Salem, W. Va. – The Wheeling University Men's Soccer team (1-11-1, 0-9-1) hit the road on Saturday in a rematch against Salem in non-conference action. The Cardinals got on the board early with two first half goals and it was enough to lift them to victory over the Tigers 2-1. It was the first win of the season for the Cardinals, and they look to use that momentum to propel them through their final four games of the season as they push for the final MEC playoff spot.

Carlos Molina got the start in net for the Cardinals and early on, he had to whether the Tiger's offensive storm. Salem took the first four shots of the game, putting two on net, and Molina was able to make the save both times to keep Salem off the board. The Cardinal's first two shots of the night both came off corner kicks as Cole Congson put the first shot on net in the 14th minute and Jon-Michael Gordon sent one over the top of the net in the 17th minute. After getting the offense rolling, the Cardinals had the momentum and would find their way to the back of the net in the 24th minute. The goal would once again come off of a corner kick as Richard Afolayanka took the kick and made the pass to Gordon, who found the back of the net to make it 1-0 Cardinals. 

On the four corner kicks they had taken to that point, the Cardinals got a shot off each time, putting three on net, as they were making the most of their opportunities. Their second goal of the game would come two minutes later as Gordon once again brought the ball up the field. This time, he would make the pass to junior Salem Mwelwa, who put the ball past the goalkeeper for his first goal of the season. The Cardinals were staked to a 2-0 lead however, with 61 minutes still left in the game, the Cardinals would look to hold that lead on the defensive front. They allowed one more Salem goal before the half was over, but headed into the break with the lead at 2-1, and looked to keep their success going over the final 45 minutes.

The shots were pretty even throughout the night, with Salem outshooting the Cardinals 16-12, but in the second half things were much closer as Salem held a 9-7 shot advantage. Salem came out quickly in the half, putting a shot on goal in the 46th minutes but Molina's quick reactions kept the Cardinals one-goal lead intact. They got off another shot in the 52nd minute, courtesy of Ben Lam, but Molina once again made the save and the Cardinals stayed in front. The Cardinals would put two of their seven shots on goal, with Richard Afolayanka taking a shot in the 57th minute and Johannes Haugerud putting a shot on goal in the 74th minute., for the final scoring chance of the game. In the end, the Cardinals were able to hold on and secured their first win of the season at 2-1.

Leading the way for the Cardinals was freshman Jin-Michael Gordon, who finished with a goal and an assist on three shots, one on goal. With the effort, Gordon now pulls into a tie for the team lead with two goals this season, and puts his first goal in the back of the net since the second game of the season against West Virginia Wesleyan. The other goal came courtesy of Salem Mwelwa, who finished the day with two shots, one on goal, scoring his first goal of the season. Richard Afolayanka was the other multi-shot player on the day, as he picked up an assist while taking two shots and putting one on goal.

The Wheeling University Men's Soccer team returns to action on Wednesday, October 18th, when they take on Notre Dame College with kick-off scheduled for 7:30 PM.