Wheeling, W. Va. – After opening their 2025 season in non-conference play, the Mountain East Conference (MEC) portion of the schedule kicks off for the Wheeling University Men's Soccer team (0-1, 0-0) on Sunday. The team will make the short trip up Route 88 to take on their conference rivals West Liberty in "The Battle for Wheeling" with kick-off at 3:30 PM. It will serve as the second half of the Wheeling Soccer Alumni weekend, with friends and family of the program invited to West Liberty to cheer on the Cardinals.
On Thursday, the team opened their 2025 schedule with a non-conference match-up against CAL-U at Bishop Schmitt Field. It was a defensive game throughout the first half, with neither team getting on the scoreboard for the first 43 minutes. The Cardinals were the aggressors early, taking three of the first four shots and putting two of those three shots on net. The Cardinals would hold the shot advantage throughout the half, outshooting the Vulcans 5-4, but in the 43rd minute, CAL-U got the tally they needed to take a 1-0 lead into halftime. In the second half, both teams made pushes through the final 45 minutes, with each team taking seven shots during that span. However, two of the Vulcan shots would find the back of the net and the Cardinals would trail 3-0 with 16 minutes to play. The Cardinals would attempt several corner kicks in the last 10 minutes, but were unable to convert ending their day.
Leading the offensive effort for the Cardinals was Jon-Michael Gordon, who finished with three shots, putting two of those on net. Gordon missed the entire 2024 season due to injury, and is returning after being named to the MEC All-Freshman team during the 2023 season. Gordon would lead the way, taking three shots and putting two of those on net in the effort. He broke through with the Cardinal's first big scoring opportunity of the day in the 27th minute, when he broke around a pair of Vulcan defenders for a nearly 1-on-1 opportunity with the goalkeeper. He sent the shot towards the bottom right corner of the net, but a save by CAL-U's AJ Visco kept it a 0-0 game. Gordon looks to continue to lead the offensive effort throughout the season, as Wheeling gets set to begin their Mountain East Conference (MEC) stretch Sunday.
On the defensive end, the Cardinal's backline took control early, limiting the Vulcan's scoring chances. The group of Aiden Morales, Pablo Prieto, and Joergen Bjerkreim held the Vulcans to just four first half shots, with only one of them making their way on net. Defense was a key piece to the Cardinal's game a season ago, when they held opponents to three goals or fewer in nine of their 15 games, and that looks to continue to be a trend this season. The backline looks to continue their success throughout the year as they push the ball forward. After playing mostly in the midfield a season ago, Josh Timbrell has moved up to the front line for the Cardinals and took advantage of his opportunities. He was the team's most efficient shooter, putting both shots he took on net, and was a captain on the offensive end.
As they kick-off their 2025 MEC slate, the Cardinals are looking to fight their way back into the MEC Tournament. They have missed out on the playoffs in each of the last two seasons, but have improved their overall win total on both of those years. The Cardinals were selected #7 in the annual MEC Men's Soccer preseason poll, and would need to jump one spot from their preseason ranking to make the tournament field. The last time the Cardinals made the tournament was during the 2022 season, when they advanced to the conference's semifinal round. As their young core continues to develop on the pitch, Wheeling looks to continue their trend of improving their win total in 2025. It starts with the first trip up Route 88 for "The Battle for Wheeling" this season as the Cardinals look to knock off their rivals and start their conference schedule with a win.
The Matchup
The Cardinals and Hilltoppers are meeting for the 14th time in program history, with West Liberty leading the all-time series at 7-5-1. The home team has had the advantage in the series, with Wheeling going just 1-6 on the road, compared to a 4-1-1 mark at Bishop Schmitt Field. Wheeling is averaging just over 1.5 goals per game in the series and have been able to keep things close, with four of the last five meeting between the teams being decided by one goal or fewer.
The last meeting between the two teams came back on November 6th, 2024, in a game Wheeling would drop 3-2. Former Cardinal Christian Ruud led the way, scoring one of two goals for the team while taking three shots and putting one of those on net. The other Cardinal goal came from former Cardinal Andrew Gerbaldo, The last meeting between the two teams came back on November 6th, 2024, in a game Wheeling would drop 3-2. Former Cardinal Christian Ruud led the way, scoring one of two goals for the team while taking three shots and putting one of those on net. The other Cardinal goal came from former Cardinal Andrew Gerbaldo, who put the only shot he took on the day on net. Former Cardinal Carlos Molina got the start in net, and would make three saves on six shots faced on the day.
The Details
Kick-off for Sunday afternoon's game is scheduled for 3:30 PM at the West Family Athletic Complex on the campus of West Liberty University. You can watch the game live by clicking HERE or follow along with Live Stats by clicking HERE.
