Wheeling, W. Va. - Last week, the offense came to play as the Wheeling University Men's Lacrosse team (1-0, 0-0) got off to their first 1-0 start in program history. On Sunday, the Cardinals look to bring some of that offensive success home as they take on Holy Family University in their home opener with opening face-off at 1 PM. The Cardinals sit at 1-0 for the first time since the 2018 season and look to continue their success as they head through the non-conference portion of their schedule.
In that home opener, Wheeling Men's Lacrosse traveled to the USA Lacrosse facility in Sparks, Maryland for a neutral site match against Post. After taking an early lead, scoring two of the first three goals of the match, Post would come back and held an early 5-3 lead after the first quarter. The Cardinal's defense would then lock down as Wheeling scored five goals in the second, while only allowing one, and they went into the locker room with an 8-6 lead. After Post came out and tied things in the second half at 9-9, the Cardinals hit their run scoring six unanswered goals. Post would add two more at the end of the run, but the Cardinals would hold on for the 15-11 win to move to 1-0 on the season.
After tying with teammate Mike Andersson with a program record 64 points last season, sophomore Ty Taylor picked up right where he left off to lead the way on offense. He finished with a career-high five assists on the afternoon, to go along with two goals, for a total of seven points. He tied for the most efficient shooter for the Cardinals on the afternoon, putting four of his five shots on net, while picking up two ground balls and causing one turnover. Taylor looks to continue to be a fore on offense for the Cardinals this season and got things off to a strong start.
Helping out on the offensive side was a career-best effort from junior Dakota Strong, who finished with three goals and one assist on the night. He put three of his four shots on net and added four points as he already hit his career-high for goals in a season. During the 2023 season, Strong played more of a defensive role, and looks to step up as a leader on the offensive side for the Cardinals this season.The other Cardinal to hit the three-goal mark was senior Mike Andersson, who finished with three points on the night. Andersson set the program single-season goal record a season ago with 55 goals and looks to continue adding to his career numbers in 2024 as he chases down the 150-career goal plateau.
As February rolls on, the Cardinals will continue their string of non-conference play as they prepare for the Great Midwest Athletic Conference (GMAC) opener on March 13th. Their early season scheduled is littered with in-region opponents, but most of it will be played away from Bishop Schmitt Field. Of their five non-conference games to start the season, three will be played on the road and five of their first seven games will come on the road. Last season, the Cardinals fared better when they were away from Bishop Schmitt Field, going 4-1 in five road games, and they look to take advantage of that success this season before hitting a long home stretch to end the year.
The Matchup
The Cardinals and Tigers will be meeting for the first time in program history on Sunday, with Holy Family playing their inaugural Men's Lacrosse season in 2024. Their opener came Friday against Bethany College, before getting a day off Saturday. They will be playing the season as a member of the Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference (CACC) as they begin their run in Men's Lacrosse.
The Details
The opening face-off for Sunday's game is scheduled for 1 PM at Bishop Schmitt Field. You can watch the action live by clicking HERE or follow along with Live Stats by clicking HERE.
