Wheeling, W. Va. - On a chilly Sunday afternoon, the Wheeling University Men's Soccer team began their final two game home stretch as they welcomed in Salem University. Wheeling would take an early lead, scoring two goals in the opening 30 minutes, but they wouldn't hold up as the Cardinals fell 3-2. It wrapped up the non-conference portion of the Cardinal's schedule as they have one final chance to take the field in 2025 on Wednesday.

As they have been all season, the Cardinal defense was tested early and responded to the challenge. Salem would get off five shots over the first 12 minutes, with four landing on net, and Diego Marquez saved all four shots to keep the Tigers off the board. Wheeling would take one shot during the run, coming in the 9^th minute courtesy of Antonio Herra-Blackwood, but it would end up going wide of net. In the 16^th minute, the Cardinals would push the ball into the offensive zone, and Baptiste Hervaud would dribble to around the 35-yard line before launching the ball towards the net. It would find the top right corner for his first career goal and the Cardinals took an early 1-0 advantage. It was the third time in the last four matches that the Cardinals scored first, and they looked to make the advantage hold.

After the ball bounced back and forth in the midfield over the next 10 minutes, Wheeling would once again push the ball into the offsensive zone. With the goalie out of the box, Jon-Michael Gordon tapped a header over his head and it would roll into the back of the net and give the Cardinals a 2-0 advantage. It was the biggest lead that the Cardinals have held since defeating Salem 2-0 back on September 17^th, and they would try to make the lead stick once again. After facing a flurry of shots in the first 12 minutes, Marquez got a break until the 43^rd minute when an offsides call on the Cardinals opened the door for the Tigers. Valentin Fritz brought the ball up the sideline, and crossed to teammate Gabe Morales, who finished for the first Salem goal of the day.

Wheeling would head into the locker room with the advantage holding at 2-1, after outshooting Salem 10-6 over the first 45 minutes. They were able to put four of those shots on net, with two finding the back of the net, as they looked to continue the aggressiveness in the second half. They would come out strong with back-to-back shots in the 48^th and 50^th minutes, with Antonio Herra-Blackwood being denied of his team's third goal of the day by Salem's Selleck Burggraff. The Tigers first shot would come in the 59^th minute, when Marquez picked up his fifth save of the day, but Salem would come right back off a Wheeling foul. CJ Branch would once again attack from the outside, and he sent the ball to Josue Villegas, who completed the goal and tied things at 2-2.

With 26 minutes to play, both teams were jockeying for position on the scoreboard, and big saves on both sides by Marquez and Burggraff kept the score even at 2-2. Each team would get just one shot on net during that time and it wasn't until the 83^rd minute that the tie was broken. Salem's Caleb Christner attacked the far side of the post, and crossed the ball to the opposite corner where Fritz was waiting. Fritz was able to find the back of the net and Salem had their first lead of the night. The Cardinals would put together a last ditch effort in the final minute as a foul on Salem set them up for a free kick. Alonso Martinez would take the attempt, but was unable to get it through as Burggraff made the save. It brought the game to its final score of 3-2, ending the senior day festivities.

Leading the effort for the Cardinals was Jon-Michael Gordon, who scored his first goal of the season in the effort. He would take three shots, putting two of those on net and one in the back of the net to give Wheeling a 2-0 lead at the time. The Cardinal's other goal would come courtesy of Baptiste Hervaud, who finished with three shots, two on goal and added the Cardinal's second goal of the day. Elie Simon and Antonio Herra-Blackwood each took two shots in the effort, putting one of those on net. Diego Marquez would have a career day in net, making eight saves on 11 shots faced to set a new career-high in saves.

The Wheeling University Men's Soccer team returns to action on Wednesday, November 5^th, when they take on West Liberty in "The Battle for Wheeling" with kick-off at 7 PM.