Wheeling, W. Va. - The last time that the Wheeling University Men's Lacrosse team (1-5, 0-1) made history when they secured their first home win since the 2018 season in an 8-7 overtime win vs. Felician. They look to keep that momentum going as they return to Bishop Schmitt Field on Sunday, March 13th, when they battle St. Thomas Aquinas at noon. The Cardinals are looking for back-to-back wins for the first time since that 2018 season.
In that historic win for the program, Wheeling got off to a hit start, scoring three goals in that first quarter of play. The Cardinals controlled the ball for a majority of the first half, and went into the locker room with their first halftime lead of the year at 4-2. However, Felician tool that lead away from the Cardinals when they scored four third quarter goals, and led 6-4 heading into the final 15 minutes of play. Wheeling would battle back, scoring three fourth-quarter goals and forcing an overtime period. The Golden Falcons had the first shot, but a big save by
Joshua Wolford gave Wheeling the ball back. They got it to sophomore
Jacob Knippel, who fired it towards the upper right corner of the net for the win.
It was a big day overall for Knippel, who scored a team high five points. He finished with two goals, a team high three assists, and six shots. He placed three shots on goal throughout the day, and made then count putting two of those, including the game winner, in net. It was Knippel's second multi-goal game and now gives him eight goals on the season. He has shot a healthy .364 this season and added a .591 shot on goal percentage in his six games. Knippel was tied for the team lead in goals scored last season, and currently sits second on the team with eight goals scored this season. He is a big part of the Wheeling offense, and this game looks to give him momentum moving forward.
The person he sits behind is sophomore
Mike Andersson, who leads the team with 10 goals and is just six away from his career high. Andersson led Wheeling's scoring effort with three goals against Felician, with two of those three getting the offense started. Andersson has scored at least one goal in all but one game this season, and continues to build off what was a strong freshman campaign a year ago. Sophomore
Brody Fawver scored his first multi-goal game of the season, scoring two goals in the win. Fawver is a guy who can score when needed, but he is also a strong role player for the Cardinals. He offers stability on the offensive side of the ball, and another weapon Wheeling can use aside from Andersson and Knippel.
With the first win of the year under their belts, Wheeling has matched their win total from a year ago. It was also the first career win for Head Coach
Gage Bradshaw at the collegiate level, and gives him a record of 1-1 in his first two games at the helm. Wheeling has already played one Great Midwest Athletic Conference game and Sunday serves as another non-conference bout to keep them ready. They have two more non-conference games remaining on their schedule, but this will be the final home nonconference game of the season. It will allow Wheeling to continue to work on pieces of their game as they try and make a run in the GMAC this season.
The Matchup
Sunday will mark the first time that the Cardinals and Spartans have faced off in team history. St. Thomas Aquinas has played four games to start the season and are 1-3 in those matchups. In their most recent game, they battled GMAC opponent Alderson Broaddus and picked up a 10-8 win. When they go on the road this season, St. Thomas Aquinas is 1-1 with a win over AB and a loss at the hands of American Internstional.
The Details
The Opening Face-off for Sunday's game is scheduled for noon at Bishop Schmitt Field. You can watch the game live by clicking HERE or follow a long with Live Stats by clicking HERE
