Wheeling, W. Va. - Over the last week, the Wheeling University Women's Soccer team (4-6, 4-4) have been enjoying some home cooking at Bishop Schmitt Field. On Wednesday, they will take their first road trip of the new month when they take on The University of Charleston in Charleston, West Virginia at 4 PM. They will be looking to get back to their winning ways after suffering back-to-back losses after winning four straight games the previous two weeks.
Last time out, the Cardinals took on unbeaten West Virginia State on Sunday and came away with a 4-1 loss. They held the Yellow Jackets to just one goal in the first 45 minutes of play and showed that they could hang with the West Virginia State offense. Mikayla Yarwood had a big half in net, making five saves on six shots and the team went into the locker room trailing 1-0. However, in the second half, West Virginia State came out strong scoring three goals in the first 27 minutes to take a 4-0 lead. The lone Cardinals goal of the day came courtesy of Braedynn Porter, who converted on a Penalty Kick in the 76th minute, and Wheeling fell 4-1.
After being held off the board in the last three games, Porter got confidence back on her side with the goal, her first since September 14th against Notre Dame College. She currently sits tied for second on the team with three goals along with teammate Mary Difonzo and is tied for third with one assist. Porter has been one of the more efficient shooters for the Cardinals this season, shooting .571 on shots on net this season and she looks to keep her roll going as they get ready to take on the teams from the MEC South Division. Kenadee Burgoyne leads the team with four goals this season and is looking for her first goal since September 21st against West Liberty as the Cardinals make a run towards the MEC Tournament.
Defensively, the Cardinals have seen a combination in net between Mikayla Yarwood and Sam Faulkner. Yarwood has started every game this season but, around the 70th minute, Head Coach Emmanuel Awotula went with the freshman for valuable minutes in net. Yarwood has played 810 minutes in net so far this season and has a .728 save percentage, making 67 saves on 92 shots faced. Faulkner has also played well during her time, making seven saves on nine shots faced for a .778 save percentage in her freshman campaign. Both keepers have done an impressive job of keeping their teams in games this season and look to continue that effort in October.
With the regular season coming down to its final four weeks, the Cardinals are looking to catch fire down the stretch. They currently sit third in the Mountain East Conference (MEC) North Division at 4-4, holding a 1.5 game lead over West Liberty and a 2.5 game lead over Notre Dame College. With the top four teams set to make the MEC Tournament, the Cardinals look to hold on to their spot as they play the MEC South Division twice and the top two seeds in the north division twice over the next four weeks. It will be a tough test for this Cardinals team as they make a run towards the program's first-ever MEC Tournament berth.
The Matchup
The Cardinals and Golden Eagles will be meeting for the 25th time in program history on Wednesday, with Charleston holding the all-time series lead at 15-7-2. However, Wheeling heads into the match looking for their first win against Charleston since the 2013 season when they won 1-0 at Bishop Schmitt Field. Of those seven Cardinal's wins in the series, five of them have come in Charleston and Wheeling looks to keep that success going.
Last time the two teams met, Wheeling dropped a close 1-0 contest at home last October. Mikayla Yarwood had a big game in net, making nine saves on 10 shots faced, allowing the lone goal in the 69th minute of the game. Kenadee Burgoyne led the offensive attack with 2 shots, one on goal while Talynn DeBartolo added a shot on goal during the night.
The Details
Kick-off for Wednesday night's game is scheduled for 4 PM at the Welch Athletic Complex on the campus of The University of Charleston. Watch the game live by clicking HERE or follow along with Live Stats by clicking HERE.
