Wheeling, W. Va. - The Wheeling University Women's Soccer team (2-2, 0-1) opened Mountain East Conference (MEC) play on Wednesday afternoon hosting Fairmont State. The Cardinals defense stepped up throughout the day, stopping several Fairmont State scoring chances, but it wasn't enough as the Cardinals fell 1-0. They played the defending MEC Champions down to the wire as they showed they can compete against some of the best competition in the conference.
Early on, the Cardinals were controlling possession taking three of the first four shots in the game. It started with a shot by Mary DiFonzo in the first minute and Talynn DeBartolo added a shot on goal in the eighth minute that was saved. DiFonzo would add one more shot on goal, but another save by Fairmont State's Olivia Johnston kept the Cardinals off the board. However, Wheeling starting goalkeeper Olivia Kqira was just as stingy through the first 25 minutes, coming through with four saves to keep it a 0-0 game. The Cardinals defense applied pressure on the Falcons throughout the afternoon and as the clock ticked past the 25 minute mark, it was a 0-0 game.
The Falcons would get on the board in the 26th minute, converting on a corner kick from Riley Miara as Lauren Dye found the net and put the Falcons up 1-0. Fairmont State kept the momentum for the rest of the quarter, as the Cardinals got off just one shot over the final 20 minutes of play. Fairmont State would outshoot the Cardinals 12-6 during that first half, but the Cardinals defense kept the Falcons at bay, heading into the locker room trailing by that 1-0 score. Kqira faced seven shots on goal during that first half and saved six of those shots to keep her team alive. As they began the second half, Wheeling was looking to get momentum going on offense and find a way on the score sheet.
The shots were a lot closer in that second half, with Fairmont State outshooting the Cardinals 8-5 over the final 45 minutes of play. Neither team was able to break through during that second half, and the Cardinals had a chance to tie the game late. After a save by Kqira in the 74th minute, the Cardinals would go back on the offensive as Talynn DeBartolo brought the ball up the field. She made a move past the Goalkeeper and had a shot at net. Unfortunately, Fairmont's Johnston dove to her right and made the save to keep it a 1-0 Fairmont State advantage. They would go on to win by that final 1-0 score, as the Cardinals dropped to 0-1 in MEC play.
Leading the offensive effort for the Cardinals was Mary DiFonzo, who finished with a team-high six shots, putting two of those on net. DiFonzo continues her strong junior season as she just couldn't find the net throughout the day. Talynn DeBartolo added three shots, one on goal, while Nyah Smith and Rilei Levesque each put a shot on net. Olivia Kqira had a big afternoon in net, making a season-high 12 saves on 13 shots faced on the day while the defensive unit of Ally Cook, Tayler Wells, and Zayna Hampton was able to keep the Falcons at bay.
The Wheeling University Women's Soccer team returns to action on Sunday, September 17th, when they host Frostburg State at 4 PM.
