Wheeling, W. Va. – After a big win on Sunday, the Wheeling University Women's Soccer team (4-7-2, 2-6-2) are looking to keep the momentum going as they enter the final three week stretch. They return home on Wednesday afternoon for a non-conference battle with Salem, as they look to keep things rolling. With a game with huge playoff implications coming on Sunday, the Cardinals will look to make sure they're healthy and ready to go for the final playoff push.
They headed into Sunday's match against Glenville State needing to pull out a big win, and they did just that taking down the Pioneers 2-1. The Cardinals were outshot in the game 14-4, but they made the most of their opportunities when they did come. Of those four shots, the Cardinals were able to put three on net and have two of those hit the back of the net. They got on the board first in the game's 16th minute, which has been big for the team this year with them going 4-0-2 when they score first in games this season. 20 minutes later, the Cardinals were on the board again as they went up 2-1, continuing another trend as they remained undefeated when scoring two or more goals at 4-0-1. The win gave the Cardinals three big points in the conference standings and is setting up what is set to be a big week of competition.
Leading the way for the Cardinals on offense was junior Talynn DeBartolo, who netted a goal and added an assist while taking one shot on the day. With the goal, DeBartolo has set her new career-high with six goals as she leads the team heading into the final five-game stretch of the regular season. DeBartolo has come to life down the stretch, scoring five goals over her last seven games and holds a .304 shooting percentage and a .608 shot on goal percentage. With the addition of fellow junior Mary DiFonzo to the front line with the Cardinals being fully healthy, the duo looks to cause headaches for opposing defenses while creating scoring opportunities for the team.
With the early offense, the Cardinals had to rely on their defense to hold off the Pioneers over the final 54 minutes of play and they did just that. In the second half, the Cardinals were outshot 9-2 with the Pioneers putting four of those nine shots on net. As she has done all season long, goalkeeper Olivia Kqira was able to keep them at bay, making all four saves to preserve the Cardinal's one-goal lead. In total, the junior made five saves on six shots faced throughout the afternoon for a save percentage of .833. For the season, Kqira has a .786 save percentage and has allowed three goals or fewer in six of her 13 games played this season. With the addition of Ally Cook to the backline after her return to injury, the defense looks to continue its success and keep the ball on the Cardinal's offensive end.
With five games left in the regular season, the Cardinals are sitting just outside the fray of the final playoff spot in the MEC North Division. They sit two points behind Fairmont State for the final spot in the Division and, despite Wednesday night's game not being a conference match, the Cardinals look to keep their momentum going from Sunday. The Falcons travel up the hill for a matchup with West Liberty on Wednesday afternoon and a Falcon loss would set up an opportunity for the Cardinals to overtake the Falcons for that fourth spot this weekend. First, the Cardinals will look to take care of Salem on Wednesday and come out of the game healthy and ready for their Sunday showdown.
The Matchup
The Cardinals and Tigers are meeting for the 11th time in program history on Wednesday, and the second time during the 2023 season. Wheeling leads the all-time series with a record of 10-0 against Salem, which includes a 5-0 record in Wheeling, West Virginia. It has been a high scoring series for the Cardinals, with Wheeling averaging 7.2 goals per game during the series and have scored less than four games against Salem only once in the series' history. Each of the last two games have been played in Salem, West Virginia, and this will be the first meeting between the two teams in Wheeling since October 24th, 2008.
In their first meeting of the year, the Cardinals walked away with a 5-1 victory on the road as their offense had their second highest output of the season. Mary DiFonzo led the offense with two goals in the game, while Nyah Smith, Talynn DeBartolo, and Olivia Hoban all made their way onto the scoresheet. Olivia Kqira got the start, not facing a shot over her 45 minutes of play, while Sam Faulkner conceded the lone goal in the second half in her 45 minutes of play.
The Details
Kick-off for Wednesday afternoon's game is scheduled for 4 PM at Bishop Schmitt Field. You can watch the game live by clicking HERE or follow along with Live Stats by clicking HERE.
