Wheeling, W. Va- The trip to Charleston, West Virginia, proved too much for the Wheeling Men's Soccer (0-9-3), (0-7-2) team as the Cardinals fell 5-1 to the Golden Eagles on Sunday. Wheeling continued to capitalize early in the game, but Charleston's relentless attack showed dominance over their Mountain East Conference (MEC) opponent.
Both squads traded shots to start the match, but Wheeling made the most of their chances first. The Cardinals forced two corner kicks, but the second one was placed perfectly by Joergen Bjerkreim to the noggin of Alvaro Ivanov for his first career goal. The Cardinals were excited to jump out early and looked to add to their lead. Unfortunately, Charleston not only tied it three minutes later but scored three more to take a 4-1 lead at halftime. Wheeling played hard and denied the Charleston offense from scoring to start the second half. However, the Golden Eagles put up another marker in the 66th minute, which would be the game's last goal as Charleston took it 5-1.
In the road loss, Daniel Delo stopped seven of the 12 shots against him. Despite the Cardinals' low shot total, they were efficient. Four of their five shots challenged the keeper. This was the fourth time this season that the Cardinals scored first in a game and the second time in the past three games.
Battling the Bobcats
West Virginia Wesleyan and Wheeling met on September 11th, and the Bobcats narrowly escaped with the victory. John Hollis netted the only goal in the 73rd minute. Wheeling played the opposition well, and the stats were as even as they could be. Delo stopped three of four shots. Ivanov, Christian Ruud, and Luis Bravo recorded the three shots on goal for the Cardinals. Antonio Herra-Blackwood looked dangerous, combining his skills and speed to create scoring threats from nothing. They hope to return home with the win and silence the fans at Culpepper Stadium.
The Bobcats are coming off a 2-1 Homecoming win over the Point Park Pioneers. Adam Gribben and Archie Farquhar got on the board early in the first half. The Pioneers got one back, but the Bobcats protected the lead for the remainder of the contest.
Wheeling, feeling snakebitten, will seek revenge against West Virginia Wesleyan on Wednesday, October 16th at 4:30 PM in Buckhannon, WV. The game will be streamed live HERE, and LiveStats can be accessed HERE.
