Wheeling, W. Va. - Entering the 2021 season, the Wheeling Women's Soccer team is undergoing a lot of changes. After going 1-7-0 in the 2021 Spring Season, they have a roster complete with a nice balance

 of veteran presence and new faces, and a new head coach leading the charge.

The man taking over is Theo Egbele, who was named Head Women's Soccer Coach at Wheeling University on August 13th. Egbele had spent the last 19 seasons working with the West Virginia University Women's Soccer team. During his tenure, the team ranked in the Top 10 of the NCAA in all 19 seasons he was involved with the organization and advanced to the NCAA Division I Tournament during the 2016 season. Most recently, he was the Head Women's Soccer Coach at Salem University where he worked to build the program and establish a presence in the community.

Egbele is excited to take over the reins as Head Women's Soccer Coach at Wheeling and get to work with this group.

"I am very excited for this season and can't wait to see how this team performs, " said Egbele. "I can't wait and am very excited about the future of this team."

The spring season was a rough one full of twists, turns, and an ever-changing landscape. After dropping their first three games of the season, Wheeling came back and won their first MEC game of the season when they defeated Frostburg State 2-0. It was the team's first win since October 18th, 2018, and was a big boost for the team overall. They finished the year strong playing in one-point games in two of their final three 2021 contests before ending the season.

With a new season comes new opportunities for the Women's Soccer team as they battle in the tough Mountain East Conference (MEC) North Division. It is a return to normalcy for the MEC, who played in three divisions last season, and a return to normal for the Cardinals. They will join Notre Dame, Frostburg State, Fairmont State, West Liberty, and Alderson Broaddus with the top three teams advancing to the MEC Tournament. In the annual MEC Women's Soccer Preseason Poll, Wheeling was picked sixth in the North Division, receiving 18 points in the poll. Being that they are a younger group, it will take some time for them to mature, but they are out to surprise some people.

Egbele knows it will take some time for the group to come together, but is encouraged by what he has seen so far from his group.

"We have a good group of seniors who will be playing and can help us out with good leadership, " said Egbele. "We know we have good players, and I look forward to helping them develop his season."

Leading the way on offense for this group of seniors is Braedynn Porter (Mineral Ridge, OH./Mineral Ridge). She was second on the team with seven shots and tied for the team lead in both goals and assists with one apiece. She was very accurate when taking her shots, with a Shot on Goal% of .429. She will once again be looked to as a leader for the Wheeling offense as an attacking midfielder during her Junior Season.

On the defensive side of the ball, Senior Ana Molnar (Pittsburgh, PA./Moon Area) will be looking to keep things clear in front of the net. Molnar started all eight games for the Cardinals last season and led the team with 792 minutes played last season. She joins goalkeeper Mikayla Yarwood (Surrey, British Columbia/Clayton Heights) as two of the main returners for the Cardinal defense. Yarwood played 180 minutes in net last season and had a save percentage of .750, making 12 saves on 16 shots. With so many new faces this year, defense is going to be a big part of the Cardinals' success, as they try and keep their team in games.

Joining these senior leaders is a group of 10 freshmen for the 2021 season. They help make up a women's soccer team with 21 players this season, up two more players from where they sat a year ago. They are back to a full 18-game schedule, that starts on Thursday, September 2nd when they head on the road to face Lake Erie College. Their MEC schedule begins on September 15th against Fairmont State and includes eight home games at Bishop Schmitt Field. It begins on September 19th against Frostburg State and ends with senior day against West Liberty on November 6th.

With so many new faces on this year's team, Egbele knows it will take some time to build trust between coaches and players. But, with time he is excited to see how this group meshes together.

"It takes time for coaches to learn players and also for the players to learn their coach, " said Eagle. "I can't wait and am very excited about the future of this program.

The Wheeling University Women's Soccer Team kicks off their 2021 season when they take on Lake Erie College on the road.