GREENSBURG, Pa. — The West Virginia Wesleyan College men's soccer team struck early and never looked back in a 2-0 non-conference victory over Seton Hill University on Wednesday afternoon at DSG Field. Two first-half goals—scored in the opening 16 minutes—combined with a clean sheet from goalkeeper
Matteo Marciani helped the Bobcats improve to 2-4 on the season.
The Bobcats wasted no time asserting themselves offensively. Just 1:15 into the match,
Erik Rostoen intercepted a Seton Hill turnover near midfield and ripped a shot into the left corner of the net for his first goal of the season
Wesleyan struck again in the 16th minute when
Henry Coster flicked home a goal off a free kick, assisted by Rostoen, giving the Bobcats a commanding 2-0 lead. The early burst of offense marked the first multi-goal half for Wesleyan this season.
Despite facing 18 total shots (15 of which came in the second half), the Bobcat defense remained composed throughout the match. Marciani turned in a
six-save performance, including key stops on efforts from
Julian Marker,
Esteban Moreira, and
Tate Hywood to preserve the clean sheet.
The back line—anchored by
Moises Moncada,
Jake Hotka, and
Blair Sinclair—absorbed waves of pressure in the second half, while midfielders
Hayden Dodd and
Dajun Barthley broke up multiple build-up plays.
Seton Hill came out aggressively after the break, generating seven corner kicks and 15 second-half shots, but Wesleyan's defense refused to crack. Marciani made five of his six saves in the second frame, and timely substitutions helped the Bobcats weather the storm.
Wesleyan men's soccer celebrates a Decade of Champions at this year's Homecoming this weekend. To cap the celebration, the Bobcats host everlasting rival University of Charleston on Sunday, Sept. 28 at 3:30 p.m.