Copyright 2015; Wilmington University. All rights reserved. Photo of Clifford Nwechefom by James Jones.
NEWARK, Del. - - A first half red card turned the tide in favor of the Wilmington University men's soccer team on Saturday, going on to take down Caldwell, 3-0, in a Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference contest at the WU Athletics Complex on Homecoming.
The Wildcats remained unbeaten in the CACC, improving to 6-0 in the conference while moving to 8-1 overall. Saturday was their fifth straight victory and third shutout in the last four contests. During the win streak, the Wildcats have out scored their opponents, 21-2.
On Saturday, the momentum really swung in favor of the home team following a red card and automatic ejection on the Cougars (0-9-1, 0-5-1 CACC) in the 25th minute. Although the shots were even, 2-2, following the red card, the Wildcats were able to get on the board just before the halftime whistle.
Clifford Nwechefom took a flick from Steven O'Connor in the box and buried his opportunity from the right side for his seventh goal of the season. The Wildcats went into the break with the 1-0 lead after the goal 42:18 into the match.
The second half was all Wilmington, as the Wildcats out shot the Cougars, 6-0, in the second 45 minutes. The Wildcats also earned more corners, 3-0, in the second half, finishing with an 8-1 advantage in corners for the match.
Despite playing on a man advantage, the Wildcats continued to only lead, 1-0, 25 minutes into the second half. But the tension was lifted in the 74th minute, as Lance Berry tucked home a shot on the far post, finding himself wide open after Nwechefom and Adrian Tash connected passes inside the 18-yard box. It was Berry's team leading eighth goal of the year.
The Wildcats were able to put the Cougars away in the 81st minute, adding an insurance goal to cap the scoring. Juan Bernal bent a ball around the Cougar netminder and into the side netting with his left foot, scoring his third goal of the year 80:11 into the match.
The Wildcats led 12-4 in shots and 8-1 in corners in the match. Wilmington goalkeeper Frank Hall made one save for his fourth shutout of the season while Cougar goalkeeper Michael Hartmann stopped three shots in the loss.
The Wildcats take to the road once again for their next contest, as they head to Bridgeport for a key East Region matchup on Tuesday. The Wildcats and Purple Knights play under the lights starting at 6:00 p.m.
