Wheeling, W. Va. – The final three weeks of the Great Midwest Athletic Conference (GMAC) regular season are here and the race for the Tournament is on. The Wheeling University Men's Lacrosse team (4-8, 2-2) looks to get back to that tournament for the first time since the 2018 season as they hit the road to face Lake Erie on Saturday at 3 PM. A win would go a long way towards helping the Cardinals get back to the tournament and would also give them their best season since 2018.

Last time out, the Cardinals took on the top dogs in the GMAC when they faced #14 Seton Hill. In the early going, the Cardinals were able to hold Seton Hill off the board thanks to the work of their defense. As a team, the Cardinals made 18 of their 30 saves in the game's first half and held the lead on two separate occasions. They had a 1-0 lead halfway through the first quarter and extended that to 3-1 by the start of the second quarter. However, the Griffins showed why they are a nationally ranked team, rattling off 17 straight goals between the second and third quarters. The Cardinals would bounce back in the fourth, going shot for shot with the Griffins with five goals, but it was too little too late as Wheeling fell 22-8.

The leader of that early Cardinal's defensive effort was goalkeeper Austin Hall, who played one of the best games of his collegiate career. He finished with a single-game record 26 saves on 44 shots in the game, finishing with a .591 save percentage on the day. He finished with nine saves in each of the first two quarters while facing a barrage of 25 shots on net. Hall has been a welcome edition to the Cardinals defense this season and has been one of the top goalies in the GMAC. He is third in the conference with 179 saves and is also sitting with the third highest saves per game average on the conference at 16.27. Hall will continue to be relied on for his strong defense throughout the season as he sets up the offense for success.

That offense is led by junior Mike Andersson, who will once again be chasing down history. Entering Saturday's game, Andersson needs one goal to tie the single-season goal record and needs just two goals to reach the 100 goal mark for his career. He was held off the board for the first time this season against Seton Hill, but he continues to lead the GMAC with his 45 goals this season and his 3.73 goals per game average. Even though Andersson didn't score, Jack Rowe picked him up with three goals and one assist. All three of Rowe's goals came in the final quarter, as he scored the first two goals and was involved in the first four goals of the quarter. Rowe has been a spark off the bench for the Cardinals and looks to continue to do that down the stretch.

Entering play on Saturday, the Cardinals are sitting in a three-way tie for the final playoff spot in the conference. They sit at 2-2 with Walsh and Davis & Elkins and are just a half game behind LakWe Erie for third. A win on Saturday would push Wheeling into that #3 spot in the conference as they head into the final two weeks of the regular season. However, if they end up falling to the Storm, they would move 1.5 games back from Lake Erie and would have a lot of work to do to get into the tournament. With Anderson Broaddus next week and #4 Mercyhurst looming for the last game of the season, Wheeling is looking to get a big win tomorrow to give them the inside track towards the GMAC tournament.

The Matchup

The Cardinals and Storm are meeting for the 14th time in program history on Saturday, with Lake Erie leading the all-time series at 10-3. Wheeling has faired better in road games in the series, going 2-4 in Gainesville, Ohio, compared to a 1-5 record at Bishop Schmitt Field. The Cardinals are looking to break a four-game losing streak against the Storm dating back to the 2017 season.

Last season, the two teams met at Bishop Schmitt Field in a game that Lake Erie would win 11-6. Mike Andersson led the way with three goals in the game and was the only multi- goal scorer for the Cardinals. The other three goals would come from Jacob Knippel, Mitchell Park, and Brenner Chase to round out the offense.

The Details

The opening face-off for Saturday's game is scheduled for 3 PM at Jack Britt Memorial stadium on the campus of Lake Erie College. You can watch the game live by clicking HERE.