Wheeling, W. Va. - On Saturday, the Wheeling University Women's Soccer (6-11-1, 6-9-1)  made history clinching their first ever Mountain East (MEC)  playoff berth. On Tuesday they look to keep making history as they go on the road to take on #1 Frostburg State with kickoff at 6:00 p.m. for Wheeling, it'll be the first playoff game for the team since they made the West Virginia intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WVIAC) playoffs back in 2010, when they fell to West Virginia Wesleyan in the first round.

The Cardinals clinched this playoff berth with a 3-2 win over West Liberty on Saturday in their second meeting of the battle for Wheeling. Early in the first half, neither team got much going offensively with just five shots combined between the two teams. Wheeling got on the board in the 20th minute and the 34th minute to take a 2-0 lead, however, the Hilltoppers came back with two goals of their own. The score remained tied at 2-2 as the teams headed to the locker room As Wheeling was looking to get back on the board. They did just that in the 53rd minute As they scored the game winning goal and held on to win by that 3-2 score.

It was a big game for graduate Braydenn Porter who put that game winning goal in net. She got the ball in her possession and made a move past the West Liberty goalkeeper creating an open shot. Porter took it and put the ball in the back right corner of the net to give Wheeling the lead and the eventual win. Porter was the team's leading shot taker on the day, taking four shots and putting three of those on goal, as she continues her hot streak on offense. On Wednesday, she was also Wheeling's leading shot taker, taking four shots, but wasn't able to find the net. Overall, Porter has five goals in her last five games and looks to lead Wheeling once again as they head to the playoffs.

On the defensive side, goalkeeper Mikayla Yarwood has done her job to keep Wheeling in front. Against West Liberty, she finished with five saves on seven shots faced for a .714 save percentage. However, she shined the brightest in the game's second half when things were on the line. Her team had a 3-2 lead and Yarwood came up with three saves on three shots faced on net during the final 45 minutes. The biggest save came in the 63rd minute when a Wheeling penalty in the box set up a penalty kick for the Hilltoppers. Yarwood was able to knock the ball away from the net and preserve Wheeling's one goal lead in a big situation. Yarwood is the program's all-time saves leader, breaking the record earlier this season, and will look to continue to to make big saves for the Cardinals down the stretch.

As they head into the Quarterfinal round of the MEC women's soccer playoffs on Tuesday, Wheeling enters as the number four seed out of the MEC North Division. They will take on number one seeded Frostburg State while number three seeded Notre Dame takes on number two seeded Fairmont State. After the first round, the teams will head into crossover play with the lowest remaining seed in the north taking on the highest remaining seed in the south. With Wheeling being the number four seed their path to the MEC Championship game will come on the road as they'll have to play some of their best soccer away from Bishop Schmitt Field. The Cardinals have actually played better on the road this season, with a record of 4-5, and will look to use that to their advantage.

The Matchup