Wheeling, W.V.- Last week, the Wheeling Men's Soccer team (2-9-4) and (1-7-3) picked up their first win and conference win of the season versus Point Park and came out on top in an offensive matchup on the road against Salem. The squad now focuses their attention on Frostburg State to prolong their stroke of good fortune.
Hints of offense were present in Wheeling's match against Point Park on the 20th, foreshadowing what would come in their next contest. The Cardinals played the Pioneers hard throughout the first half, but they broke through in the second. Josh Timbrell placed the ball into the box and bounced off Antonio Herra-Blackwood's head to put the Cardinals up by one. The goal was Herra-Blackwood's first collegiate marker, and it remained the only one because of terrific back-end play.
In their meeting on the 23rd, the team traveled to Bridgeport, W.V., to take on the Salem Tigers. Only two goals were scored in the first half, as Sam Clark tied things up with under two minutes remaining in the first half off a penalty kick. The Tigers took the lead back 17 minutes into the second half, but they took another penalty, allowing Clark to bury his second of the night to get back to even. Not long after, the Tigers pushed ahead by one, but two goals in seven minutes by Andrew Gerbaldo and Joergen Bjerkreim gave Wheeling its first lead of the night at 4-3 going into the 82nd-minute mark. Salem showed they were not out of it yet, as they tied it back up five minutes later. The Tigers did all they could to force a tie by playing defense for the remainder of the contest, but the speed of Jordan Taylor zipped past them to score the game-winning goal in the 86th minute. Wheeling stunned the Salem crowd as they left with a 5-4 victory.
The Cardinals have done an excellent job of starting games all season long but have had difficulty finishing off their scoring chances. If last week's games proved anything, it is that the team has learned how to take care of business late and turn defensive stops into offensive threats.
A Look at the Bobcats
Frostburg State and Wheeling meet for the second time this season. In their last matchup in Maryland, the Bobcats saw four different players make it onto the scoresheet in the 4-1 victory. Christian Ruud obtained the only goal for the Cardinals in the loss. Frostburg is also riding on a two-game win streak, taking a 3-1 win over West Virginia Wesleyan and a 1-0 win over Point Park most recently. They sit third in the standings at 8-6-1 with a 6-5-1 conference record. With a win, the Cardinals can keep their playoff hopes alive.
The Details
The Wheeling Men's Soccer team will play the Frostburg State Bobcats on Wednesday, October 30th, at 7 p.m. at Bishop Schmitt Field. The game will be streamed live HERE, and LiveStats can be accessed HERE.
