ADVANCING — Big Red’s Isaac Rosel moved the ball up the field against Wheeling Park on Tuesday at Harding Stadium. - Andrew Grimm

STEUBENVILLE — Two of the top three teams in OVAC Class 5A met Tuesday night at Harding Stadium just days before the conference tournament field is set.

In what could end up being a preview of a match up in that looming tournament, conference leading Wheeling Park connected on a couple of chances in the second half to leave Steubenville with a 2-0 win over Big Red.

Big Red had chances of its own in what was as closely contested of a match as one would expect between two teams situated where they are in the standings, but could not connect.

“They’re good, their results are outstanding, but we competed,” Big Red head coach Greg Bowers, who’s team suffered its first defeat in nine outings, said. “I think we know now that we can play with them. If we can get to them in OVACs, we’ll give it another try.

“We had some opportunities, a lot more than we’ve seen other teams have against them on film. If a couple of those go in, who knows what could have happened it would have been a different game.”

The Patriots (8-2) caught a break a little more than two minutes into the match when Big Red (5-1-3) appeared to have taken a 1-0 lead on a goal by Hayden Hicks, but it was negated by an offsides call.

Big Red keeper Robby Lucas made a big stop on a free kick with little more than 16 minutes to play in the opening half, then made another diving save right after.

Park keeper Gavin Border made a nice stop in the closing minute of the half as the teams went to the break deadlocked.

In the second half, however, it didn’t take Park long to get on the board as Tresz McLeod put a header into the goal in a scramble after a free kick less than two minutes in.

Big Red’s Landon Bowers had a near miss at the other end a few minutes later, and Lucas made a big stop near the midway point, but with 19:24 left in the game Park’s Samuel Rockey fired a shot from range that hit the twine for a pivotal two-goal lead, and Border and Park’s defenders were able to hold Big Red at bay the rest of the way.

“I appreciate the effort from both teams, I thought everyone played really hard on both sides,” Wheeling Park head coach Mario Julien said. “There was a lot on the line in terms of OVAC seeding. It was a well-played game by both teams. We took advantage of a couple opportunities and they had a couple near misses, that’s how soccer is. You’ve got to take advantage of opportunities and in the first half, we missed on a few, but we capitalized in the second half.”

Both teams are in action one more time before the tournament field is set, Park traveling to John Marshall and Big Red hosting St. Clairsville, both on Thursday.