FROSTBURG —On Wednesday, Frostburg State defeated Wheeling 4-1 thanks to an impressive second-half scoring performance. “We’re always pleased when we win at home,” Keith Byrnes, head coach of FSU, stated. “I felt like we did a decent job of trying to distance ourselves from them and coming out in the second half.
However, we were a touch careless at the rear, which allowed them to get back in. Thus, it was perhaps a bit more frenetic than necessary.” In the first 20 to 25 minutes, the Bobcats (6-1-1, 4-1-1 Mountain East Conference) had multiple opportunities, but they converted them into only two attempts.
When Carlos Quintero Rivas went on a breakaway along the right sideline at 31:13, everything all changed. He crossed the ball for Laki Psallidas, who scored close to Frostburg’s bench and celebrated with almost the whole team.
Defense held from scoring
“We knew this was the type of game where the longer we let them stay in it, the more confidence they’d get, and the more frustrated we’d get” stated Byrnes. “And that’s kinda what happened, one goal’s a little bit of a cushion, we knew we had to not make mistakes.” In the latter fifteen minutes of the half, the Cardinals (0-7-2, 0-5-1 MEC) had the better of the chances, but the Bobcat defence held them off from scoring.
Wheeling had a 4-3 advantage in corners at the half, but Frostburg had a 5-2 advantage in shots and 3-0 advantage in shots on goal. After Abdur-Rahman Neama dribbled down the left sideline and fired a cross to Quintero Rivas, the Bobcats found the net again in just 2:31 of the second half. He hit a shot down the middle from around twenty yards out.
After eight or so minutes, Frostburg got ready for a throw-in.After bouncing off a Cardinal, the ball found its way to Andrew Denard, who scored from 25 yards out to give the team a 3-0 lead. It took Wheeling almost twelve minutes to stop the shutout. Goalie Jan Foret of FSU stopped a cross from the Cardinals and passed the ball to a teammate. Andoni Oynesa intercepted it a few seconds later.
Got talent all over the field
With just over a minute remaining, Sebastian Vargas set up Dominic Good for the Bobcats’ response. To stop the score, he aimed in the left corner and fired into the bottom right.There were seven total yellow cards in the game, which involved physical combat. The Cardinals received four calls, while the Bobcats received three. Despite the impression that a few were clear failures, Byrnes didn’t seem to be dissatisfied with the officiating.
Wheeling held a 6-4 advantage in corner kicks, while Frostburg had a 13-9 advantage in shots and a 6-1 advantage in shots on goal at the end of play. While Foret stopped one shot for FSU, Brayden Scott recorded two saves for the Cardinals. Frostburg travels to Charleston, ranked third, on Sunday at 4 p.m.
The last six MEC titles have been won by the Golden Eagles. “Tonne of talent, they got talent all over the field,” remarked Byrnes. They are skilled football players, so you have to be alert. You cannot commit errors that other teams might not exploit. They’ll hold you accountable for it.”