Wheeling, W. Va—After conceding a Mountain East Conference (MEC) loss to Frostburg State last Wednesday, Wheeling Women's Soccer (4-11-1) (3-9-1) will travel to Salem, W.V., to take on the Tigers in a non-conference matchup in hopes of breaking the two-game skid.
The Cardinals took on the Bobcats for the second and last time in the regular season. Frostburg State wasted little time firing up the offense. Jayme Sooy got on the board first in the 13th minute. Then, in the 17th minute, FSU capitalized off a rebound in the box to go up by two. The two teams battled for possession across the field, but the Bobcats found the back of the net again in the back part of the first half to make it 3-0.
The Bobcats picked right back where they left off to start the second half. They hogged the ball, and in the 53rd minute, Carly Gillette stretched the lead to four. Despite the deficit, the Cardinals played much better in the second half, spearheaded by the play of Mary DiFonzo. After being denied by Frostburg's Katie Sterne, DiFonzo broke through and snatched the shutout away from her in the 63rd minute. Wheeling fought hard for the remainder of the match but ultimately fell short to the Bobcats 4-1.
The Matchup
The Cardinals and the Tigers met earlier this season in September and saw Wheeling dominate their opponent 6-0 at Bishop Schmitt Field. In that game, Mary DiFonzo started the scoring off, then Lily Hanna, and then DiFonzo was back on the board again to end the first half. Graceylyn Hanna, Talynn DeBartolo, and Nyah Smith recorded a goal each in the second half. The Cardinals outshot the Tigers by 50 with 29, requiring an effort from SU goalkeeper Sarah Cabrera.
The Cardinals have bested the Tigers in all 13 meetings between the two schools. Salem will be looking for not only its first win against Wheeling but also its first win of the season in its final home game.
The Details
The Wheeling Women's Soccer team will play the Salem Tigers on Sunday, November 3rd, at 4 p.m. LiveStats for the contest can be viewed HERE.
