WHEELING, West Virginia - After opening the week down in the southern part of the state, the Salem men's soccer team headed up to the Northern Panhandle this afternoon to take on the Wheeling Cardinals. This contest was the final of a 3 game road swing, and the Tigers will be coming home with a well-earned 2-1 win over the Cardinals. 

In the first half, it was a fairly even keeled contest with neither team truly taking control. Both teams traded runs, and Salem had their fair share of offensive opportunities. However, the half ended in a 0-0 deadlock. 

In the second half, the offensive side of the game was kicked into high gear. In the 67th minute, Salem drew first blood with a Josue Villegas goal assisted by Carter Block to take control of the game. The Tigers pushed that advantage up to 2 with another goal about 10 minutes later, this time from Valentin Fritz. Giancarlo Pardo and Charles Anderson set up Fritz on the play, and Salem held a strong 2-0 lead. Wheeling answered with a goal for their comeback bid, but the Tigers backline led by Dylan Vaugn and Ahmad Hijaz held strong to seal the 2-1 victory for Salem. 

From the scorer's table, Salem was led offensively by the goals from Josue Villegas and Valentin Fritz. Carter Block, Giancarlo Pardo, and Charles Anderson all logged assists in the contest. Defensively, Josh Hills tallied up 4 saves in goal for Salem. 

With this victory, Salem should be energized to make their home return. Salem plays host to the Point Park Pioneers on September 29th at 4 PM at The Bridge Sports Complex in Bridgeport, West Virginia.