Wheeling, W. Va. - After playing back-to-back home games last week, the Wheeling University Women's Soccer team (3-10-1, 2-9-1) will face a test on the road when they take on Concord tomorrow at 6:30 PM. Wheeling is looking for a rebound after taking a loss at home last time out and is hoping to get things together as they head out on the road.
Their most recent loss came at the hands of Glenville State on Saturday, when they fell 2-1. Wheeling allowed two goals in the first seven minutes of the game but, after that, were able to hold the Pioneers off the board. Unfortunately, the Cardinal's offense was unable to get going and, despite outshooting Glenville 18-14, they only managed one goal in the loss. The goal came in the 76th minute of the game when senior Braedynn Porter found the bottom right corner of the net.
Porter has been a dominant force for the Cardinals all season long, but as of late has been on fire on the offensive end of things. She now has a goal in back-to-back games and is second on the team with six total goals this season, one behind fellow senior Kenadee Burgoyne. Porter took five shots, putting three on goal, against the Pioneers, while budding star Talynn DeBartolo added four shots of her own in the losing effort, putting three of those on goal.
On the defensive end, senior Mikayla Yarwood continues to work hard, and after allowing the two early goals, she was able to keep the Pioneers off the board the rest of the way. Yarwood made eight saves in the game while facing 10 shots, as she extends her saves lead in the Mountain East Conference (MEC). She has 91 saves on the season, totaling 26 more than the next closest goalie on the list, and is seventh in the conference with a .771 save percentage. She has played 90 minutes in all but one game this season, as she leads the Cardinal's defensive effort. More recently, Burgoyne has dropped back to help on defense and has done wonders for the Cardinal's defensive game.
With four games remaining in the 2021 Fall season, Wheeling is looking for a strong finish for this young team. Of their final four opponents, three of them are either in a playoff spot or within striking distance of a MEC Playoff spot. This gives Wheeling the chance to play spoiler over these final couple of games as they try to make an impact as to who stays in the playoff race and whose chances may come to an end sooner than they would like.
The Match-up
Wheeling and Concord have been facing each other dating back to the 2002 season, spanning 27 matches in that timeframe. It has been a back and forth series, but Wheeling has been on the losing end slightly more at 10-13-4. Wheeling is hoping to defeat the Mountain Lions for the first time since the 2016 season when they beat them 2-1 at Bishop Schmitt Field.
In their last match-up back on March 26th, 2021, things did not go Wheeling's way as they ended up falling to Concord 5-0 on the road. Despite former Wheeling goalkeeper Jaci Wilson making 16 saves in the game, it was too much for the Cardinals to overcome as Concord got off 21 shots on net while Wheeling took just two shots on net all night. Wheeling is hoping to bounce back and create more offensive opportunities this time around.
The Details
Kick-off for Wednesday's game is scheduled for 6:30 PM in Beckley, West Virginia. You can watch the game live by clicking HERE or follow along with Live Stats by clicking HERE.
