Wheeling, W. Va. – The Wheeling University Men's Soccer team capped off a soccer doubleheader at Bishop Schmitt Field on Sunday beating Frostburg State 2-1. After playing to a deadlock in the first half, a goal in the 60^th minute it the game was enough to lead the team to their second Mountain East Conference (MEC) victory of the season.
It was back and forth throughout the first 10 minutes of the game with Wheeling just slightly outshooting Frostburg 3-2. In the 10^th minute, the Cardinals broke through when sophomore Richard Afolayanka brought the ball into the Bobcats offensive zone and found the back of the net. It was his third goal of the season and was the quick start that the team needed.
Over the next ten minutes, Frostburg State started to find their groove and we're creating more offensive opportunities. Those opportunities would pay off as the Bobcats found the net in the 20^th minute on a goal by Matthew Garret that brought the score to 1-1. The two teams were knotted up for the remainder of the half and headed into halftime with the score tied at 1-1. Both teams had their opportunities and someone needed to step up to take control of the game.
That man who stepped up would be Hugo Rodriguez who found himself with the ball, in front of the net, 15 minutes into the second half. Rodriguez made a move to be the keeper and sailed the ball into the upper right-hand corner of the net for his first goal of the fall 2021 season. It was Wheeling's second lead of the day, and this time they weren't going to give it up. Goalkeeper Tyler Serman faced a lot of heat over the final 10 minutes and made a huge save in the 86^th minute. That save kept his team ahead and all but secured the 2-1 victory.
Both teams had their offensive opportunities throughout the afternoon, but in the end, Wheeling got the advantage with the shot that mattered, outshooting Frostburg 15-14 in the game. Serman had a big day in net, making eight saves on nine shots on net. Daniel Skarpnes was the offensive leader taking five shots and putting two of those shots on goal. Rodriguez had his best game of the season taking four shots, putting three on goal, and scoring a goal while Afolayanka added two shots and a goal of his own.
The Wheeling University Men's Soccer team is back in action on Wednesday when they go on the road to face Notre Dame College at 4 PM.