Box Score CHARLESTON, W. Va. - The University of Charleston Men's Soccer team defeated the Hilltoppers from West Liberty 2-0 on Sunday afternoon at the Welch Athletic Complex under a foggy Kanawha River field.
 
Just the Basics
LOCATION – Charleston, W. Va. – Welch Athletic Complex
SCORE -   University of Charleston 2, West Liberty 0
TEAM RECORDS - Charleston (2-0, 2-0 MEC), West Liberty (0-1, 0-1 MEC)

HOW IT HAPPENED


The first fifteen minutes of the game showed little action on the offensive side, but chippy play from the Hilltoppers resulted in an early yellow card for Josh Yeaman.
 
The Golden Eagles got their first chance on the offensive end when Hilltopper Danilo Tavares committed a foul, allowing for a Golden Eagle free kick with 29 minutes remaining in the half. Unsuccessful, the teams continued to share possession of the ball, with the majority of play happening at the middle-third.
 
The Toppers had a great opportunity with 22 minutes remaining in the opening half, a two-on-one advantage that ended unsuccessfully after Tavares missed the net, just right of Charleston keeper Marc Torrado.
 
On the ensuing possession, Charleston pushed the ball down the field and scored their first goal of the game, as Sam Bethell fed a beautiful ball to Alejandro Larrayoz who found the back of the net to put the Golden Eagles ahead 1-0.
 
The remainder of the half continued to play physical, as a yellow card assessd to Steyn Van Ark allowed the Hilltoppers to gain another opportunity on a set piece, once again unsuccessful. As the half wound to a close, another yellow was assessed, this time to the Hilltopper bench, but no more offense would happen as the Golden Eagles carried a 1-0 lead into the break.
 
The first fifteen of the second half continued to play back and forth. The Golden Eagles would have two corner opportunities in a row, but neither were able to find the back of the net.
 
In the 68^th minute, Charleston was able to give themselves a bit of cushion, when Christos Charalambous found Sebastian Pavez on a beautiful feed which snuck past the goalkeeper on the right side to push the Charleston lead to two.
 
As the half wound to a close, both teams played effectively on the defensive side of the ball, with the match ending in a 2-0 Charleston win.


UP NEXT
The Golden Eagles are set to hit the road to Wheeling a week from today with kickoff scheduled for 7:00 PM.
 
 
--UC--