Wheeling, W. Va- Though the postseason is out of reach, the Wheeling Men's Soccer team (2-11-4) (1-9-3) has one last bout against a well-known Mountain East Conference (MEC) opponent, the West Liberty Hilltoppers.

The Cardinals took on the Davis & Elkins Senators on Sunday. Wheeling would come up short 4-0 at the end of the 90 minutes played, but they hung with the Senators all game long in the shot department. D&E only outshot Wheeling by one, 13-12, and had a slight advantage with shots on goal at 4-2. The Senators started their offense in the 25th minute when Modou Faye received and connected on a crosser. The Cardinals kept it close, but they committed a foul in the box, allowing the Senators to attempt a penalty kick. Dominique Castano's shot found its way through Carlos Molina to make it 2-0 before the half. Two quick goals to start the second half would be the game's final scoring. The Cardinals continued looking for offense but could not find any good looks.

A Trip Down Route 88

West Liberty has clinched its berth in the MEC Men's Soccer Tournament, but with a win over rival Wheeling and a West Virginia Wesleyan loss to D&E, it can leap the Bobcats to claim the fifth seed. 

The Hilltoppers and Cardinals met once this season on September 28th at Bishop Schmitt Field. Josh Timbrell was called upon to take a penalty kick and put Wheeling up 1-0. The lead would not hold long as WLU scored seven minutes later to tie at the half. They controlled possession for the remainder of the match and left with a 5-1 victory. 

Wheeling is 5-6-1 all-time against West Liberty. The Cardinals will look to earn their first win over the Hilltoppers since 2022.

The Details

The Wheeling University Men's Soccer team will travel to West Liberty on Wednesday, November 6th, for their final game of the 2024 season. Kickoff is slated for 5 PM. The game will be live-streamed and can be watched HERE, and LiveStats can be viewed HERE.