Wheeling, W. Va. - The 2025 season comes to an end for the Wheeling University Men's Soccer team (1-14-1, 0-11-1) as they compete in "The Battle for Wheeling" on Wednesday night. The Cardinals will welcome in rival West Liberty as the team's round out regular season play at 7 PM inside Bishop Schmitt Field. Although they are out of the race for the 2025 Mountain East Conference (MEC) Men's Soccer Tournament, the Cardinals are looking to build momentum for the offseason as they look ahead to 2026.
Last time out, the Cardinals wrapped up their non-conference schedule as they welcomed in Salem University in non-conference action. As they have done in three of their last four games, the Cardinals would get on the board first, this time scoring in the 16th minute. They would get out to a 2-0 lead for the second time this season, but Salem held the shot advantage 10-6 over the first 45 minutes of play. However, Salem would get on the board in the 43rd minute, and that was enough to give them the momentum as they came out for halftime. In the second half, the tides turned, with Salem notching two more goals, and flipping the scoreboard to 3-2 with just over seven minutes to play. Wheeling would get one final shot on net in the final minute, but it wasn't enough as they fell 3-2 to end the day.
It was another big showing for freshman Baptiste Hervaud, who continues to make an impact on the offensive side of the ball. He scored the first goal of the day, also the first of his collegiate career, as he gave the Cardinals an early advantage. He would finish the day taking three shots, putting two of those on goal, while scoring a goal on the day. He has moved up the field in the Cardinal's attack over the last two games, and has taken advantage of the opportunity. He has taken seven shots during that span, putting four of those on goal, and one in the back of the net for a .142 shotting percentage and a .571 shot on goal percentage. He looks to continue his offensive success to round out the season as he ends 2025 on a high note.
The other Cardinal goal came courtesy of Jon-Michael Gordon, who scored his first goal of the season in the effort. It would come in the 26th minute, and Gordon would tie for the team lead with three shots, putting two of those on goal. Gordon has tied for the team lead in shots this season with 25, while sitting second on the team with eight shots on goal. After missing all of last season due to injury, Gordon is looking to hit his stride at the end of the year and carry that momentum into the offseason. Wheeling's leading scorer has also been the captain of their defense, sophomore center back Pablo Prieto. Prieto is one of two Cardinals to have multiple goals this season, and has added an assist to lead the team with five points. He plays nearly the entire match each time out, and has been a key player on corner kicks this season.
As they head into their regular season finale, the Cardinals are looking to carry momentum with them into their offseason so that they can grow into 2025. They have taken a step forward over the last two games, finishing with double digit shots in four of the last five contests, while putting three or more shots on goal in each of those games. Throughout the year, the Cardinals have had nine games where they finished with double digit shots, with four of those come during the recent span of action. The Cardinals have had two games where they have earned a point this year, and one of those was their earlier match-up with West Liberty this season. Wheeling is looking to at least duplicate their one point effort from earlier in the season as they round out 2025.
The Match-up
The Cardinals and Hilltoppers are meeting for the 15th time in program history, with West Liberty leading the series at 7-5-2. The Cardinals have played better at home in the all-time match-up, holding a 4-1-1 record at Bishop Schmitt Field compared to a 1-6-1 record when they head on the road. The Cardinals are averaging 1.5 goals per game in the all-time series and are looking to break a six-game winless streak against the Hilltoppers that dates back to the 2022 season.
Wednesday will mark the second meeting between the two teams this season, with the first meeting coming back on September 7th that ended in a 1-1 tie. Leading the way for Wheeling was Lusi Bravo, who finished with one goal as he put his only shot of the day in the back of the net. Andoni Pipaon would add a team-high three shots, putting two on goal, while Daniel Delo would make seven saves on eight shots faced in the effort.
The Details
Kick-off for Wednesday'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.
