Wheeling, W. Va. - Over their last couple of games, one area that has been successful for the Wheeling University Women's Soccer team (3-8-1, 2-7-1) is the defense led by senior goalkeeper Mikayla Yarwood. The Cardinals are looking to keep that success going when they return to Bishop Schmitt Field on Wednesday to take on Fairmont State at 7 PM.
Yarwood put a lot of work in in net last time out, when she tied her season-high with 10 saves against Frostburg State in a 4-0 loss. She faced 14 shots on goal throughout the night and had to make some high effort saves to stop the high-powered Bobcats' offense. The senior leads the Mountain East Conference (MEC) with 71 saves this season and is second in the conference, averaging 5.92 saves per game. She has played the full 90 minutes in all but one game for the Cardinals this year, providing them with consistent leadership on the defensive side of the ball.
However, the struggle has come on the offensive side of the ball, where Wheeling has been shutout in each of their last two contests. Their last goal came against West Virginia State when senior Braedynn Porter notched a goal in the 45th minute of what would be a 2-1 loss to the Yellow Jackets. Wheeling's senior leaders Porter and Kenadee Burgoyne have been amongst the top scorers in the MEC this season and are looking to rally their team. Burgoyne is tied for third in the MEC in both shots (42) and goals (7) while Porter sits eighth in the conference with 30 shots.
Last time out, the Cardinals just didn't have very many offensive opportunities, with the team being outshot 31-5 against Frostburg. However, on the positive side, the Cardinals were very efficient putting three of those five shots on net. As their shooting gets more and more accurate throughout the season, more and more of those shots are going to start landing on net and getting them on the scoreboard.
Wheeling currently sits in fifth place in the MEC standings entering play on Wednesday and are a game and a half behind their opponent Fairmont State for fourth place in the conference. With a win, Wheeling could inch closer to that fourth-place spot as they try to make some noise, or play spoiler, in the 2021 MEC Playoff race.
The Match-up
Dating back to the 2015 season, the Cardinals and Falcons have faced off 13 times with the Cardinals going 4-8-1 in those contests. The Cardinals actually have a much better road record against Fairmont State than they do at home, going just 1-4-1 against the Falcons on their home turf. In their first game of the 2021 Fall season, it was a back-and-forth offensive battle that Fairmont State would end up winning 2-1.
In that first match-up, back on September 15th, Wheeling used a quick strike offense to get on the board scoring goals in both the fifth and seventh minutes of the game. Both goals were scored by Burgoyne, and the Cardinals found themselves ahead 2-0 just seven minutes into the game. However, those would be the only two goals scored by the Cardinals as Fairmont State added three unanswered goals and went on to win 2-1.
The Details
Kick-off for Wednesday night's game is scheduled for 7 PM at Bishop Schmitt Field. You can watch the game live by clicking HERE and follow along with Live Stats by clicking HERE.
