WHEELING, W.Va. (March 6) - The Wheeling Jesuit University women's lacrosse team edged out Northern Michigan 18-15 in the Wednesday afternoon non-conference game. 

The Cardinals improve their record to 1-2, while the Wildcats fall to 1-2 this season.

Freshman Mackenzie Kaderabek (Annapolis, Md./St. Mary's) led WJU with five goals and six draw control wins, while seven other players added points to the scoreboard to push the Cardinals to victory.

Wheeling Jesuit hit first with senior Ally Coggins (Mt. Airy, Md./Linganore) putting the ball in the back of the net in the first two minutes of play. The Cardinals then went on a 5-2 run, going up four by the 15 minute mark. The Wildcats answered with three goals in three minutes, but the Cardinals kept the lead. 

Sophomores Paige Orbell (Severn, Md./Old Mill) and Bethany Wallingford (Chillicothe, Ohio/Chillicothe) notched two draw control wins, leading to several shots for the Cardinals. WJU went up 9-6 with a goal by Kaderabek seconds before halftime. 

Using the momentum from the first half, the Cardinals scored four goals in the first five minutes of the second half. Orbell, Coggins, and sophomore Megan Mangia (Gahanna, Ohio/Bishop Hartley) scored back-to-back goals all off of draw control wins by Orbell. Senior Taylor Booth (Port Moody, British Columbia/Heritage Woods Secondary) added the fourth to put WJU up 13-6.

NMU answered with three goals of their own. Once again the Cardinals put pressure on the Wildcats with three goals, taking a 16-9 lead with 11 minutes left to play.

Northern Michigan came within one after scoring six-straight goals, but junior Hayley Holmquist (Temecula, Calif./Temecula Valley) gave the Cardinals some breathing room after scoring from a pass by Kaderabek with under a minute left to play. A final goal by Coggins sealed the victory, and WJU finished the game with a three-goal win.

Coggins tallied three goals for the Cardinals, while Orbell recorded two goals, three ground balls, and seven draw control wins. Wallingford, Holmquist, and Mangia also added two goals, while Booth and senior Kate Calder (Cincinnati, Ohio/McAuley) each had one.

The Cardinals are back in action at Alderson Broaddus for another non-conference matchup on Sunday, March 10 at 1 p.m.