Wheeling, W. Va- After falling to their rival West Liberty on Wednesday, the Wheeling University Women's Soccer team (3-4, 2-3) returns home to face Alderson Broaddus on Sunday at 1 PM. It is a chance for the women to return home and try and get the momentum back on their side in front of their home fans.
The last time the ladies took the field was Wednesday at West Liberty University, in which the Cardinals fell short 2-0. The Hilltoppers came out the gates with an early goal, but Wheeling continued to fight, staying in the game from beginning until the end. Unfortunately, they were never able to get the ball in net themselves as they suffered the shutout loss.
West Liberty's early goal was scored just 33 seconds into the match as Alyssa Rhinaman assisted Kaeyla Oskin to take a 1-0 lead. Offensively in the first half, it did not go their way as they only got off three shots and out just one of those shots on goal. Although there were struggles offensively, they played well on the defensive end, not allowing another goal over the final 44:27 of the first half. With the score going into halftime 1-0, leaning towards the Hilltoppers.
In the first half, the Cardinals were outshot 5-3, and goalkeeper Mikayla Yarwood kept the Hilltoppers off the board aside from the one early goal. She made two big saves in the first half, which kept her team in position to compete. However, in the second half, West Liberty would get back on the board at the 53-minute mark as Oskin took a pass from Isabella Aperfine and scored the goal, giving the Hilltoppers a 2-0 lead. This lead would remain the same going into the final minutes of the game as the Hilltoppers would get the victory 2-0. The Cardinals continued to fight hard in the second half but were not able to get on the board after being outshot 4-2.
The loss dropped the Cardinals to 2-3 in Mountain East Conference (MEC) play and dropped them to fourth place in the MEC North Division. They sit a game behind third-place Notre Dame College and are still in good position as they compete for a spot in the MEC Playoffs. They have won two of their last three games and are facing an Alderson Broaddus team that they just defeated last Sunday.
The Match-Up
The Cardinals and Battlers have matched up seven times dating back to the 2008 season, with Wheeling going 2-5 against Alderson Broaddus during that time. However, they have never beaten Alderson Broaddus at Bishop Schmitt Field and are looking to flip that script on Sunday. They did score a win over them in their first game of the year and are looking to do it in regulation this time
The last time these two teams faced off, the Cardinals were able to get the victory with a score of 3-2, and the three goals came from Braedynn Porter, Kenadee Burgoyne, and Rilei Levesque. The offense was led by Burgoyne as she took four shots, putting two of those shots on goal. Porter scored the game-winning goal in the 93rd minute of the game to seal the victory for her team.
The Details
Kick-off for Sunday's game is scheduled for 1 PM at Bishop Schmitt Field. You can watch the game live by clicking HERE or follow along with Live Stats by clicking HERE.
