Last time out, the team made the trip to Elkins, West Virginia, where they battled conference foe Davis & Elkins. Throughout the early portion of the games the Cardinals were able to stay with the Senators, holding a 6-4 shot advantage in the first 45 minutes. Both teams had their chances early, but it was Wheeling who converted in the 22nd minute of the game. After a pair of Senator Yellow Cards, the Cardinals would use the ensuing attack to get on the board and would head into the locker room with a 1-0 advantage. In the second half, Davis & Elkins upped their offensive attack, outshooting the Cardinals 14-2, but the defense held strong. Their one-goal advantage would stick until the 76th minute as Davis & Elkins got the equalizer to tie the game at 1-1. That is where the score would stay as the Cardinals picked up their second MEC point of the season.
 

The man who made that point possible was goalkeeper Carlos Molina, who made six saves on seven shots faced. Of those six saves, five came jnHe second half as he faced an onslaught from the Senators. If the 14 second half shots they took, the Senators landed six on goal with Molina making the save on five of them. Prior to allowing the goal in the 76th minute, Molina was able to keep the Cardinal's 1-0 lead in tact, including making two saves in the first 10 minutes. It was Molina's second start of the season, continuing the good work he has shown in net. He has a .700 save percentage in three games, two starts, making 14 saves on 20 shots faced. As the Cardinals wait for Daniel Delo to return, they will look to Molina to be a steady presence to keep the defensive game strong.
 

The Cardinals have been looking to generate consistent offense all season, and had their first multi-goal scorer of the season on Sunday. Josh Timbrell got the Cardinals on the board with his goal in the 22nd minute, marking his team leading second goal of the season. It was the second goal in the last three games for the senior, who has moved up from the back line defense to the midfield as he helps create opportunities on offense. However, the Cardinals have been relying on their defense through and through, starting with center back Alvaro Ivanov. Of the 18 Davis & Elkins shots on the afternoon, only seven landed on net as the Cardinals back line forced bad shots throughout the night. They continue to be the backbone of the team and look to lead them down the stretch.
 

As they enter the official second half of the season, the Cardinals will look to make a run over the final five weeks of the season. They currently sit eighth in the conference, just two points behind West Liberty and five points behind the final spot in the MEC Tournament. With each of the seven teams in the conference remaining on the Cardinal schedule, Wheeling is looking to take the lessons they learned the first time through to get better results. The Cardinals are just two seasons removed from making the MEC Semifinals back in 2022, and they look to fight for a spot in the tournament this year. With a defense first approach, the team is looking to use their strong back line play to create opportunities for the offense.
 

The Matchup
 

The Cardinals and Mountain Lions are meeting for the 33rd time in school history, with Wheeling leading the all-time series at 20-8-4. The Cardinals lead the series no matter where it is played, holding an 11-5-2 record at home and a 9-3-2 record when on the road. The two teams split the season series a year ago and, after a Concord win earlier this year, the Cardinals are looking to even up this year's series as well.
 

In their first meeting of the season, Concord would get a 3-1 victory on September 22nd in Athens, West Virginia. The Cardinal's lone goal of the day was scored by Andrew Gerbaldo, who finished with two shots, putting both of them on net. Hallvard Falch rounded out the day, taking one shot and putting it on net.
 

The Details
 

Kick-off for Wednesday night's game is scheduled for 7 PM inside Bishop Schmitt Field. You can watch the game live by clicking HERE or follow along with Live Stats by clicking HERE.