The West Liberty women’s soccer team (4-2-2) looked to stay hot as they hosted Wheeling University (3-4) on Wednesday, Sept. 29.

The north division rivals looked to get a leg up on each other and help propel them into the playoffs. To start the game, the Hilltoppers came ready to play and set the tone early.

Alyssa Rhinaman made a perfect pass to hit Kaelyn Oskin who was sprinting down the field. She took the ball and burned the Wheeling defense and then proceeded to beat the goalie to give the Hilltoppers a 1-0 lead and not even 40 seconds had passed in the game.

In the second half, the Hilltoppers looked to increase their lead and put the game away. This time a pass from Isabella Aperfine found Oskin but this time well within the offensive zone. Oskin darted around two defenders and buried her second goal of the game to push the score to 2-0.

The Hilltopper defense then made that 2-0 lead last and gave them a big win against their archrivals.
Olivia Montgomery was credited with a shutout as she made three saves in the process. Oskin scored two goals and became the West Liberty Women’s soccer team’s all-time leading scorer.

The Hilltoppers then hosted another north division rival and defending Mountain East champions, Notre Dame College (Ohio) (2-2-3) on Saturday, Oct. 2.

The prior non conference game between the two teams last month saw the game go to two overtimes with neither team breaking the scoreless tie.

This time Notre Dame broke the ice in the 23rd minute to put the pressure on the Hilltoppers.
With their backs against the wall and 12 minutes left to play, the Hilltoppers struck back to tie the game at one, courtesy of Alyssa Rhinaman. The Rhinaman goal was set up by Anne Williams.

The game remained tied through the remainder of regulation and then through the two overtimes so the game ended in a tie.

The Hilltoppers were led by Montgomery who finished with 7 saves.

The West Liberty women’s soccer team will hit the road in their next matchup as they travel to Charleston, WV to face the University of Charleston (4-3) on Sunday, Oct. 10 at 1 p.m.

For the men’s soccer team, they kicked off their week with a game against Wheeling University (3-4).
Only nine minutes into the game, the Hilltoppers were presented with a golden opportunity when Senior captain Bernardo Vilchis had a penalty kick. The captain cashed in to give the Hilltoppers a 1-0 lead.

Four minutes later the Cardinals tied up the game at one a piece. Then the gritty Hilltoppers answered with another goal in the 21st minute.

Liam Toman dribbled down the sidelines and crossed the ball to Vitor Otsuka who slid and tucked the ball into the left goal post.

With time winding down in regulation, the Hilltoppers put the game out of reach when Otsuka found Vilchis who rifled his second goal of the game to push the score to 3-1 and that score would be final.

The Hilltoppers sophomore goalie, Noah Underwood made one save to help lead the Hilltoppers to victory.

The men’s soccer team then hosted Notre Dame College (Ohio) on Saturday, Oct. 2.

The Hilltoppers saw themselves down 2-0 in the first half and had to claw back. The Notre Dame goals were scored in the 35th and 42nd minute of the game.

The Hilltoppers came out of the half strong as they cut the lead in half. Less than two minutes into the second half, Danilo Taveres found Liam Toman who then found the back of the net.

The momentum then shifted to Notre Dame once again as they rattled off two more goals to put the game out of reach. The final was 4-1 in favor of the Falcons.

The West Liberty men’s soccer team will then travel to Charleston, WV to face the dynamic University of Charleston quad (6-1) on Sunday, Oct. 10 at 4 p.m.