Wheeling, W. Va. – The Mountain East Conference (MEC) Quarterfinals brought plenty of excitement to Bishop Schmitt Field as the Wheeling Men's Soccer team for the win in front of their home fans. Now, they hit the road as they advanced to the MEC Semifinals on Thursday night when they take on #1 Charleston. It will be the Cardinals first semifinal game since the 2018 season as they look to build off a strong playoff opener. 

After awards were given out before the Quarterfinals match, Wheeling's offense took off needing just two minutes to take the first shot of the game. Wheeling fired off four of the first five shots in the game and controlled possession in the early going. That would end up paying off as in the 19th minute Christian Ruud would bring the ball up field for the Cardinals. He shot a pass over to Richard Afolayanka, who got the ball on his left foot. He ended up taking the shot with that left foot and landed it on net to give Wheeling the 1-0 lead. The Cardinals would head into the locker room with that same 1-0 lead, and it would be up to the defense to take control.  

As the second half began, the Cardinals continued to take shots throughout the night, outshooting the Bobcats 11-6 in that second half, but couldn't get back on the board. However, the Bobcats offense was getting efficient with their shots, putting two of their six second half shots on net. After a big save in the 46th minute, Aaron didn't have too much more work until the final minutes of the game. The Bobcats were set up with a free kick in the 86th minute and sent a shot towards the corner of the net. Goalkeeper Austin Aaron dove to his right and made a big save to keep it a 1-0 game. The Cardinals would go on to win by that 1-0 score and advance to the MEC Semifinals. 

Richard Afolayanka added his fourth goal in the last six games on Thursday as he continues to lead the Wheeling offense. It was his first career postseason goal, and now gives him nine for the 2022 season, breaking his old career-high by two goals. The Cardinals now move to 5-1-1 when Afolayanka scores at least one goal and the Cardinals will continue to lean on their offensive leader in the playoffs. As they go up against the highest scoring offense in the MEC this season, the offense will once again play a major part in the Cardinal's success. 

On the defensive side, senior Goalkeeper Austin Aaron picked up his second shutout of the season, and it couldn't have come at a better time. After making one save in the first half, Aaron came through with two big saves in the second half to keep his team ahead. He got help up front from center backs TJ Cherry and Armando Loynaz who continually won headers and got the ball back to the midfield. Those center backs will be put to the test as they try to keep the Golden Eagles out of the offensive zone. 

The Cardinals head into their first MEC semifinal match since the 2018 season when they advanced to the MEC Championships after going to Penalty kicks with Notre Dame College. The Cardinals will battle #1 Charleston while the other Men's Soccer match sees #3 Notre Dame College travel to #2 Davis & Elkins. If the Cardinals want to claim their first-ever MEC Championship, they will have to do it on the road, where they have gone 4-6 so far in 2022. 

The Matchup 

The Cardinals and Golden Eagles are meeting for the 38th time in program history and the third time this season. Charleston leads the all-time series with a record of 26-10-2 and has taken the season series winning both matchups. When the teams meet in Charleston, the Cardinals are 6-11-1 and have averaged 1.29 goals per game in the all-time series. Thursday night will also mark the ninth time that the two teams have met in postseason play, with Wheeling going 2-6 in those games. 

In their most recent meeting, Charleston defeated Wheeling 6-1 in Charleston, West Virginia back on October 5th. The lone Cardinal's goal was scored by Richard Afolayanka in the 68th minute that made it a 5-1 game. Austin Aaron got the start in net and made five saves on 11 shots faced in net throughout the night. 

The Details 

Kick-off for Thursday night's MEC Semifinal game is scheduled for 7 PM at the Walsh Athletic Complex on the campus of The University of Charleston. You can watch the game live by clicking HERE or follow along with Live Stats by clicking HERE.