Dion Peters (Trincity, Trinidad) put the lights out on any hope by Wheeling Jesuit to wrestle the WVIAC trophy out of the case its has found as a comfy home at the University of Charleston. Peters slammed home three goals to secure a third-straight men's soccer title for UC.
Wheeling Jesuit (9-9-2, 5-2-2) jumped off the opening touch trying to play catch up with the finely tuned possession offense of the Golden Eagles (13-6, 8-1). The Cardinals were unable to capture any momentum early and 2010 WVIAC Player of the Year Rob Vincent (Liverpool, England) took the weight off the defending champions back with a goal in the 19th minute. Vincent powered the ball through a defenders attempted block in front of the goalkeeper to find the net off an assist through the middle by Ryan Osborne (Wakefield, England).
Osborne proved to be a catalyst for a fast-paced attack by the University of Charleston that seemingly were playing with something to prove not just to WJU, but beyond the reach of Charleston, WV. The statement was heard clearly when Osborne slipped a ball through a pin-hole in the Wheeling Jesuit back line to leading scorer Peters who had easily sprinted past the defense. Peters continued to threaten the net as he has all season long with a blast to the back of the net making the score 2-0.
Just seven minutes later Peters figuratively rang the bell on the Cardinals with his second score of the night. He took a free kick from 25 yards out and showed precision with his shot hitting the crossbar and as it sang out with a long tone the ball bounded off the turf and into the net. The goal was Peters' 14 score of the season and provided a sense of relief throughout the Maroon and Gold faithful.
Wheeling Jesuit managed to put a tally in the scorebook with a nice shot over goalkeeper Sean Teepen (Cincinnati, OH) in the 75th minute for their only score of the night. It was too little too late for WJU, but UC kept the pressure on in making sure the WVIAC trophy stayed in its current setting.
Peters hit his 15th goal of the season when defender Kyle McCarty (Cincinnati, OH) send a long ball through the middle of a stunned Cardinal defense. The perfect pass gave Peters a 1-on-1 with the Wheeling Jesuit keeper, which proved to be no match to set the final score at 4-1.
As the final seconds crept off the scoreboard at Schoenbaum Stadium, first year head coach Chris Grassie found himself drenched and enjoying it as the Golden Eagles claimed the West Virginia Conference title.
Charleston outshot WJU 18-to-10, while Teepen registered five saves on the evening.
UC now awaits to hear word on a bid to the NCAA Tournament where they have unfinished business to reach their goals for the season. The tournament field will be set with a live selection show on Monday, Nov. 7 at 7:00 pm.