Early on, the Cardinals controlled the time of possession, allowing just two Salem shots over the first 15 minutes of play. Jon-Michael Gordon took the first shot of the game in the first minute and Christian Ruud followed it up with a shot that hit the top crossbar. Gordon would add another shot on goal during that stretch but once again couldn't convert. Carlos Molina got the start in net for Wheeling and made two saves on the first two Tiger shots, but the third Salem shot went into the net in the 16th minute as the Tigers took a 1-0 lead. The flurry of shots subsided during the middle portion of the first half, until the 40th minute when Wheeling had another golden opportunity. Ruud can charging down the pitch with the ball and made a move around the defender to get open. He sent a shot towards the bottom right corner of the net that was saved as Salem kept it a 1-0 game.
 

The teams went into the locker room with that same 1-0 score as Wheeling was looking to convert on more of their opportunities in the second half. As that second half started, the Cardinals were taking their shots but they weren't finding the back of the net. Julio D'Lima and TJ Cherry each took shots over the first 7 minutes of play, but both would end up missing the mark. The Cardinals out shot Salem 9-5 during that second half, with only two Tiger shots landing on net. Molina did his job, making two big saves during that second half to keep the Cardinals within striking distance. In the game's 79th minute, the Cardinals nearly tied things up as Cole Congson sent a shot towards the net that was saved by Salem's Samuel Reyna-Farje.
 

The ball bounced off the keeper's glove and right into the right foot of Richard Afolayanka. He took his shot but unfortunately another Salem defender was there and deflected the ball away from the net stopping the score. The Cardinals had a few more runs over the final 10 minutes of play, but the Salem defense held strong stopping the Cardinals short on their opportunities. After some chippiness at the end of the game, the Cardinals had one more shot with under a minute to play. They got a free kick with 30 ticks left on the clock and sent the ball towards their offensive end. Unfortunately a slide tackle kicked the ball out of bounds and ended the game as Wheeling fell 1-0. It was another strong defensive effort for the Cardinals, as they keep their streak of allowing two goals or fewer in the first half of games alive.

Leading the way for the Cardinals was goalkeeper Carlos Molina, who made four saves on five shots face throughout the night. During the second half, he made two huge saves that kept it a 1-0 game and allowed the Cardinals some offensive opportunities in the final minutes of play. Molina has allowed three goals or fewer in all three of his starts, two of those allowing two goals or less.

Jon-Michael Gordon was the most efficient shooter on the night, taking two shots and putting both of those on next. Julio D'Lima was the leading shooter on the night for the Cardinals, taking four shots, while Christian Ruud and Alvaro Ivanov needs took two shots, putting one on goal. After a pair of non-conference games, the Cardinals will jump back into MEC play this weekend as they try to get back on track.
 

The Wheeling University Men's Soccer team returns to action on Sunday, September 17th, when they host Concord with kickoff at 1 PM.