WEST LIBERTY, W.Va. – The West Liberty men's soccer team carried a 1-0 lead into the final 45 minutes here Thursday only to see California (Pa.) come storming back for a 3-1 win under the lights at a chilly West Family Athletic Complex.
      Coach Sean Regan's youthful Hilltoppers (1-10-1) and the visiting Vulcans (3-4-3) saw momentum swing back and forth through an evenly played first half which ended with WLU holding a one-goal advantage.
      The score came seemingly out of nowhere in the 40th minute as Tyler Swafford slid a pass over to Bernardo Vilchis just inside the final third and Vilchis hammered a twisting drive just inside the top left corner of the net from 30 yards out.
      West Liberty nursed that lead through the first 10 minutes of the second half before California equalized with a lightning strike of its own. This one came off the foot of Matt Yingling, who found the top left side of the net from 20 yards out in the 57th minute.
      The teams traded possessions for the next few minutes before Yingling collected a loose ball just inside the WLU 18 and beat Hilltopper netminder Jorn Hocter to his right side for a 2-1 Vulcan lead in the 67th minute.
      West Liberty created several more scoring chances down the stretch but couldn't get the ball past California keeper Joe Valeriano and the visitors sealed the verdict with an Eli Mitchell goal in the 89th minute.
      Valeriano stopped 7 of the 8 shots the Hilltoppers put on frame in a strong performance. Hocter also played well for the hosts, being charted with 6 saves on the night. California finished with a slim 15-14 edge in total shots.
      West Liberty will be back in Mountain East Conference action on Sunday when the Black and Gold host Davis & Elkins in a 3:30 p.m. match at West Family Athletic Complex.
  California (Pa.)                                       0  3 – 3
West Liberty                                            1  0 – 1         WLU: Bernardo Vilchis (Tyler Swafford), 39:58         CU: Matt Yingling (unassisted), 56:39
        CU: Matt Yingling (unassisted), 66:25
        CU: Eli Mitchell (unassisted), 88:22         Shots: California 15, West Liberty 14
        Saves: California 7 (Joe Valeriano 7), West Liberty 6 (Jorn Hocter 6)
        Corners: California 6, West Liberty 3
A: 167