BUCKHANNON – The West Virginia Wesleyan men's soccer team picked up a huge win tonight against rival Wheeling Jesuit in a Mountain East Conference contest at Culpepper Field.

The Bobcats earned a hard-fought 1-0 victory in a physical contest.

The win was the fourth in a row for Gavin Donaldson's squad as they improved to 5-5-1 overall and 4-4 in the MEC.

The win was huge because it allowed Wesleyan to leap Wheeling Jesuit in the MEC standings.

Wesleyan jumped into a third place tie with Notre Dame while Wheeling Jesuit dropped to fifth. The top four teams make the MEC play-offs.

Paul Smith (pictured) scored the lone goal of the game at the 20:44 mark of the first half.

Jordan Halpern played a beautiful cross to Smith in front of the net. Smith's first shot hit the crossbar but he controlled the rebound and put his second shot into the back of the net.

Wesleyan owned a 14-9 margin in shots and an 8-3 lead in shots-on-goal.

Luka Pauk turned away three shutouts in the shutout victory. He improved his record to 4-3-1.

The Bobcats also owned a 4-1 advantage in corner kicks.

Wesleyan was guilty of 21 fouls while Wheeling Jesuit was called for nine.

The Bobcats will now hit the road this Sunday in a rematch with No. 5 Charleston. The game is scheduled for 4 p.m.

(Photo courtesy of Peter Galarneau Jr.)