BRIDGEPORT, West Virginia - Eager to get their season kicked off, the Salem women's soccer team finally got that chance this afternoon when the Wheeling Cardinals came to town. A strong chance of rain was on the horizon, but the clear skies maintained throughout the action in Bridgeport. However, Salem was unable to keep pace with the Cardinals, and fell by a score of 5-1.

After the opening kick, it was a defensive battle for the Tigers, as neither team found many scoring chances early on. However, Wheeling added a goal just before the half, and the 1-0 scoreline held into the intermission. 

Unfortunately for the Tigers, the second half was all Cardinals as they added 4 more goals to the scoreline. The bright spot for the Tigers came from the foot of Chloe Owens, who tapped in a goal from a Ana Luiza Ferrante cross that was deflected off of a couple of Wheeling defenders. However, despite the exciting first team goal of the year, the afternoon belonged to the Cardinals, who cruised to the 5-1 victory. 

On the stats sheet for Salem, Chloe Owens led the way with the lone Tiger goal. Both Ana Luiza Ferrante and Marina Cher assisted her on the play. In goal, Sarah Cabrera played well by adding 7 saves. 

The Tigers will return to the field at The Bridge Sports Complex this week when Frostburg State comes to town on Wednesday, September 13th at 8 PM.