Wheeling, W. Va. – After picking up their first conference win of the season last time out, the Wheeling University Women's Soccer team (1-4, 1-2) returns home Sunday to take on Alderson Broaddus. The momentum swung the Cardinals way in the second half of their last game against Notre Dame College, and they are looking to use that momentum to propel them into this home stretch of back-to-back contests.
The Last time out for the Wheeling University's women's soccer team they won a close matchup to Notre Dame College in South Euclid, Ohio. The Cardinals used a second half spark to gain their first win of the season over the Falcons. Notre Dame took a 2-1 lead in the first half by scoring two quick goals early in the game. Then at the 23:05 mark of the first half Wheeling was able to get on board with a goal from Kenadee Burgoyne.
This gave the Cardinals momentum coming out in the second half as they trailed 2-1 but that changed quickly as Braedynn Porter scored her first goal at the 46-minute mark. Then for the next ten minutes of the second half Notre Dame had plenty of possessions and began shooting shots at the next but Mikayla Yarwood stayed grounded and made three keys saves. The game was going back and forth as both goalkeepers were each making key saves for their team. Then 68 minutes into the game Phepa Seopa found Taylynn DeBartolo in an open zone as she scored her second goal of the year. This score put the Cardinals up 3-2 as they held strong defensively to gain the win on the road.
DeBartolo offered a special moment for the Cardinals with her game winning score in the 68th minute. Almost a year ago to the day, DeBartolo gave the program their first ever win against Notre Dame College with a game winning goal that made it 3-2 Cardinals. On Wednesday, she did it again, creating a breakaway and finding the net for the game winning score. The Cardinals also saw Kenadee Burgoyne and Braedynn Porter each add goals to their season total in what was one of the Cardinals' best games of the season. With a conference win officially under their belt, Wheeling looks to continue to battle as they try and grab one of the top four spots in the Mountain East Conference (MEC) North Division and earn their first-ever MEC Tournament berth.
The Matchup
The Women's soccer team will be at home in their next match as they take on Alderson Broaddus in an MEC (Mountain East Conference) matchup. The Battlers are coming off a tie against Fairmont State which put them (0-2-2) on the season. Both teams are looking to come into the game and gain a key conference win. The Cardinals are (2-5) against the Battlers in their previous matchups but they are looking to use their momentum in the Notre Dame win to carry over.
The last time these two teams faced each other it ended in a tie with the lone goal coming from Shiann Thomas early in the first minutes of the game. This game ended up being a defensive matchup even though Cardinals outshot the Battlers 11-3 in the second half. Defensively for the Cardinals Mikayla Yarwood had a career-high with 10 saves in one day. Her strong defensive performance was good enough to keep the Battlers from scoring anymore points and keep it at a tie.
The Details
Kick-off for Sunday'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.
