Wheeling, W. Va. - Over the last few seasons, the Wheeling University Men's Soccer team has been growing a young core as they try and build the program back to glory. The 2025 season was no exception, with 19 of their 35 players being in either their freshmen or sophomore seasons, with nine of those being in the starting lineup. The Defense was the hallmark of the Cardinal's success, and they look to grow on that throughout the offense as the program looks to get back to the top of the Mountain East Conference (MEC) once again.
The year started with non-conference action against California (PA.) with the Cardinals battling to a 3-0 score. They would then jump right into the non-conference schedule with "The Battle for Wheeling" against West Liberty on September 7th. They picked up their first conference point of the season with a 1-1 tie and sat at 1-1 to start the season. They would hold the defending MEC Champions The University of Charleston to one goal in a 1-0 loss and that defensive effort would lead them through the season. They held their opposition to two goals or fewer in eight of their 17 games during the season, allowing themselves to be in each of the games they played. They would pick up their lone win of the season on September 17th against Salem and, by season's end, the offense would push its way up field. They would score first in three of their final four games of the season, and rounded out the year with a season-high three-goal effort against the West Liberty Hilltoppers, but fell 4-3 to end the season.
With several young players taking the field, it was the youth that stepped up throughout the season, led by freshman Elie Simon. Simon was the Cardinal's lone All-MEC honoree this season, earning a spot on the MEC's All-Freshman Team. Simon would finish the season with one goal and two points, while being among the team's top shot takers on the season. He would score his first career goal in his collegiate debut against Point Park and played in each of the remaining 14 games for the Cardinals. He would finish as the team's leader with 13 shots on goal, while sitting second on the team with 27 shots taken. He would finish second among freshmen across the MEC in both categories, and looks to continue to be a leader for the offense as he grows on the field.
After missing the 2024 season due to injury, Jon-Michael Gordon made his return to the field and would come through as the team's offensive leader. He scored a pair of goals in the final game against West Liberty and finished as the team's leader with three goals and six points on the season. He would lead the team with 29 shots taken on the year, and scored all three of his goals over the final two games of the season. Leading the Cardinal's defensive effort was the duo of Diego Marquez in net and Pablo Prieto at center back. Prieto would play nearly every minute of every game during the season, and made his presence known on offense with two goals and one assist on the season to finish the year with five points. Marquez would be the leader of the Goalkeeper group, finishing with 51 saves on 73 shots faced to finish with a .699 save percentage. He made his debut in the 1-0 win over the University of Charleston, and would be a part of the Cardinal's lone win of the season in the shutout victory over Salem.
The Wheeling University Men's Soccer team now heads to the offseason as they look to grow the program and come back even stronger for the 2026 Men's Soccer Season.
