Wheeling, W. Va.- After opening the season with a win, the Wheeling University Women's Soccer team (1-0, 0-0) looks to keep their momentum going at Bishop Schmitt Field. They continue their non-conference slate on Wednesday, September 6th, when they take on Malone with kick-off at 4 PM. The Cardinals will be looking to start the season 2-0 for the first time since the 2005 season, as they prepare for their Mountain East Conference (MEC) schedule.
Last time out, the Cardinals opened the 2023 season when they faced Lincoln University in front of their home crowd. It took a while for both offenses to get going, but the Cardinals controlled the ball throughout the afternoon. Wheeling outshot Lincoln 16-1 in the first half, but of those 19 shots, only four landed on net. Wheeling was able to get on the board in the game's 41st minute and headed into the locker room ahead 1-0. The second half continued to be a defensive struggle, with Wheeling once again notching the only goal of the half to take a 2-0 lead. Lincoln put their only two shots on net for the game in that second half, but both were saved as Wheeling preserved their first shutout of the 2023 season.
The win would not have been possible without the work of sophomore Sam Faulkner, who subbed in for the Cardinals to start the second half. Within eight minutes of her subbing in, she would be tested as Lincoln's Justyce King got a Penalty Kick opportunity. Faulkner quickly dove to her right to make the save and keep it a 1-0 Cardinal advantage. After Wheeling added an insurance goal, Faulkner would be tested again in the 79th minute and once again came through with the save. They were the only two shots put on net by the Lions on the day, but without Faulkner's work the game could have ended in a draw. Faulkner finished 2022 with a .676 save percentage a year ago and will work with fellow goalkeeper Olivia Kqira to lead the Cardinal's defensive effort.
On the offensive side of the ball, the Cardinals spread the ball around nicely, with 13 different Cardinals taking at least one shot in the effort. Junior Mary DiFonzo picked up right where she left off in 2022, scoring the team's first goal of the day, tying for the team lead with 11 shots, and leading the team with six shots on goal. She is coming off a career season for the Cardinals a year ago that saw her score eight goals and seven assists, and she looks to help spread the ball around and create her own scoring opportunities this year. There was also a first for freshman Nyah Smith, who scored the first collegiate goal of her career. The score came in the game's 79th minute and gave the Cardinals the insurance they needed to pick up the win.
When Head Coach Emmanuel Awotula scheduled these two non-conference games, he did so with the intention of playing two different types of teams before conference play. With Lincoln, he scheduled a fast team that was going to challenge the Cardinals throughout the match, however, with Malone he sees a more technical team that will force the Cardinals to do the little things right. With three of their first four games of the season coming at home, the Cardinals will have plenty of opportunities on their home field as they look to get out to a 2-0 start for the first time since the 2005 season. They kick-off conference play one week from today and will use this current stretch to get ready to take on some of the top teams in the conference.
The Matchup
The Cardinals and Pioneers will be meeting for just the second time in program history on Wednesday, with Malone leading the all-time series at 1-0. The previous meeting also came at Bishop Schmitt Field back in 2019 in what was a close one-goal affair. The Cardinals will be looking to avenge their loss from 2019 and even the series moving forward. In that most recent meeting, Malone would take down Wheeling 3-2 back on September 11th, 2019.
The Cardinals were led in that game by former Cardinal Kenadee Burgoyne, who notched both of her team's goals in the contest. Burgoyne tied for the team lead in shots with former Cardinal Marley Magruder, with each finishing with four and the team putting six of their 14 shots on the day on net. Former Cardinal Megan Herter got the start in net for Wheeling in that matchup and finished with eight saves on 11 shots faced.
The Details
Kick-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.
