WEST Liberty, West Virginia - With the fall slate winding to a close, the Salem men's soccer team took the trip up to the Northern Panhandle this afternoon for a matchup with the West Liberty Hilltoppers. It was a tightly contested matchup throughout, but it was a lone second half goal for the Tigers that sealed the 1-0 win. 

In the first half, neither team truly took control of the game. Salem had the majority of scoring chances, but the Hilltopper backline held fast against every Tiger attack. Therefore, the game went into the halftime intermission with a 0-0 deadlock and the pressure rising on both teams to find that winning edge. 

In the second half, an unfortunate red card put the Tigers down a man with nearly 40 minutes left in the game. However, Salem regrouped and reversed their fortunes when Arthur Tavares turned a Dylan Vaugn pass into a shot that found the back of the net. The Tigers got their goal advantage, and locked down the Hilltoppers' attacks the rest of the way to pull out the gritty 1-0 victory on the road. 

On the scoresheet, Salem was led by the goal for Arthur Tavares and the assist from Dylan Vaugn. In goal, Jason Barrientos logged 2 saves in his first collegiate shutout win. 

This big win should set the Tigers up well to go into their next contest. That match will be with the West Virginia Wesleyan Bobcats on Wednesday, October 30th at 7:30 PM down in Buckhannon, West Virginia.