Wheeling, W. Va. – Throughout the 2023 season, the Wheeling University Men's Lacrosse team (0–1, 0–0) will play over half of their games at home. On Friday, they return to Bishop Schmitt Field for the first of two weekend home games when they host Quincy University at 4 PM. The Cardinals showed a strong offensive attack in their season opener and are looking to continue that success in game number two.
Their season opener was on February 11th when they battled Roberts Wesleyan in their season opener. Over the first 10 minutes of play, neither team was able to get on the board before Wheeling broke through. They got the ball in the net at the 5:32 mark of the first quarter and the game was off and running. However, Roberts Wesleyan's offense was unrelenting, and they added 11 first half points. The Cardinals would get on the board three more times before the half was out, but went into the locker room trailing 11-4. As the second half began, the Cardinals began to find their groove, scoring three goals in both the third and fourth quarters. However, it wasn't enough to fully battle back as they reached double digits to open the season, but would fall to Roberts Wesleyan 20-10.
After leading the team with 36 goals last season, Mike Andersson got out to another hot start to 2023. Andersson led the way with four goals and added one assist, with three of those four goals coming during the team's six-goal second half. While leading the way on the scoreboard, Andersson also was efficient with his shooting throughout the day. Of his team-high nine shots taken, he was able to put seven on net for a shooting percentage of .777 shooting percentage. When he did put his shot on net, he also had a strong success rate, putting 57.1% of shots on net into the back of the net. Andersson looks to continue his success from the opener as he leads his team into the rest of the season.
Along with Andersson, the Cardinals had two other multi-goal scorers on the day with sophomore Ty Taylor and junior Jacob Knippel each getting on the board. Taylor set a new career high in his first career start, finishing with three goals while leading with two assists for five points. Taylor got the Cardinals on the board to start the game and is making the most of his opportunities. Knippel also started strongly, scoring two goals on the afternoon, and assisting on another for three points. Taylor, Andersson, and Knippel each look to be leaders for this offense this season as they continue through the 2023 season.
Wheeling Men's Lacrosse will have the benefit of playing at home for more than half of the season, including a big home stand to start the year. The Cardinals play each of their first four games of the season at home and six of their first seven on their home turf. The only exception is a road trip to Chowan on March 5th as the Cardinals look to take advantage of playing in front of their home fans. Wheeling played very well at home last season, going 4-2 in six games as they look to keep up that success here in 2023.
The Matchup
The Cardinals and Eagles are meeting for just the second time in program history on Friday, with Quincy taking the first matchup. This will be the first meeting between the two teams in Wheeling, West Virginia as the Cardinals look to welcome them to Bishop Schmitt Field. The first meeting would feature an offensive display for Quincy as they picked up the win 13-3 in Romeoville, Illinois.
The Cardinals would have goals scored by three different players as Mat Anderson, Mike Andersson, and Brody Fawver all getting in on the action. Gabriel Hennin and Dakota Strong would each pick up assists on the afternoon as Wheeling looks to avenge last season's loss.
The Details
The opening faceoff for Friday evening's match 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.
