Wheeling, W. Va. - As the 2022 spring season heads into its final few weeks of competition, the 2022 Fall season creeps closer and will be here before you know it. On Thursday, the Wheeling University Women's Soccer team released their 2022 Spring Schedule featuring eight home games at Bishop Schmitt Field. The Cardinals will feature a lot of early action on their home turf, with five of their first eight games being played at Bishop Schmitt Field, before becoming road warriors by season's end, including their final two weeks of games being on the road.

Last season, the Wheeling Women's Soccer program began a new era as Theo Egbele took over as the team's Head Coach for the 2021 season. After dealing with the trials and tribulations of the COVID year in 2020, the team bounced back nicely going 5-11-2, including a 4-10-2 record in conference play. The team won their opener for the first time since the 2009 season and used that momentum to carry themselves to an even 3-3 record over their first six games. They continued to battle throughout the season and look to take another step forward this off-season with some experience behind them.

For their efforts, two Cardinals were recognized by the MEC as Kenadee Burgoyne was named an All-MEC Second Team player, while Mary DiFonzo made the All-MEC Freshman team as a midfielder. The Cardinals will return both of their top scorers in Burgoyne and Braedynn Porter, while also bringing back Mikayla Yarwood in net, who led all of Division II last season in saves with 132 in over 1,600 minutes played in net. With this experience, plus a slew of new recruits on the way, Wheeling women's soccer looks to continue their growth throughout the offseason as they try to get back into the MEC playoffs.

The Cardinals will open the 2022 season at home for the first time since 2019 when they open MEC play against Fairmont State on September 7th. They follow that up with a pair of road games against Frostburg State and Notre Dame before returning home for four of their next five games. That stretch will include the start of the Wheeling rivalry with West Liberty on September 21st, and back-to-back games against Notre Dame College and West Virginia State on September 28th and October 2nd. The Cardinals will look to take advantage of the early slate of home games and pick up some wins in front of their home crowd.

However, as the calendar flips to October, the home games become less and less frequent as the team hits the road to face the University of Charleston on October 5th, before coming home for a battle with Frostburg State on October 9th. Four of the final six games of the season will then come on the road as Wheeling battles for the MEC playoffs. They will host Concord on October 19th and will honor their seniors on October 23rd in their final home game of the regular season. They finish the year on the road against West Virginia Wesleyan and West Liberty as they head towards the MEC playoffs.

This will be a big off-season for the Wheeling Women's Soccer team as they look to take that next step forward and qualify for the MEC playoffs for the first time since the team joined the MEC back during the 2013 season.