WHEELING, W. Va. - The Frostburg State men's soccer team traveled to Wheeling in a close 3-2 loss on Saturday evening.

In the first half, the Cardinals got off to a strong start, getting a pair of goals within eight minutes for a 2-0 lead, with FSU unable to register a shot. The Bobcats found their footing on 15 minutes, with sophomore Abdur-Rahman Neama forcing the WU keeper into a save, then two minutes later sophomore Zach Harpel fed junior Alex Grasso for Frostburg's opening goal. Wheeling had the next effort on target, with graduate Parker Shugars making his first save of the game, then Harpel and junior Gage Adam tested the Cardinal keeper, as neither found the net to take the 2-1 score into halftime.

FSU came out firing to start the second half, as frehsman Renzo Vargas nearly equalized inside four minutes, but his shot bounced agonizingly off the crossbar, followed up quickly by a Grasso shot that was once again saved. WU recovered in the next five minutes, peppering Shugars' goal with several shots, though the Bobcat defense was able to withstand the pressure. Freshman Blake Hoskins had Frostburg's next effort at goal, though it was not enough to beat the Cardinal keeper, then sophomore Matt Garrett had a shot cleared off the line. Wheeling took the ball down the field 30 seconds later and scored their third of the game in the 66th minute. 

Shugars made a pair of saves that kept FSU in the game, allowing freshman Kevin Garcia-Torres to score a solo goal on 77 minutes and give Frostburg a chance in the match at 3-2. The Bobcats hounded WU's goal over the final 10 minutes, with Grasso, Vargas, Hoskins, and freshman Anthony Ibarra all coming close, but unable to get an equalizer for the final Cardinal victory. 

With the loss, FSU falls to 3-6-4 while the Cardinals rise to 5-7-1 on the season. The Bobcats will be back at home to face West Liberty on Wednesday, October 12 at 5 PM. For more information and updates, visit www.frostburgsports.com.