Wheeling, W. Va. – The 2023-2024 Wheeling University Athletics season officially opened on Thursday at Bishop Schmitt Field. The Wheeling Women's Soccer team (1-0, 0-0) opened the year with a shutout in front of the home crowd as they defeated Lincoln 2-0. They got a goal at the end of the first half and that was all they needed as the defense pitched their first shutout of the season.
The Cardinal's offense controlled the game for most of the 90 minutes, outshooting the Lions in each of the two halves. In the first half, they outshot Lincoln 16-0, but weren't nearly as efficient as they were in the second half, with five of their first six shots were off target. However, Wheeling didn't let that shake their confidence as every opportunity they got they just kept shooting. That confidence would pay off as the half came to a close. With just over seven minutes to play in the half, Talynn DeBartolo possessed the ball and was one on one coming down the field. She made a move to get past the keeper and had a wide-open shot on net. However, she ended up hitting the cross bar and rattled back into the Cardinal's offensive zone. Mary DiFonzo didn't give up on the play and picked up the rebound, shooting it into the bottom right corner of the net to give Wheeling a 1-0 lead.
That 1-0 score would stand as the team's went into halftime, and Wheeling looked to continue to create scoring opportunities. Of their 16 shots in the first half, only six of those were on goal, and the team looked to be more efficient in the second half. They came out just as strong in that second half, with Talynn DeBartolo leading the charge with three shots over the first six minutes of play. After not getting a shot off in the first half, Lincoln would get their first opportunity in the game's 53rd minute as Justyce King would attempt a Penalty Kick. She shot the ball towards the bottom right corner of the net and Sam Faulkner dove to her left to make the save and preserve the shutout.
Faulkner had subbed in just before halftime to replace starter Olivia Kqira, and did her job to preserve the shutout. The Cardinals rewarded Faulkner for her efforts in the 69th minute of the game as the Cardinals were back on the offensive. Freshman Nyah Smith was one-on-one on the far side of the field and shot the ball past a diving goalie to give Wheeling a 2-0 lead. It was the first goal of Smith's career and all but sealed the game for the Cardinals. Faulkner would face one more Lincoln scoring opportunity with just over 18 minutes to go in the game. Wheeling got called for an offsides that gave Lincoln the ball, and they would make their way up field. The Lion's Grace Quiah got the ball in the front of the net and took a shot at the bottom left corner and Faulkner once again dove to her left to preserve the shutout. The Cardinals would go on to win by that 2-0 score and moved to 1-0 on the season.
The two Cardinal goals came from two different players as Mary DiFonzo and Nyah Smith each got on the score sheet for Wheeling. DuFonzo would tie with teammate Talynn DeBartolo for the team lead with 11 shots, while Rilei Levesque added three shots of her own. Olivia Kqira got the start in net for the Cardinals but didn't face any offense in her 45 minutes. Sam Faulkner played the game's final 45 minutes and would face two shots, saving both to secure the combined shutout. The Cardinals start the season 1-0 for the second time in the last three years as they look to carry their momentum into next week.
The Wheeling University Women's Soccer team returns to action on Wednesday, September 6th, when they host Malone University at 4 PM.
