Wheeling, W. Va. - After a long summer, the Wheeling University Women's Soccer team (0-0) kicks off their 2021 season on the road when they take on Lake Erie College (0-0) on Thursday at 6 PM. It marks the start of a new era for Wheeling Women's Soccer as they will be under new leadership with the hiring of Head Coach Theo Egbele. 

Egbele spent the last two seasons as Head Soccer Coach at Salem University and brought with him over 19 years of coaching experience. He is excited to begin this new era of Wheeling Women's Soccer and get the 2021 season underway. 

"I am very excited for this season and can't wait to see how this team performs," said Egbele. "We know we have good players and I look forward to helping them develop this season." 

There is a nice balance between experience and youth on this year's team, with three strong seniors taking the leadership roles. On the offensive side, Braedynn Porter (Mineral Ridge, OH./Mineral Ridge) returns as one of Wheeling's top offensive players this season. Last year, she totaled three points with a goal and an assist and was accurate with a .423 shot on goal percentage. On defense junior Ana Molnar (Pittsburgh, PA./Moon Area) and senior Landree Wilkin (Orangeville, PA./Benton) look to keep the front of the net clear for sophomore goalkeeper Mikayla Yarwood (Surrey, British Columbia/Clayton Heights). 

Last season, the women's soccer team finished the year 1-7, but got better as the season went on. There win came against Frostburg State on March 19th, as Porter and former Cardinal Paige Orbell scored the goals. They competed over their final three games, playing in one-score games in two of those three matches, against some of the top teams in the Mountain East Conference (MEC). This season, they are hoping to start a new and use these non-conference games to prepare them for what the MEC has to offer. 

The Matchup 

Overall, Wheeling and Lake Erie College have matched up four times and have split those four games. However, Lake Erie College has had the upper hand as of late, taking each of the last two games played by the two teams. Wheeling has outscored Lake Erie 10-4 over those four matchups, and are 1-1 in the two games they have played on the road. 

Their last matchup was one of the most competitive of the series as Wheeling took Lake Erie to double overtime before falling 2-1. Lake Erie scored the first goal in the 31st minute of the game to take a 1-0 lead, and road that momentum into halftime. Wheeling would tie things up 12 minutes into the second half when former Cardinal Nikki Hillard found the back of the net to make it 1-1. Defense would rule the next 53 minutes of the game, as the teams would head into double overtime. However, it was the Storm that finished the game with a goal in the 105th minute to give Lake Erie the 2-1 win. 

Players to Watch 

• Senior Braedynn Porter led the offense last season with three total points, one goal and one assist. She was one of the most accurate shooters on the team last season with a .423 shot on goal percentage and looks to lead the offense again in 2021. 

• Sopohomore Mikayla Yarwood returns in net for Wheeling after playing 180 minutes last season. She had a save percentage of .750 and looks to get a majority of the reps in net this season. 

Details 

Kick off for Thursday night's game is scheduled for 6 PM in Painesville, Ohio. You can watch the game by clicking HERE, and follow along with live stats by clicking HERE.