Wheeling, W. Va. – On Wednesday night, defense was king at Bishop Schmitt Field as the Wheeling Women's Soccer team (4-11-2, 3-10-2) welcomed in West Virginia Wesleyan. The defensive play was so good that neither team was able to get on the board and the game would end after two overtimes in a 0-0 tie.
However, it wasn't for lack of effort by either team offensively, as the teams combined for 33 shots in the game. In the first half, the play was pretty even back and forth throughout the first 45 minutes. Each team took nine shots, with Wheeling putting five on net compared to just four shots on goal for the Bobcats. Wheeling nearly got on the board in the 36
th minute, when
Mary DiFonzo made a nice move around the defender and sent a ball to
Braedynn Porter in front of the net. However, the shot went wide and the game remained at a 0-0/ standstill. The teams went into halftime with that same score standing in what was turning out to be a very balanced game.
However, in the second half, the Bobcats started to become more aggressive and were taking some offensive opportunities away from the Cardinals. In the second half, West Virginia Wesleyan took the shot advantage, outshooting the Cardinals 8-2 in the second half. The Cardinals were unable to put a shot on net and had to rely on their defense to keep the Bobcats off the board. Senior goalkeeper
Mikayla Yarwood did just that, as she saved all four shots she faced in the second half, and kept the game sitting at 0-0. As the 90
th minute ticked away, the teams would be forced to go to overtime to settle the standstill.
It was a tale of two overtime halves for the two teams as the Bobcats took control of the first overtime period and Wheeling took the second. In minutes 90 to 100, Wheeling was outshot 2-0, but Yarwood made two saves. In minutes 100-110, it was Wheeling who had the shooting advantage. When it was all said and done, the score remained 0-0 and the tie was complete. Freshman
Talynn DeBartolo came off the bench to lead the offense with four shots, one on goal, and
Kenadee Burgoyne added three shots of her own. Yarwood finished the night in double-digit saves again, making 10 to preserve the tie.
The Wheeling University Women's Soccer team will wrap up the 2021 season on Saturday when they host West Liberty at 3 PM.
