Wheeling, W. Va. - Throughout the early part of the 2023 season, the Wheeling University Men's Lacrosse team (0-3, 0-0) has had the luxury of playing a lot of their games at home. They wrap up a four-game homestand to start the season on Wednesday, when they host D'Youville University with the opening faceoff at 4 PM. The Cardinals have been playing some very competitive games early in the season and they look to have that success for a full 60 minutes and pick up their first win of the 2023 season.
Last time out, the Cardinals faced off with nationally ranked Rockhurst University back on February 19th and battled to an 11-6 defeat. Early on, the Cardinals competed right along with the Hawks and battled back after allowing two quick Rockhurst goals off the bat. Wheeling responded with two of their own and after one quarter, they trailed 4-2. However, the second quarter was all Wheeling as they scored four unanswered goals and headed into halftime with a 6-4 advantage. However, Rockhurst came out strong in the second half, showing why they are nationally ranked and scored the final seven goals of the day to go on to win 11-6. Wheeling showed that they could compete right along with some of the best in the country and look to continue their growth this week.
One of the keys to the Cardinal's first half success was their defense and it was led by goalkeeper Austin Hall. Hall finished the day with 17 saves on 28 shots faced for a 61% save percentage. Hall made six saves in the first half, but really went to work in the second half as Rockhurst put more and more shots on net. He made seven saves in the third quarter and four in the fourth for a total of 11 on 17 shots in the second half (64.7%). Hall has been a spark plug for the Cardinal's defense this season and looks to continue to lead them through this tough non-conference schedule.
On the offensive end, junior Mike Andersson is once again leading the Cardinals, and added three goals to his ledger against Rockhurst. Andersson currently leads the Cardinals with 10 goals this season and is shooting .400 through the first three games. He has added to that a .640 shooting percentage on shots on net and is tied for fifth in the MEC with his 10 goals. Sophomore Ty Taylor has also come up strong in the first three games, leading the way with five assists and sitting second with six goals. He and Andersson are tied for the team lead with 11 goals and Taylor is currently sitting ninth in the Great Midwest Athletic Conference (GMAC) in assists this season.
The Cardinals continue through this tough non-conference stretch with two more non-conference bills before the start of GMAC play. They have been a strong offensive team this season, scoring at least six goals in each of their first three games and have been leading or tied at halftime in two of those three games. As they get set to take on some of the powerhouses in the GMAC like Seton Hill and Mercyhurst, that offensive success will be key moving forward. Last season, they were just outside of getting a GMAC playoff spot
The Matchup
The Cardinals and Saints will be meeting for the first time in program history on Wednesday as D'Youville is playing in their second full season as a program. They went 0-11 in their inaugural season back in 2022, but picked up their first win in program history earlier this year against Dominican (NY). Wheeling looks to open up the matchup with the Saints on a high note as they welcome them to Bishop Schmitt Field.
Wheeling is in a similar situation to D'Youville, playing in just their third full season since fully reinstating the program during the 2021 season. The Cardinals had their best season since the resurgence last year, going 4-9, and are looking to translate that success into their first GMAC playoff run since the 2018 season this year.
The Details
The opening face-off for Wednesday'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.
