Wheeling, W. Va. – After picking up their first win in over a year on Sunday, the Wheeling University Men's Soccer team (1-9-4, 1-7-3) looks to keep the good times rolling. They hit the road on Wednesday for an afternoon contest against non-conference rival Salem University, with kick-off at 2:30 PM. They are looking to win back-to-back games for the first time since October 8th and 12th, 2022 when they earned back-to-back victories against West Virginia Wesleyan and Frostburg State.
The Cardinals welcomed in Point Park for their second conference match of the season on Sunday in what was a tightly contested game throughout. The two teams would sit tied in shots through the first half, with each team taking five. The Cardinals had a pair of scoring chances early, followed by a pair of Pioneer scoring chances, but the two teams would head into the locker room with the score deadlocked at 0-0. Wheeling has had some aggressive second half starts throughout the season, but this time they would convert, scoring their only goal of the day 49 seconds into the new half. Wheeling would hold a one-shot advantage in the second half, and that one shot was the one that made the difference as the Cardinals were able to hold on for the 1-0 win.
However, the win would not be possible without the work of the Cardinal defense, starting with the work of Carlos Molina in net. Molina made his second start of the season and picked up his first shutout in the win. He finished with four saves on four shots faced, shutting down a pair of attacks early in the first half and late in the second half. His biggest save of the game would come in the final five minutes of play as Point Park made a push in the 86th minute. Molina was able to dive to save the shot ticketed for the bottom right corner of the net, and held off pressure for the final five minutes to secure the win. For his efforts, he earned the Mountain East Conference's (MEC) Men's Soccer Defensive Player of the Week award as he and the Cardinal defense will once again be relied on to lead the way against Salem.
The Cardinal's lone goal in the contest was scored by Antonio Herra-Blackwood, who would finish the week with a goal and an assist in the 1-0-1 effort. The freshman got himself in perfect position at the front corner of the net and was able to head the ball into the top right corner of the net. It was the first career goal for Herra-Blackwood, who picked up his first career assist earlier in the week, as he rounded out a career week. The one who sent him the pass was Josh Timbrell, who has been the Cardinal's leading scorer this season with six points. Timbrell set up around the 25-yard line on Bishop Schmitt Field and sent the pass directly towards the corner of the net, where Blackwood set up and put the ball in net. It was Timbrell's team-leading second assist of the season as he has stepped up as a leader for the young Cardinal offense.
Not only was it a big moral win for the Cardinals, but it was also a big win in terms of the MEC Men's Soccer standings. The win got the Cardinals to six conference points, putting them four back of Point Park and West Liberty for the final playoff spot. With three conference games remaining for the Cardinals, and four for the Hilltoppers, Wheeling would need to win each of their final three conference games, while having Point Park drop two of their final three conference games and West Liberty drop three of their final four conference games. If either the Hilltoppers or Pioneers win two of their remaining conference games, the Cardinals will be eliminated from playoff contention. The Cardinals look to take care of their own business down the stretch and hope everything else plays out in their favor.
The Matchup
The Cardinals and Tigers are meeting for the 19th time in program history on Wednesday afternoon, with Wheeling leading the all-time record at 12-5-1. The Cardinals have had more success on the road in the all-time series, going 6-0-1 in Salem compared to a 6-5 record at home. Wheeling is averaging just under 2.5 goals per game in the all-time series and look to keep their offensive success going in the all-time series on Wednesday.
It will be a revenge game for the Cardinals, who dropped the first meeting of the season between the two teams, with Salem picking up a 2-1 win on September 25th. The Cardinal's lone goal in the game came from Jordan Taylor, who finished with one goal on two shots, one on goal. Daniel Delo got the start in net, making three saves on five shots faced on the day.
The Details
Kick-off for Wednesday's game is scheduled for 2:30 PM inside the Bridgeport Sports Complex. You can watch the game live by clicking HERE or follow along with Live Stats by clicking HERE.
