Wheeling, W. Va. - After battling through a 15-game schedule, it all comes down to the final game of the season as the Wheeling University Men's Soccer team (6-8-1, 4-7-1) travels up Route 88 for the annual "The Battle for Wheeling." The Cardinals will take on West Liberty in the second meeting of the rivalry this year, with kick-off scheduled for 5 PM. Wheeling can claim their spot in the 2026 Mountain East Conference (MEC) Men's Soccer Tournament with a win over West Liberty and a Point Park loss to Davis & Elkins.
Last time out, the Cardinals closed out the home portion of their schedule when they hosted Point Park in a special senior day match-up. After honoring their four seniors in the pregame ceremony, the Cardinals looked to send those seniors home with a win to keep their playoff hopes alive. It was a defensive battle in the first half, with neither team finding the back of the net over the first 45 minutes of play. The Cardinals won the shot battle 5-4 and were looking to be more aggressive in the second half. They would end up making those halftime adjustments and, in the 62nd minute, they would find the scoreboard to take a 1-0 lead. They would get some insurance just four minutes later, bringing their lead to 2-0. The Cardinal defense did their job, holding Point Park off the board and making four saves in the second half, and closing out a 2-0 win for Wheeling.
Opening the scoring for the Cardinals was Luis Yanes, who took advantage of a second chance opportunity right in front of the net. It was his first goal since October 11, when he scored twice against Salem, and continued what has been a strong freshman season. He currently sits second on the team with five goals during his freshman year while totaling 10 points on the season. His five goals this season ties him for eighth in the conference while his 10 points sits 10th in the conference. Yanes has been a leader down the stretch for the Cardinals, scoring four of his five goals in the month of October, and the Cardinals are 3-1 in games where Yanes finishes with one goal. The freshman will look to power the Cardinals into the postseason against their rival West Liberty.
On the defensive end, a fellow freshman Alberto Madail has been solid in net, picking up his fourth shutout of the season against the Pioneers. Madail would end up making six saves to keep Point Park off the board in the 2-0 win. Of those six saves, four came in the second half of the game, as he was able to secure the victory. Madail has been playing some of his best soccer of the season over the last five games, picking up three of his five shutouts during that span. He has made 17 saves on 22 shots faced during that span, putting up a .773 save percentage during that span. Charlie Goldsmith would end up securing the game with his first goal of the season to make it a two-goal game. Goldsmith has been a key piece in the Cardinal midfield throughout the season, and has put 42.9% of the shots he has taken on goal this season. The junior transfer has provided veteran leadership throughout the season and looks to lead Wheeling to the playoffs.
As they enter the final game of the season, the Cardinals will be looking for some help to make the MEC Men's Soccer Tournament for the first time since the 2022 season, when they advanced to the MEC Semifinal Round. In order for the Cardinals to make the tournament, they will have to defeat West Liberty on the road and also have Point Park lose in their regular season finale to Davis & Elkins. That would pull Wheeling and Point Park even in the conference standings, but the Cardinals own the tie breaker in Goal Differential in Head to Head Competition, where Wheeling has +1 after their 2-0 win on Sunday. With Wheeling playing first at 5 PM, they will look to handle their business against the Hilltoppers and then wait and see what happens in Elkins, West Virginia.
The Match-up
The Cardinals and Hilltoppers are meeting for the 17th time in program history, with West Liberty leading the all-time series at 9-5-2. The Cardinals will be looking for their first win against the Hilltoppers since September 21, 2022, and have tied the Hilltoppers two times during the run. The Cardinals hold a 1-6-1 record when they travel to West Liberty, and are looking for their first road win against West Liberty since 2018. Wheeling has averaged 1.56 goals per game in the all-time series and have scored two or more goals in two of the last four meetings.
The first meeting of 2026 came back on September 13, 2026, in a game that West Liberty would win 2-1 at Bishop Schmitt Field. Leading the way for the Cardinals was KJ Viglundsson, who scored the only goal of the day for the Cardinals. Joergen Bjerkreim would add an assist to round out the scoresheet, while Alberto Madail made five saves on seven shots on net to put together a .714 save percentage on the night.
The Details
Kick-off for Wednesday night's game is scheduled for 5 PM inside the Welsh 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.
