Wheeling, W. Va. - In their season opener, the Wheeling University Men's Soccer team (0-1, 0-0) was tested when they battled Cedarville in non-conference play. On Wednesday, the challenge intensifies as they open their Mountain East Conference (MEC) schedule when they take on Notre Dame College at 4 PM. The Cardinals continue their stretch of three straight road games to start the season, and they are looking to get into the win column for the first time in 2022.
In their 2022 season opener, the Cardinals battled Cedarville and played a tight game against the NCAA Division II playoff qualifiers. They held them to just one goal in the first half and kept it close throughout the game before falling 2-0. As the game went on, the offense got stronger outshooting the Yellow Jackets 8-5 in the second half but were unable to overcome the two-goal deficit. While they didn't pick up the victory, they were able to work against one of the better teams in NCAA Division II and can take those lessons with them as they head into their conference opener.
Leading the way for the Cardinals was senior Goalkeeper Austin Aaron, who put together the best start of his collegiate career. Aaron faced 14 shots throughout the night, with five shots landing on net, and made three saves. He had a save percentage of .600 for the game and did a great job of giving the Cardinals a chance. With the goalkeeper battle brewing throughout camp, Aaron made a statement early on to keep him in net. He also had the help of defenders TJ Cherry, Malte Fredin, and Armando Loynaz in front of the net to keep the ball out of the defensive zone.
On the offensive side of things, the Cardinals took a little bit to get going, but once they did, they were able to take shots consistently. Freshman Diego Buenano led the way, taking three shots, while Richard Afolayanka and Harry Martin each rattled off two shots, putting one on net. As a team, the Cardinals took nine total shots and put four of them on goal. They will look to improve on their efficiency as the season goes on but showed signs of being an offense that can put up a lot of points.
After the tough non-conference battle, the Cardinals will now turn their attention to the tough competition they will face in MEC play. They start their conference schedule with two straight road games before coming home for their Home Opener on September 7th. The Cardinals were picked #9 in this year's MEC Preseason Poll when they received 15 points in the vote of their Head Coaches. The Cardinals are looking to beat those expectations as they have their sights set on one of the top four spots in the conference.
The Matchup
The Cardinals and Falcons will be meeting for the 20th time in program history on Wednesday when they meet at Bishop Schmitt Field. Notre Dame College leads the all-time series with a record of 16-2-2 with the Cardinals looking for their first win against Notre Dame since the 2014 season. In their two games last year, the Cardinals fell in both their games, dropping the opener 2-0 and followed that up with a 7-0 loss in the final meeting.
Sam Clark led the way in that game, taking two shots and putting both of those shots on goal while TJ Cherry, former Cardinal Axel Grahn, and Salem Mwelwa each took shots. Former goalkeeper Tyler Serman made four saves on 11 shots on net faced. For the Cardinals, they are looking for a bounce back effort this time around as they return to South Euclid, Ohio.
The Details
Kick-off for Wednesday's MEC Men's Soccer matchup is scheduled for 4 PM at Muller Field on the campus of Notre Dame College. You can watch the game live by clicking HERE or follow along with Live Stats HERE.
