Wheeling, W. Va. - Last Saturday, the Wheeling University Men's Lacrosse team (2-8, 0-3) brought Great Midwest Athletic Conference (GMAC) play to Bishop Schmitt Field for the first time this season. That exciting GMAC play continues at Bishop Schmitt Field on Saturday as the Cardinals welcome in Davis & Elkins with opening faceoff scheduled for 1 PM. It is a game that has GMAC playoff implications on the line as the Cardinals need to string three wins together and get some help if they want to make this year's tournament.
Last time out, the Cardinals battled GMAC foe Lake Erie in a game that saw the team make a vast improvement from the previous season. After the first quarter, it was a back-and-forth affair with the teams trading the first four goals of the game. However, the storm took advantage of a lack of defense in the second quarter, notching six goals to take a four-goal lead heading into halftime. It was a deficit that Wheeling just couldn't overcome as they ended up falling 11-6 to drop to 0-3 in conference play. Even though it was a loss on the scoreboard, Wheeling was able to score three more goals than they did in the previous season's game and held the Storm to 10 fewer goals in that game.
Leading the way for the Cardinals offense once again was sophomore Mike Andersson, who has established himself as one of the top goal scorers in the GMAC this season. He led the way with three goals in the effort, scoring his fourth hat trick in his last five games to bring his season total to 25. He currently sits fifth in the GMAC in goals scored this season and eighth in Goals per Game with 2.27. He already has scored nine more goals than he did in his first season in the red and black and is on pace for one of the better seasons in Wheeling Men's Lacrosse history.
On the defensive side of the ball, aside from the second quarter, the Cardinals played steady team defense throughout the night. They allowed three goals or fewer in the remaining three quarters of the day while freshman goalkeeper Joshua Wolford registered 10 saves on 11 shots on goal. Led by veterans Matt Anderson and Caleb French, the Cardinals look to continue their strong defensive efforts on the field against a Davis & Elkins team that has put a lot of goals on the board this season.
These final three games are big for the Cardinals with the final four teams in the GMAC fighting for the final spot in this year's tournament. As it sits now, Walsh and Davis & Elkins have the inside track with both teams sitting at 1-2 in GMAC play. Alderson Broaddus sits just in front of Wheeling at 0-2 in the conference, while the Cardinals sit 0-3 in GMAC play. All four teams have three games remaining and if the Cardinals can win out that would move them to an even 3-3 in the conference. They would need Lake Erie and Davis & Elkins to lose at least one of their three remaining games while Alderson Broaddus would have to lose at least two of the three games. With three weeks left to play there is still a lot to play for as the Cardinals battle for their playoff lives.
The Matchup
Saturday will mark the sixth all-time matchup between the Cardinals and Senators with Wheeling leading the all-time series with a record of 4-2. This will be the fourth meeting between the two teams in Wheeling, where the Cardinals have a record of 2-1 in the previous three games. It has been an offensive series throughout with the Cardinals averaging just over 17 goals per game in the first six games. The last time these two teams met, it was the Senators that came out on top with a 19-11 win in Elkins, West Virginia.
The last meeting was a big performance for Brody Fawver, who led the offense scoring a career-high five goals while helping with two assists and scoring seven total points on the day. Mike Andersson and Jacob Knippel each had two goals on the day to round out the offensive performance, and Wheeling looks to build off their strong effort this time around.
The Details
The opening faceoff for Saturday's game is scheduled for 1 PM at Bishop Schmitt Field. You can watch the game live by clicking HERE or follow along with Live Stats by clicking HERE.
