BUCKHANNON, W.Va. (March 24) – The Wheeling Jesuit University women's lacrosse team came away with a 12-8 win over West Virginia Wesleyan in a  Mountain East Conference (MEC) game Sunday afternoon.

WJU improves to 5-3 overall, 2-0 in the conference, while West Virginia Wesleyan drops to 5-4 overall and 0-2 in league play.

Senior Ally Coggins (Mt. Airy, Md./Liganore) led the team with three goals, while five others contributed points for the Cardinals.

The Bobcats took an early lead, going up 2-0 within seven minutes of the starting whistle, when Coggins immediately answered with her first goal of the game. WVWC then went on a 3-1 run to go up 5-2 at the 17-minute mark. After a few minutes of silence on both sides, goals by sophomores Bethany Wallingford (Chillicothe, Ohio/Chillicothe) and Megan Mangia (Gahanna, Ohio/Bishop Hartley) put a spark in WJU's step and drew the Cards within one.

With five minutes left in the first half, junior Sarah Artzer (Littleton, Colo./Thunder Ridge) picked up a ground ball and got it into classmate Eily Cogan (Westerville, Ohio/Olentangy Orange) who then found freshman Mackenzie Kaderabek (Annapolis, Md./St. Mary's) who put the ball into the back of the net to tie the game up.

Several members took shots for Wheeling Jesuit in the opening minutes of the second half, but none were able to find the back of the net until Coggins snuck one in from an assist by sophomore Paige Orbell (Severn, Md./Old Mill). Orbell quickly added another, putting the Cardinals up 8-6 with 25 minutes left in the game. The Bobcats found themselves with several free position attempts in the next five minutes and were able to score on two.

With the score tied at 8-8, Wallingford once again gave the Cardinals momentum when she scored with 10 minutes to play in the game.

Senior Kate Calder (Cincinnatie, Ohio/McAuley), Kaderabek, and Mangia quickly added goals back to back, allowing the Cardinals to go up 12-8 with 4 minutes left on the clock. WJU's defense remained strong, and the game ended with another MEC victory for the Cardinals.

Wallingford, Orbell, Mangia, and Kaderabek each recorded two goals, while Calder added one. Orbell also tallied six draw controls wins which gave the Cardinals several offensive opportunities.

Wheeling Jesuit travels to Davis & Elkins for a non-conference game on Wednesday, March 27 at 3 p.m.