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The Wheeling University Men’s Soccer Team (3-7)(1-6) return to action tomorrow evening, Wednesday October 7th, as they host MEC newcomers Shawnee State at Bishop Schmitt Field. The Cardinals are coming off the back of a 3-0 loss to the University of Charleston and will be hoping to return to winning ways tomorrow evening at home.
The Cardinals battled against the Golden Eagles, on Sunday holding them at bay after conceding two goals in the first 10 minutes. Wheeling’s Alberto Madail would make four saves in the game, three of those coming in the second half, while the front line put in work in front of him. They allowed just two of the six Charleston shots in the first half to fall on goal, holding the Golden Eagles to a .333 shot on goal percentage. On the night, Charleston would put seven of their 14 shots on net, with three of those finding the back of the net. The Cardinals had their share of efficiency, putting half of their shots on net on the night, three of six. Despite the loss, the Cardinals continue to show they can play against the top teams in the conference and look to build on that as the season moves on.
While being a part of the team’s back line success, Javier Ramos would move up and help the Cardinals on offense as well. Ramos led the team with two shots on goal on the day, both coming on the team’s set pieces. Ramos and the fellow midfielders and defenders have played a big part in the set piece success, using their strong heading skills to find the back of the net. Charlie Goldsmith was the other Cardinal to put a shot on goal on the day, coming in and playing 22 minutes off the bench. The Golden Eagles would control the time of possession throughout the day, and the Cardinals will look to push the ball upfield more throughout the day against Shawnee State.
Tomorrow will be the first time in history that the Cardinals meet Shawnee State, after their recent transition from NAIA to NCAA Division II. The Bears haven’t started the season too differently to the Cardinals, as they hold a 3-6-2 record overall, and are 2-4-1 in conference play. Their best form however does come away from home, as they have 2 wins and 2 draws in 7 games. The Cardinals lost their last two games on home turf, so will be looking to bounce back in a similar fashion to their game against Seton Hill just a couple weeks ago, where they won 5-1.
The Cardinals will kick off their inaugural match against Shawnee State tomorrow evening at 7pm.