WHEELING, W. Va. – The Slippery Rock University men's soccer team defeated Wheeling Jesuit University in a non-conference contest 2-1 Wednesday evening.
 
Justin Minda and Hayden Seifert's goals in the first half were enough to lift The Rock over Wheeling Jesuit. The Cardinals scored a goal late in the second half, but SRU held on for the victory.
 
Slippery Rock improves to 5-9-3 overall and Wheeling Jesuit falls to 4-10-2 for the season.
 
SRU netted an early goal in the eighth minute when Seifert found Minda from the right wing playing him a ball to the front left of the box that he deposited into the net for the score. It was Minda's first goal of the season and Seifert's second assist of 2017.
 
Seifert nearly made it a 2-0 lead in the 25th minute when he received a pass and fired it a little high over the crossbar.
 
Just eight minutes later at 33:11, he found his target when George Oakley played him a pass in front of the net that he put into the goal for his first score of the campaign. It was Oakley's eighth assist of the season and 14th for his career, which ties him for 17th on The Rock all-time list. Slippery Rock would take its 2-0 lead into the break.
 
Coming out of the half, Oakley almost gave SRU a 3-0 lead when he sent a shot on target, but WJU goalkeeper Tyler Shotwell made the save.
 
At 80:54, Oakley nearly scored again when shot one that just went wide. Slippery Rock did not score again in the second half.
 
In the 83rd minute, Wheeling Jesuit's Bryce Porter threw in a ball into the box that Matt Vogt headed into the net for the score. However, SRU still held a 2-1 lead.
 
Owain Hawkins nearly sent the game into overtime at 87:37 when he got space and fired a shot just over the net, but The Rock held on for the victory, 2-1.
 
Goalkeeper Steven Rerick made his second start of the season and picked up his first win in net for Slippery Rock after registering six saves on seven shots faced.
 
SRU will conclude its season with a Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference match at Shippensburg University 1 p.m. Saturday.



 
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