BRIDGEPORT — West Virginia Wesleyan’s men’s soccer head coach Glenn Francis is infamous for shouting “10 minutes” from the sidelines in an effort to get his players to give their best on the pitch. That vocal challenge came into play Wednesday at the Bridge in Bridgeport where the Bobcats scored two goals in the final six minutes to steal a 2-1 win from Salem University.
In a match that looked lopsided from the stat line, Salem’s Nicolas Del Gaudio (assist to Max Cavanagh) scored on one of his team’s five total shots at 38:35 and the Tigers held the Bobcats on the defensive end for 84 minutes.
Wesleyan offensive aggression ramped up as the clock ticked past 80 and a flurry of chances preceded Casey Bunker’s header (assist to Paddy Tierney) that tied the score at 84:17.
Then, with a minute left in the match, Chiedozie Ozo-Undeze headed home a Dillon Rajkovic pass to complete the Bobcat comeback.
The Bobcats held the shot advantage (17-5) and recorded more corners (10-6).
The Tigers’ Josh Hills saved eight and the Bobcats’ James Docherty saved two in 45 minutes of work while Bobcat senior Bryant Sheffield recorded no saves and no goals against while serving 45 minutes in the net.
Wesleyan (3-5-0, 2-4-0) will host West Liberty University on Oct. 6 in the first match of a Sunday soccer doubleheader at 3 p.m. The women play the Hilltoppers at 5:30 p.m.
