The Concord Men’s Soccer team’s post-season hopes suffered a setback in a 5-0 loss to West Virginia Wesleyan Wednesday afternoon at Anderson Field.
The top six teams in the West Virginia Intercollegiate Conference qualify for the league's post-season tournament, and a victory Wednesday would have moved the Mountain Lions past the Bobcats into sixth place. But Wesleyan carried the play on a cold and drizzly afternoon, outshooting Concord 19-3, including an 8-0 advantage in shots on goal.
The Bobcats took advantage of a pair of Concord turnovers to take the lead. Alex Redfern scored the first goal of the match, in the 33rd minute, after a Concord player slipped and left a gap in the Mountain Lion defense.
A wayward Concord pass resulted in the Bobcats’ second goal, with Nicholas Benavides scoring off an assist from Joe Ferraracci in the 59th minute.
WVWC effectively put the match out of reach after Kurt Donaldson scored off a corner kick, assisted by Diego Michelato, in the 76th minute. Michael Scruggs scored the final two goals, the latter coming with one second remaining in regulation.
The defeat drops the second-year Concord program 4-6, 1-4 in the WVIAC, six points out of a top six spot with five conference matches left on the schedule.
The Mountain Lions travel to Shepherdstown, WV for their next match. Concord meets Shepherd next Saturday afternoon in a 2:00 pm EDT kickoff.