South Euclid, OH -- West Virginia Wesleyan Men's Soccer traveled to South Euclid, OH on Wednesday for a Mountain East Conference Semifinal matchup with Notre Dame. Wesleyan came in as the three-seed in the postseason tournament, and Notre Dame hosted because they were the two-seed. Notre Dame was victorious on their home turf on Wednesday, but the game was long and treacherous for both sides, stretching past the 90 minutes.

The previous 24 hours before first kick were spent clearing snow off of the field, so the conditions were not welcoming to offense. That narrative was true all match, as it remained knotted at 0-0 for the entirety of the 90 minutes, and then through the twenty overtime minutes as well. An advancing team needed to be decided, so the game went into the dreaded penalty shootout. Both teams shot six times, and Notre Dame came out on top when their goalkeeper Daniele De Angelis made a critical save, followed by a successful shot from David Torralba. 

Wesleyan Freshman Goalkeeper Jeremy Collins must be given credit for his performance on Wednesday. He made nine saves to keep it scoreless during regular time, and made a few key stops in the shootout as well. Collins was named to the All-MEC Freshman Team on Wednesday morning, and he lived up to that honor during the match. Including Collins, the future looks bright for Wesleyan, as a majority of the team will be returning, and for multiple years. This 2019 team should be commended for having such a strong season with a lineup full of sophomores and freshman. The upperclassmen leaders for this group were Seniors Luca Falconieri and Buhle Dlamini, and Juniors Joshua Tenney and Maycon Santos Dias. The rest of the team was made up of young players, that now already have experienced playing important matches together. 

The exciting sophomore class that will be returning for two more seasons in Buckhannon is made up of Nika Monaselidze, Carlos Sanchez Mora, Connor Hartwell, Luis Diaz, Javier De Ona Garcia, Victor Medellin, and Lauri Vasa. The Bobcats also saw strong contributions in 2019 from Freshmen Jonas Hoffman, Sinasi Emre Deniz, Nugzar Barkaia, and Jeremy Collins. This group of young, but experienced players will be back to collectively lead Wesleyan in 2020, and 2021. With Head Coach Gavin Donaldson at the helm for the 30th season next year, the Wood Street Elite will be circled on the schedules of many in the Mountain East Conference. 

Wednesday was also the final game for Senior Midfielder and Captain Luca Falconieri. He had a storied career in the black and orange, one that saw him garner many athletic and academic honors. His career culminated in a First Team All-MEC selection, and his leadership in 2019 among a young team will be felt for years to come.