Wheeling, W. Va. - For the first time this season, the Wheeling University Men's Lacrosse team (2-7, 0-2) has a two-game week. After battling Frostburg State on Wednesday, the Cardinals will be returning home on Saturday as they take on Lake Erie College. It will be there first Great Midwest Athletic Conference (GMAC) competition since March 19th against Mercyhurst, as they focus solely on conference play over each of their final four games of the regular season.
In their last game on Wednesday, the team got out to a hot start, but didn't have enough in the tank to keep up with Frostburg State as they fell 18-6. In the first quarter, the Cardinals scored three goals and were trailing just 5-3 after 15 minutes. However, as the final 45 minutes ticked away, Wheeling only added three more goals and Frostburg State kept scoring. The two teams tied at 1-1 over the final quarter of the game but by then it was too late as Wheeling took their seventh loss of the season. This will be the team's first game at Bishop Schmitt Field since they played Felician back on March 5th.
While sophomore Mike Andersson did not keep his hat trick streak alive, he did score multiple goals in the game for the fourth straight time this season. Andersson led the way with two goals in the game, both coming in the second half as he continued to help his team get on the board. He now has 22 goals for the season and sits fourth in the conference in goals this season. It has been a career season for the sophomore so far and he looks to continue to be the force that drives this program forward into the back half of their season.
The spark plug for the Cardinals on the day was sophomore Jake Wodarek, who also had two goals in the game. He led the day with two assists to go along with those two goals and totaled four points for his team. He tied for the team lead with six shots and led the team with three shots on goal. The other Wheeling goals came courtesy of Dakota Strong and Brody Fawver to round out the Wheeling offense. In net, Josh Wolford got the start and played 45 minutes in net, making 13 saves, while Dallin Isaacson followed him up with 15 minutes in net, making two saves.
As the Cardinals head into the final four weeks of the regular season, the race for the GMAC playoffs is on with every team still having a shot at getting there. Wheeling currently sits in fourth in the GMAC at 2-7 and still have a game remaining against Davis & Elkins, who sit in second in the conference. Wheeling hasn't made the GMAC playoffs since the 2018 season, when they fell to Seton Hill in the semifinals, but they are fighting for a chance to get in the tournament once again and make some noise.
The Matchup
The Cardinals and Storm will be meeting for the 15th time in team history on Saturday, with Wheeling going 3-9 against them during that time. Wheeling will be looking for their first win against Lake Erie since the 2017 season, when they beat them 8-7 in three overtimes. Wheeling has averaged eight goals per game against the Storm and are 1-4 against them when the two teams meet in Wheeling.
In their most recent matchup last season, Lake Erie scored a 21-3 victory in Painesville, Ohio. In that game, the Cardinals got one goal each from Jacob Knippel, Jake Wodarek, and former Cardinal Robert Ros. Dallin Isaacson and Christian Nestor split time in net, combining to make 13 saves on 34 shots faced.
The Details
The opening face-off for Saturday's game is scheduled for 2 PM at Bishop Schmitt Field. You can watch the game live by clicking HERE or follow along with Live Stats by clicking HERE.
