West Liberty, W.Va. – The West Liberty University men's soccer team will face off against Wheeling in the final event of the 2023 homecoming weekend on Sunday afternoon at the West Family Athletic Complex. The Hilltoppers and Cardinals are scheduled for a 3 p.m. kickoff.

GAME DETAILS

• Location: West Liberty, W.Va. (West Family Athletic Complex)
• Kickoff: 3 P.M.

WEST LIBERTY STORYLINES

• West Liberty enters Sunday's match with a record of 3-1-2 (2-1-1 MEC) on the season and is currently tied for fourth in the Mountain East Conference standings with seven points through four matches.
• The Black & Gold re-entered the United Soccer Coaches Atlantic Region rankings this week, coming in at No. 9 in the region.
• In their last game, the Hilltoppers came from behind to defeat Frostburg State on the road 2-1. WLU scored a pair of second half goals from Oskar Voges and Jan Goebel to secure the win.
• Mark Donnelly leads West Liberty and is tied for fourth in the MEC with three goals on the year. Vitor Otsuka and Zachary Forehand have both found the back of the net twice this season.
• Otsuka is one of five players of the team with an assist with a team-high of three, which is also tied for second in the conference in assists. Tim Stickland, Jan Goebel, Shimon Ichimiya, and Jasper Newton each have one.
• Otsuka (2 goals, 3 assists) leads the team with seven points while Donnelly (3 goals) is second on the team with six points. They are tied for fourth and seventh respectively among the MEC leaders.
• In goal, Noah Underwood has played 450 minutes thus far this season. He has made 22 saves for a .846 save percentage on 46 shots faced. He has notched two shutouts this season in wins over No. 12 Davis & Elkins and California (PA). Underwood is second in the league with 4.40 saves per game and is tied for third in total saves.
• Through six matches, West Liberty holds the advantage over their opponents in goals (12-5), assists (7-2), shots (76-54), shots-on-goal (39-31), and corner kicks (39-24). WLU and their opponents are even in saves with 25 apiece.
• The Hilltoppers' five goals allowed are tied for the second fewest allowed this season in the MEC, and they are also second with two penalty kick goals. The Black & Gold rank third in the conference in scoring margin (+1.17), save percentage (0.833), and corner kicks (39).
• Sean Regan is in his fifth season as the head coach at West Liberty with a record of 19-42-7 with the Hilltoppers. Overall, he is in his 15th season as a head coach in collegiate men's soccer after spending ten previous seasons at nearby Bethany, he holds a career record of 80-160-19 during his time with the Bison and Hilltoppers.

WHEELING STORYLINES

• Wheeling enters Sunday's match with a record of 0-5-1 (0-3-1 MEC) on the season and is eighth in the Mountain East Conference standings.
• The Cardinals enter the weekend having lost their most recent match-up to Notre Dame, 8-0 on the road in South Euclid, Ohio.
• TJ Cherry leads the offensive attack for Wheeling with a pair of goals this season, while Jon-Michael Gordan scored the only other goal this season.
• Sam Clark and Julio D'Lima have each tallied one assist this season.
• With two goals, Cherry leads the team with four points this season.
• Carlos Molina has played and started five matches this season, totaling 450 minutes in goal for Wheeling. He has made 21 saves while facing 96 shots. Molina has posted a .583 save percentage and a 3.00 goals against average.
• Through six matches, Wheeling's opponents have held the advantage in goals (23-3), assists (16-2), shots (123-65), shots-on-goal (53-22), and corner kicks (43-19), while the Cardinals have held a 30-19 edge in saves.
• Brandon Regan, the brother of WLU head coach Sean Regan, is in his second season as the head coach at Wheeling with a record of 8-16-2 during his time with the Cardinals.

SERIES HISTORY

• West Liberty and Wheeling have played eight times on the pitch since 2018 with both teams earning four wins apiece.
• The Cardinals won 5-0 in Wheeling on September 21, 2022, while the Hilltoppers earned the season split with a 2-1 win in West Liberty on October 29, 2022.