Wheeling, W. Va. - Entering the season, the Wheeling University Women's Soccer team had expectations of making it back to the 2023 Mountain East Conference (MEC) Tournament. While they ended up falling one gam shy of cracking the top four in the Division, they had some strong showings to build off of as they head into the off-season. With a young team that is set to return many of its key players from this season, they look to use that experience as they grow into the 2024 season and beyond.
The season started out strong for the Cardinals as they went through their non-conference schedule, opening the year with a 2-0 win over Lincoln. They added another win against Salem 5-1 two games later and were off and running with a 2-1 start to the year. However, as they jumped into MEC play, they faced the top teams from the MEC North, dropping three straight to start the run. They got back on track with a 3-3 tie against West Liberty on September 24th, and got their first conference win over Davis & Elkins 6-3 to start the month of October to move to 1-4-1 in conference play. It would be the start of a big month for the Cardinals, as they went 3-2-1 over their next six games, including a 2-2-1 record in MEC play.
Included in that run was the Cardinal's biggest offensive output since the 2009 season, when they picked up an 11-0 win against Salem on their home field. As the stretch run for the tournament began, the Cardinals sat in good position at 2-6-2, and needed three big wins down the stretch to claim their spot. Unfortunately, the Cardinals were unable to get those wins, falling to Fairmont State, Frostburg State, and Notre Dame College to eliminate them from playoff contention. They finished the year with a senior day special against West Liberty, as they honored Zayna Hampton, Olivia Hoban, and Tsigereda Mulugeta for their contributions. In the end, they fell 5-1 to bring the 2023 season to a close as they head to the off-season.
Despite falling short of the tournament, the Cardinals had several players step up and show they can be a part of the team's success in the future. Leading the group was junior Mary DiFonzo, who set a new career-high with 13 goals and 31 points as she led the Cardinal's offensive effort. She picked up the first two hat tricks of her career during the season and led the team in goals (13), assists (5), points (31), shots (65), and shots on goal (43). Not only was DiFonzo the top scorer for the Cardinals, but she was one of the top offensive players in the conference, leading the way with 65 shots taken while sitting second in goals (13) and shots per game (3.61). She earned Honorable Mention All-MEC honors for her effort, the third All-MEC award of her career, as she continues to be a leader for the team.
On the defensive side, Olivia Kqira took over in net for the Cardinals and was the second Honorable Mention All-MEC award winner for the Cardinals. Kqira led the MEC with 128 saves this past season and finished with a .753 save percentage in her 18 games played this season. She started all but one game for the Cardinals during the year and allowed an average of 2.66 goals per game. Her biggest effort of the year came on September 17th against Frostburg State, when the junior broke the Wheeling single-game save record with 18 against the Bobcats. The final All-MEC honoree for the Cardinals was freshman Nyah Smith, who earned a spot on the All-MEC Freshman team. Smith burst onto the scene for the Cardinals in her freshman season, finishing with six goals, three assists, and 15 points in her debut. She was second among freshmen in scoring and looks to continue to grow this off-season.
With the 2023 season in the rearview mirror, the Wheeling University Women's Soccer team now heads into the off-season as they continue to recruit and grow their roster for success in 2024.
