Wheeling, W. Va. – Over the last two seasons, the Wheeling University Men's Soccer team has been building a young core of players. As they enter the 2025 season a lot of that young talent is back for their sophomore and junior seasons and are looking to build on last season. Wheeling has increased their overall win total over the last two seasons and are looking to get back into the top six and compete in the Mountain East Conference (MEC) Tournament during the 2025 season. 

2024 was the second year of the Cardinal's rebuild as they brought in a strong freshman class, six of which were regulars in the team's starting lineup. Wheeling started the year strong with a tie against non-conference opponent CAL-U, but ran into two tough opponents in Charleston and West Virginia Wesleyan to start their conference run. The Cardinals would get their first conference point with a 0-0 tie against Point Park, and added their second point with a similar 1-1 tie against Davis & Elkins on October 6th. After earning a third tie against West Virginia Wesleyan on October 6th, the Cardinals would earn their first MEC win since the 2022 season when they defeated Point Park 1-0. They picked up their final win on October 23rd with a 5-4 win over Salem, and added both an extra win and an extra conference win to their record from a season ago. 

As they head into the 2025 season, the Cardinals will look to be anchored by a strong defensive presence, led by junior Joergen Bjerkreim. Bjerkriem played all over the field for the Cardinals, finishing with two goals and two assists, tying for second on the team in both categories. For his efforts, he earned Honorable Mention All-MEC honors, the first in his career, after he set career highs in all three offensive categories. He scored his first goal in the opener against CAL-U, and shifted around the field throughout the season. He played as a Forward, midfielder, and defenseman, and he looks to be a strong presence on the back line and keep opposing offenses at bay. 

Behind him will be Daniel Delo returning in net for the Cardinals after he assumed the team's starting role last season. He appeared in nine games for the Cardinals, finishing with 37 saves and a healthy 64.9 save percentage on the season. He was a big part of the Cardinal's defensive success, allowing two goals or fewer in six of the nine games he started. His 4.11 saves/game would rank fourth in the MEC and he will look to be a force in net for the Cardinals once again. The goalkeeper room will also return Brayden Scott, who made two starts and made six saves, as well as freshman Diego Marquez. The three will rotate reps throughout the year, keeping the ball out of the back of the net. 

On the offensive side of the ball, the Cardinals are welcoming back 2023 MEC All-Freshman team Jon-Michael Gordon, who missed the 2024 season due to injury. During his freshman season, Gordon would lead the Cardinals with four goals and two assists, while totaling 10 points. He enters the season having scored goals in back-to-back games, and looks to be a consistent goal scorer for the team in 2025. Joining him will be 2024 MEC All-Freshman team honoree Jordan Taylor, who had a strong start to his collegiate career. Taylor would tie for the team lead with three goals during his freshman season, while leading the team with 21 shots and 10 shots on goal. Taylor and Gordon will look to lead a Cardinal offense that is looking for more firepower in 2024. 

As they kick-off the 2025 season, the Cardinals will once again have one preseason game before they hit their MEC slate. This season, they welcome CAL-U to Bishop Schmitt Field for their home opener on September 4th, before hitting the road for their first two conference games. Wheeling opens the slate on September 7th at West Liberty and plays their first home conference game on September 14th against Point Park. The Cardinals will be road warriors throughout the month of September, with only three home games throughout the month. However, as they hit the final conference stretch in October, the tides turn as they kick the month off with a Wednesday matchup with Frostburg State. They play six of their final 10 games at home as they look to use the home field to their advantage. 

The Wheeling University Men's Soccer team kicks off the 2025 season on Thursday, September 4th, when they host CAL-U with kick-off at 7 PM.