Elkins, W. Va. – The Wheeling University Men's Soccer team (0-7-3, 0-5-2) made the trip to Elkins, West Virginia on Sunday as they continued their Mountain East Conference (MEC) schedule. Wheeling got on the board early with a first half goal, and were able to hold that lead into half. Davis & Elkins would get the equalizier in the second half, but the Cardinal defense held strong as they earned their second conference point of the season with a 1-1 tie.
The first half would see the ball bounce back and forth with Wheeling holding the slight advantage in shots at 6-4. Davis & Elkins would take the first shot of the night in the second minute, sending it over the crossbar. They would add another shot off target in the seventh minute as the Cardinals defense was forcing bad shots early.
Andoni Oynesa would get the first Cardinal shot in the 11th minute of the game, and ended up shooting wide of the net.
Antonio Herra-Blackwood would add the Cardinal's second shot of the half in the 15th minute, before the Cardinals officially got on the board. It came following a pair of Davis & Elkins yellow cards that set the Cardinals up in the offensive zone.
Josh Timbrell would take the ball for the Cardinals and found the back of the net to give Wheeling a 1-0 lead. It was Timbrell's second goal of the season, making him the first Cardinal to score multiple goals this season. Davis & Elkins would rip off back-to-back shots in the 25th and 29th minutes, but
Carlos Molina made the save on the shot on net and the Cardinals held their 1-0 lead. It would be Wheeling that took the final three shots of the half, with Freshman
Jordan Taylor putting the lone shot on net. A save by Davis & Elkins's Dante Ordenes would end the half and the teams went into the locker room with Wheeling leading 1-0. The shots were close, but both defenses forced bad shots throughout the half, with only three shots landing on net and one finding the back of the net.
Davis & Elkins would get the first shot of the new half and Molina would make his second save to keep Wheeling ahead 1-0. The Senators would get off the first five shots of the new half over the first 12 minutes.
Christian Ruud would break the streak with a shot off net in the 57th minute. However, the Cardinals would be out shot 12-4 over the final 45 minutes and Molina would get his work in, making four saves over the first 30 minutes of the half. In the 76th minute, the Senators would get the equalizer as Hugo Fauli would tie the game at 1-1. The Cardinals would get two opportunities in the final minute, attempting two corner kicks in that final minute, but neither found the back of the net and the game would end in a 1-1 tie as the Cardinals got their second conference point of the season.
Leading the way for the Cardinals was
Josh Timbrell, who scored the lone goal of the day for the Cardinals. It was his second goal of the season, as he leads the Cardinals in goals this season as they look for more offensive opportunities.
Jordan Taylor would be the Cardinal's leading shot taker on the day, taking three shots and putting one on net, while
Andoni Oynesa and
Christian Ruud each got off a shot.
Carlos Molina would get the start in net for the Cardinals and made six saves on seven shots faces as he helped the Cardinals secure the tie.
The Wheeling University Men's Soccer team returns to action on Wednesday, October 9th, when they host Concord with kick-off at 7 PM.
