Wheeling, W. Va. - The Wheeling University Men's Soccer team (0-0, 0-0) has a heavy slate of road games ahead of them, with their first three regular season contests coming on the road. They begin that three-game road test with a tough challenge as they are set to open their 2022 season on Saturday night against Cedarville at 7 PM. After finishing 5-11-1 last season, the Cardinals have one of the top four spots in the Mountain East Conference (MEC) on their mind as they try to make the MEC tournament for the first time since the 2018 season.
The Cardinals began 2021 with a bang last season when they scored a 6-1 win over the University of Pittsburgh Johnstown, with four different players accounting for the six goals. They started out MEC play on a high note, going 2-1 in their first three conference games before a tough stretch in the middle of the season brought their strong start to a halt. They entered the final game of the regular season against West Liberty sitting at 3-10-1 and looked to end their season on a high note. They did just that on a night where they were honoring their former Head Coach Jim Regan, as they picked up a 2-1 win. They have taken that momentum with them into the off-season and look to continue to build on that success.
Many of the team's offensive leaders are back this season, with three of the team's top four scorers returning. Junior Richard Afolayanka leads the way once again after tallying a team-high seven goals and two assists last season. He earned All-MEC Honorable Mention honors for the second time in his career and once again looks to be a goal-scoring threat for the Cardinals. Alongside him will be junior Harry Martin and fifth-year senior Miguel Martin. Harry Martin scored three goals for the Cardinals last season, while Miguel Martin led the team with three assists and scored two goals. All three will look to be pieces that lead the team this season as they strive to score goals more consistently.
On the defensive side of things, a goalkeeper battle is brewing with three different players trying to claim the spot. Senior Austin Aaron is the only one of the three who played in a game last season, appearing in three games, and making two starts. Aaron had a save percentage of .667 and made 14 saves on 21 shots faced. The other two goalkeepers that are joining the battle are sophomore Carlos Molina and freshman Flemming Sandt. Molina played in one game last season as a field player and Sandt comes to Wheeling from Germany and led his team to a third-place finish in the German Indoor Championships.
The Cardinals begin the 2022 season with a tough slate of road games. After taking on Cedarville on Saturday, they begin their conference schedule with back-to-back games on the road against Notre Dame College and Alderson Broaddus. It will test the team's toughness early in the year and they will be rewarded with two of their following three games at home. The Cardinals hope to start the season as strong as they did last year and carry that momentum with them throughout the season.
Previous Matchups
Saturday will mark the first-ever meeting between Wheeling and Cedarville in Men's Soccer. Last season, the Yellow Jackets finished the year 14-5-1 and made it to the conference semifinals. They also made an appearance in the NCAA Division II Men's Soccer Championship and have been ranked as one of the top programs in the country. Wheeling will look to compete with Cedarville as they prepare for their conference opener.
The Details
Kick-off for Saturday's Men's Soccer season opener is scheduled for 7 PM. You can watch the game live by clicking HERE or follow along with Live Stats by clicking HERE.
