Wheeling, W. Va. – Throughout the season, the Wheeling University Men's Soccer team (0-9-4, 0-7-3) has picked up three points in conference play. On Sunday, they are looking to get over the hump when they welcome in Point Park with kick-off at noon. The last meeting between the two teams ended in a 0-0 tie and the Cardinals are looking to get over the hump as they chase down their first win of the season.

Last time out, the Cardinals earned their third conference point of the season, drawing a 1-1 tie against West Virginia Wesleyan. In the first half, both defenses were playing strong as neither team got on the board. However, it was the work of the Cardinal's back line that kept the game scoreless. Wheeling was outshot 8-1 over that time, but of those eight shots, only two found their way on net. This would be a theme throughout the night, with the Bobcats only putting 29.4% of their shots on net during the day. West Virginia Wesleyan would open the scoring in the 52nd minute, and the Cardinals would have to battle back. They would get the equalizer in the 68th minute, on what would be their last shot of the day, and tied the game at 1-1. That is where the final score would stand as the Cardinals got their third conference tie of the season.

Leading the way for Wheeling has been the back line defense, led by the efforts of center back Alvaro Ivanov. While defenders don't get a whole lot of stars during the year, the work that Ivanov has put in has helped keep the Cardinals in games throughout the season. With his leadership, the Cardinal defense has held opponents to putting just 43% of the shots they take (91 of 203) on goal. This most recent outing was the best showing by the backline, who allowed the Bobcats to put just five of 17 shots on net during the day. It has been a defense first team for the Cardinals, and they have held the opposition to two goals or fewer in seven of the 13 games played this season. The work of Ivanov and the Cardinal's back line will be crucial down the stretch as the Cardinals look for win #1.

The offense has been looking for consistency all season long, and they had their second multi goal scorer of the season in freshman Jordan Taylor. After being a bench player to start the year, Taylor has played his way into the starting 11. Since moving into a starting role, Taylor has taken at least one shot in each of his last four games, putting at least one of those on goal. His second goal of the season came off a pass from Antonio Herra-Blackwood as he found the back of the net to tie the game at 1-1. He loola to continue to find consistency down the stretch as the team looks to finish strong. Along with the back line defense, the goalkeeper combination of Daniel Delo and Carlos Molina helped secure the tie. Wesleyan put together one final stand in the 88th minute, and it was Molina who was able to swat the ball away and get Wheeling their third conference point of the season.

The Cardinals have been battling hard throughout the year, despite the record, and look for some revenge games as they go through their second meetings of the season. Their three ties this year have come against Point Park, West Virginia Wesleyan, and Davis & Elkins and, with two of those teams remaining in their final five games of the season, the Cardinals are looking to turn those ties into victories. The Cardinals currently sit seven points behind Point Park for the final playoff spot, and a win on Sunday would be the start of battling back. With five games left on the schedule, the Cardinals would need a win on Sunday and would have to win at least four of their final five games, while having Point Park lose three of their final five games to get back into playoff position.

The Matchup

The Cardinals and Pioneers are meeting for the fifth time in program history, and the second time this season on Sunday. Wheeling leads the all-time series between the two teams at 3-0-2, which includes an unbeaten 1-0-1 record at home. It has been a historically competitive series between the two schools, with four of the five previous meetings being decided by two goals or fewer. Wheeling holds the advantage across the series, averaging 2.2 goals per game and looks to keep that success going Sunday.

Their first meeting of the year came at Highmark Stadium on September 18th in a game that came to an end in a 0-0 tie. It was a big day for both goalkeepers in the game, but Daniel Delo led the way with seven saves on seven shots faced in what was his first shutout of his career. Antonio Herra-Blackwood would put both of his shots on net in the game while Josh Timbrell took the final shot on net to round out the offensive effort.

The Details

Kick-off for Sunday's game is scheduled for 12 PM inside Bishop Schmitt Field. You can watch the game live by clicking HERE or follow along with Live Stats by clicking HERE.