Wheeling, W. Va. - Over the past week, the Wheeling University Women's Soccer team (2-4, 2-2) has been rolling with back-to-back conference wins. They carry that momentum with them into rivalry night as they get set to host West Liberty University in "The Battle for Wheeling" at Bishop Schmitt Field Wednesday night at 5 PM. Over their last two games, the offense has played a key role in the team's success, scoring three plus goals in each of those games.
Their most recent game came on Sunday against Alderson Broaddus and there was plenty of offense on display. The two teams combined for eight goals on the day, with four of those eight goals coming in the second half of the game. Wheeling took an early 2-1 lead in the first half and looked to ride that momentum into halftime. However, a Battler goal in the 44th minute tied the game and took Wheeling back to the drawing board as they tried to get back in front. Afte falling behind 3-2 on a Battler goal in the 61st minute, Medina Doka got Wheeling back on the board with her first career goal to tie the game and her second career goal to win the game in the 81st minute. Wheeling would hold on to win 5-3 and evened their conference record at 2-2.
It was a big day for the freshman Doka as she scored the first two goals of her career in one of the biggest moments of the game. On the first goal, she made moves around a few defenders to create the open shot and on the second she got a perfect pass that she was able to put in the net. Mary DiFonzo also added a two-goal game, her first two goals of the season, as the Cardinals came to life. Over their last four games, the Cardinals have averaged 2.25 goals per game and are looking to add to that total on Wednesday night.
Wednesday won't only feature the rivalry on the field, but a career milestone watch on the defensive end. Fifth-year senior Goalkeeper Mikayla Yarwood enters Wednesday night's game needing just 10 saves to tie the all-time career saves record in Wheeling Women's Soccer history. She enters the game with 209 saves in her career, 48 of those coming this season as she leads the Mountain East Conference (MEC). Against Alderson Broaddus, Yarwood finished with five saves on eight shots faced throughout the night and has averaged eight saves per game. She will need to be just better than her average to break the record against her team's biggest rival.
As we reach the final two weeks of September, the Cardinals find themselves in prime positioning in the MEC North Division standings. They currently hold the #3 spot in the North Division, sitting .5 game ahead of Notre Dame College. With contests against West Liberty and Alderson Broaddus this week, the Cardinals are looking to keep their winning streak going and heighten their standing in the conference. However, with four games remaining against both Frostburg State and Fairmont State and one more against Notre Dame College, the Cardinals look to bear down and rack up as many wins as they can to help set them up for a chance at their first-ever MEC Playoff berth.
The Matchup
The Cardinals and Hilltoppers will be meeting for the 20th time in program history on Wednesday, with West Liberty leading the all-time series at 13-5-1. However, the Cardinals have been much more successful at home in the matchup, posting a 4-6 record compared to a 1-7-1 mark on the road, and look to use the home field to their advantage. In their last meeting Wheeling took down West Liberty in the final game of the 2021 regular season in what was a 2-1 win for the Cardinals.
It was a scoreless back and forth game for the first 85 minutes with neither team being able to break through. Then, in the 85th minute, the Cardinals got a big goal from Kenadee Burgoyne to give them the late 1-0 lead. Burgoyne added another goal in the 88th minute to seal what was a big victory for the Cardinals. Mikayla Yarwood earned the shutout in that game, making seven saves on seven shots faced on net.
The Details
Kick-off for Wednesday night's game is scheduled for 5 PM at Bishop Schmitt Field and it is a red-out, all fans are asked to come wearing red. You can watch the game live by clicking HERE or follow along with Live Stats by clicking HERE.
