Soccer ‘Cats lose heartbreaker at home to No. 2 Charleston, 2-1

BUCKHANNON — For 68 minutes, it looked like the West Virginia Wesleyan men’s soccer team just might upset, or at least tie, the NCAA Division II No.2-ranked team in the nation, the University of Charleston, but in the final six minutes of the contest, it all fell apart.

Dillon Rajkovic scored the early goal for the Bobcats in the 16th minute on a penalty kick after Charleston’s Juan Hermoso took out Chiedozie Ozo-Udeze on a breakaway at the top of the penalty box.

For nearly the entirety of the remaining minutes, the Bobcats held tight to a charging Charleston offense that garnered a whopping 13 corner kicks, none of which led directly to a Golden Eagle score.

Then, in the 84th minute, Charleston capitalized on one of many scrambles inside the 18 that found the foot of Juan Hermoso, who guided it past Bobcat keeper James Docherty. Just two minutes later, another scramble ended up in the back of the net when Hugo Prats Deusdad finished from just a few yards out.

The loss places Wesleyan in the fifth spot (11 points) in the Mountain East Conference standings with three games left. Fourth spot Davis & Elkins has 14 points while sixth place is held by West Liberty with 10 points. The top six teams go to the conference post-season.

The Bobcats will not get a chance to add to its MEC point total this Wednesday, Oct. 30, when it hosts out-of-conference Salem University at 7:30 p.m., but will have a chance to direct its own destiny with away matches to both West Liberty and Davis & Elkins in its final two regular season games.

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