BRIDGEPORT, West Virginia - As the sun went down over The Bridge Sports Complex, the Salem Tigers men's soccer team took the field against local rival West Virginia Wesleyan Bobcats. While the darkness brought some cooler temperatures, the competition was white hot on the field, and the fans in Bridgeport saw a competitive dramatic contest the whole way. Unfortunately for the Tigers, Salem was stung by two late Bobcat goals, and fell in the contest 2-1. 

For the first half, the Tigers opened up the contest well. Salem controlled the pace of play, and kept an experienced Bobcat squad scoreless for the entire half. On the offensive side, Nicholas Del Gaudio found the back of the net for the Tigers late in the period off a Max Cavanagh assist. With a goal and the strong defensive performance with some key saves from Josh Hills, the Tigers held a 1-0 advantage going into the break. 

For the second half, the Tigers set about protecting that slim lead, and pushing to add to their advantage. They had their chances, but the story of the period was the flurry of chances that the Tigers sent away thanks to strong defensive work from Dylan Vaughn and Ahmad Hijaz. As the game went on, the pressure grew heavier and heavier with each minute that the Tigers had to protect their advantage. Unfortunately, the Bobcats found 2 late goals off of set pieces in the waning moments of the contest, and the Tigers were sent home with a heartbreaking 2-1 loss. 

Offensively, Salem was led by Nicholas Del Gaudio with the lone goal of the contest. Max Cavanagh added an assist on that play. Defensively, Josh Hills earned 8 saves in goal for the Tigers. 

While this loss certainly is a tough pill to swallow for the Tigers, Salem will need to reset quickly to prepare for their next contest. They head down to Athens, West Virginia to take on the Concord Mountain Lions at 3:30 PM on Sunday, October 6th.