Wheeling, W. Va. - The Wheeling University Men's Lacrosse team (2-5, 0-1) have been on quite the ride over their last two games. They picked up their first home win since 2018 against Felician two weeks ago and added another win in a game where they saw a program record tied as they beat St. Thomas Aquinas 14-3 last time out. They look to bring some of that momentum back with them as they return to Great Midwest Athletic Conference (GMAC) play on Saturday when they face #4 Mercyhurst at 3 PM.

The Cardinals got to play in the climate-controlled confines of The Highlands Sports Complex last time out as they took down St. Thomas Aquinas 14-3. It was the most goals scored in a game for the Cardinals since they put 17 points up against Dominican (NY) back on March 31st, 2019. It was a slow start to the game for the offense, but they scored a season-high six goals in the second quarter and built up an 8-1 lead heading into halftime. They nearly matched their first-half output in the second half, scoring seven goals, and it was enough to earn them the 14-3 win, marking their first time picking up back-to-back wins since March 27th and March 31st, 2019.

The big day came courtesy of sophomore Mike Andersson, who tied the single-game record with seven goals for the Cardinals. The record was set by former Cardinal Dereck Downs back in 2017, and Andersson is only the second Cardinals player to reach the seven-goal mark. After the first half, Andersson was sitting at five goals and had a chance to break the record with 30 seconds to play, but the shot missed wide, ending his day. For his efforts, Anderson was rewarded as the GMAC Men's Lacrosse Player of the Week, winning the award for the first time in his career. Wheeling also got a hat trick effort from sophomore Jake Wodarek and saw freshman Ty Taylor notch his first collegiate goal in the final minute of the game.

The Cardinals also had another player recognized by the GMAC as goalie Joshua Wolford one the GMAC Defender of the Week Award for the second week in a row. Wolford faced 11 shots on the day, making eight saves and allowing three goals. It was the fewest goals against allowed by Wolford this season as he picked up his second collegiate win to improve his record to 2-5 in net. Wolford has spent a majority of the 2022 season as Wheeling's starting goalie and has made the most of his opportunities in his first season in the red and black.

With the win last Sunday, Wheeling has already beaten their win total from last season and looks to continue building on that win total throughout the year. However, they now face a GMAC heavy schedule the rest of the season and will face their highest ranked opponent of the season so far in Mercyhurst. Wheeling was picked 6th in the annual GMAC preseason poll and is looking to beat those numbers as conference play begins. They will face five GMAC opponents in their final seven games of the year, with the only exceptions being D'Youville on March 25th and Frostburg State on April 6th. The Cardinals look to take their success from non-conference play and translate that into success in their conference games.

The Match-up

The Cardinals and Lakers are meeting up for the 20th time in team history and Wheeling is looking for their elusive first win. As a team, the Cardinals are averaging just five goals per game against the Lakers and scored six goals combined over their last two games against Mercyhurst. This will be the 12th road meeting between the two teams and the Cardinals are looking for more success this time around.

In their most recent matchup, Mercyhurst took down Wheeling 21-2 last season at Bishop Schmitt Field. The Cardinals were able to score two late goals in that game but were shutout the rest of the way in the loss. Andersson was responsible for both Wheeling goals in that game as offense was hard to come by for the team. They look to create more opportunities this time around.

The Details

Face-off for Saturday's road contest is scheduled for 3 PM on the campus of Mercyhurst. You can watch the game live by clicking HERE or follow along with Live Stats by clicking HERE.