Wheeling, W. Va. – On Sunday, the Wheeling University Women's Soccer team (5-8-2, 2-7-2) fell to Fairmont State as they continue the road to the Mountain East Conference (MEC) Tournament. With their MEC Tournament hopes still alive and well, the team hits the road on Wednesday as they take on Frostburg State with kick-off at 5 PM. The Cardinals have to win at least two of their final three games to get into the tournament, and they look to start that trend hot on the road.
On Sunday, the Cardinals took on Fairmont State in Fairmont, West Virginia, with the offense coming off a huge game earlier in the week. Wheeling would take the early advantage, getting on the board in the sixth minute as they took a 1-0 advantage. However, after that Fairmont State got going with goals in the 22nd and 26th minutes as they took a 2-1 lead. The Cardinals would enter the half with that same one-goal deficit and looked to get going in the second half. It took them thirty minutes into the new half, but Mary DiFonzo got on the board to tie the game at 2-2. However, in that same 76th minute, Fairmont State got on the board and added another nine minutes later. Wheeling would add one more goal before the half was out, but it wasn't enough as they fell to the Falcons 4-3.
All three Cardinal goals came courtesy of Mary DiFonzo, who recorded her second straight hat trick in the loss. She was responsible for all three Cardinal goals on the afternoon and has scored six goals over the last two games. The effort moved her into the team lead with 11 goals, and broke her old career-high of eight, which she set last year. Not only is DiFonzo the top scorer for the Cardinals, but she is also one of the top scorers in the entire conference. She enters Wednesday sitting in a tie for second in the conference in goals, tied with Glenville State's Merel Smetz, and leads the conference with 58 shots taken. For her efforts, DiFonzo earned the MEC's Women's Soccer Offensive Player of the Week award for the first time in her career.
As a whole, the Cardinals offense has stepped up over the last week, scoring multiple goals in each of their last three games. They accounted for 16 goals during that stretch, after scoring just 20 goals in the 12 previous games. As a team, the more goals they score the more successful they have been, going 4-1-2 in games where they score first and 4-1-1 in games where they score two or more goals. Sunday's game against Fairmont State was the first game this year that the Cardinals have lost, both when they score first and when they score multiple goals. They look to continue putting up multi-goal efforts down the stretch as they try to battle their way into that fourth and final playoff spot from the MEC North Division.
With just three games remaining on the 2023 schedule, the push for the MEC Tournament is on as the Cardinals currently sit six points behind West Liberty for the final playoff spot. In order for the Cardinals to clinch the #4 seed, they would need to win at least two of their final three games and have West Liberty drop their final two conference games of the season. The team is still alive for the #3 seed as well but would need to win out and have both Fairmont State and West Liberty lose their final two MEC games to secure the #3 seed in the tournament. Wheeling will take on Frostburg State, Notre Dame College, and West Liberty down the stretch, while Fairmont State plays Frostburg State and Notre Dame College and West Liberty plays Frostburg State and Wheeling. A lot can happen over these final three games, and the Cardinals are looking to make their second consecutive trip to the tournament.
The Matchup
The Cardinals and Bobcats are meeting for the ninth time in program history on Wednesday and the second time during the 2023 season. Frostburg State leads the all-time series with a record of 6-1-1 and has won every game played in Frostburg, Maryland. The Cardinals will be looking for their first win against the Bobcats since the 2020 COVID season and added a tie against the Bobcats last season to break what was a three-game skid.
In their last meeting, the Cardinals fell to the Bobcats 3-1 in a tightly contests contest at Bishop Schmitt Field. Freshman Nyah Smith led the offense with the lone goal of the day, putting her only shot of the day on goal. Olivia Kqira did her job in net to keep the game close, setting the program's single-game saves record with 18 on 21 shots faced on the afternoon.
The Details
Kick-off for Wednesday night's game is scheduled for 5 PM at Bobcat Stadium on the campus of Frostburg State University. You can watch the game live by clicking HERE or follow along with Live Stats by clicking HERE.
