in the Mountain East Conference, sitting a half game behind Notre Dame College. Just below them in seventh place is West Liberty with a record of 3-4, 2-4. Wheeling will try to hold off their rivals and keep their spot as the sixth-place team in the conference. With over a month and a half left of the regular season, Wheeling is hoping to start trending upward, and climb the conference standings.
 
The Match-up
 
The rivalry between the Cardinals and Hilltoppers has been a short one, beginning in the 2018 season, but Wheeling has had the advantage going 3-2 in those games. However, when they head to the Hilltop, things haven't gone as swimmingly as Wheeling has a record of just 1-2. The two teams have split each of their last three games, including a double overtime thriller last April.
 
Former Cardinal Cesar Coello got Wheeling on the board in the 19^th minute to make it 1-0, and Wheeling would hold the lead for most of the game. It wasn't until the 80^th minute that West Liberty found the net and tied the game 1-1. It would take just over 119 minutes to decide a winner, but it was West Liberty in the end that got on the board and won the game 2-1. Wheeling Goalkeeper Josh Zimmerman made five saves in the game, but it wasn't enough for the victory.
 
The Details
 
Kick-off for Wednesday night's game is scheduled for 7:30 PM at West Liberty University. You can watch the game live by clicking HERE or follow along with Live Stats by clicking HERE.