Cards 2-0, Picchio and Mshelbwala Lead Attack

Wheeling, WV, September 4, 2010---Wheeling Jesuit men’s soccer (2-0) earned their second decision of the season on Saturday afternoon, 2-1, over Philadelphia University (0-1) at James LaRosa Stadium. Like game one against Lake Erie, Victor Picchio and Philip Mshelbwala touched the back of the net, and the defense held ground for the win.

The first 45 minutes of the match were scoreless and dominated with aggressive, physical play by both squads. The Cardinals managed five shots on goal with three of them missing the mark, while the two remaining shots were stopped by Rams’ goalie Jason Barber. Jesuit goalkeeper Shane Young collected three saves on seven attempts, as well.

Shortly after the second half began, the Cardinals ended the scoring silence. The goal came within the first 1:15 when Picchio beat two defenders and the goalkeeper for an unassisted goal -- his second goal of the season.

The Rams retaliated, and evened the score in the 74th minute with Wojciech Sliwinski receiving the ball from Ryan Purnell, finally, placing the Rams on the scoreboard.

With the game tied and three-and-a-half minutes to play, Picchio broke through the defense again. He entered the box on the left post drawing the last defender close and shot a pass across the way to Mshelbwala on the right. Mshelbwala took full advantage of the opportunity and sent the ball into the net for the game winner.

“Our guys played very well in both halves today,” head coach Jim Regan said after the game. “We missed an opportunity to go up two early in the second half, and felt a sense of urgency when they tied the game.”

“Billy (Wilson) did a great job coming back from an injury and filling in for Adam (Pharo) in the backfield with Chris (Reel) and Stephen (Hawthorne),” Regan stated. “They all played exceptionally well, along with Andrew Hickey, holding the middle together.”

The Cardinals will play host to California University of Pennsylvania on Tuesday, September 7th. Kick-off is set for 7:00 p.m.