Early on in the game, the Cardinals were controlling the time of possession, but couldn't put their shots on net. Lily Hanna and Graceylyn Hanna combined for the first three shots of the day, but none of those three shots would hit on net. West Virginia Wesleyan's first shot would come in the 20th minute and, like the Cardinals, the shot did not find the net. Both defenses were holding strong and neither team was able to put a shot on net through the first 30 minutes of play. That would change in the 33rd minute when Mary DiFonzo pushed the ball up field. She would take her shot and the Bobcat's Paige Miller made the save to keep the game scoreless. It would be the only shot on net for the entire half, and the two teams went into the locker room with the game tied at 0-0.
 

Wheeling held a slight shot advantage in the first half, outshooting the Bobcats 6-5, but only two shots between the two teams hit goal. Each goalkeeper has made a save to that point and both offenses were looking to break through. Just one minute into the new half, Kaitlyn Osorio would put a shot on net that was saved by Miller. A minute later, Ava Badallo of the Bobcats would send a shot on net, and Olivia Kqira would make save #2 on the day. She would make a second save in the 48th minute and her offense would reward her two minutes later. After DiFonzo sent a shot off net in the 49th minute, the Cardinals were pushing again. Olivia Hoban would pass the ball from the midfield and found Talynn DeBartolo on the outside.
 

DeBartolo crossed the ball to the middle and DiFonzo was there to put it into the back of the net and make it a 1-0 Cardinal lead. West Virginia Wesleyan would immediately counter, with a shot on net in the 53rd minute, but another Kqira save kept the shutout in tact. Over the final 38 minutes of play, the teams combined to take just two shots, with the Bobcats making their final push in the 73rd minute. Kqira would pick up her fourth save of the half and helped the Cardinals complete the shutout. The ball would bounce around the midfield for the rest of the game and as the final whistle blew, Wheeling walked away with a 1-0 win. The win keeps the Cardinals in third in the MEC North as they look to build momentum at the end of October.
 

Leading the way for the Cardinals was Mary DiFonzo, who finished with a goal while leading the team with five shots, putting two on goal. It was DiFonzo's team-leading seventh goal and moves her to 40 points to lead the Cardinals on the season. Wheeling had a pair of assists on the play, courtesy of Olivia Hoban and Talynn DeBartolo to wrap up the scoring. Lily Hanna would take three shots on day, while Kaitlyn Osorio added a shot on net to round out the offense. Olivia Kqira bounced back in a big way for the Cardinals, picking up her second shutout of the season.
 

The Wheeling University Women's Soccer team returns to action on Sunday, October 20th, when they host Glenville State with kick-off at 4 PM.