Wheeling, W. Va. - After clinching their first spot in the Great Midwest Athletic Conference (GMAC) Tournament since the 2018 season, the battle is on for seeding for the Wheeling University Men's Lacrosse team (6-7, 3-4). They wrap up the regular season with their conference finale against Davis & Elkins on Wednesday night at 6 PM to determine who their first round matchup will be against. A win could have them as high as the #5 seed heading into the tournament, while a loss makes them the #6 seed in the tournament, with either option sending the team on the road.
Last time out, the Cardinals honored their seniors in a big way as they took on Virginia State University for their senior day. The Cardinal's offense came out early and often, scoring the first 13 goals of the day over the first quarter and change. By halftime, the team was staked to a 19-2 advantage and throughout the second half had the chance to get experience for their younger players. The team would see a milestone moment and two first career goals, as they put up six goals over the final 20 minutes of play. It ended with the Cardinals coming out on top 26-7 as they scored a season-high 26 goals, and put up the most goals since they scored 29 against D'Youville last season.
The Cardinals were led by the efforts of Mike Andersson, who scored a season-high seven goals to go along with three assists for a total of 10 points. He was also the team's leading shot taker on the day, taking 13 shots and putting nine of those on net for a .692 shot on goal percentage. In the game, Andersson became a member of an exclusive club in Wheeling Men's Lacrosse history, becoming the first player to reach the 150 goal mark since Derek Downs in the 2018 season. Andersson is the program's second all-time leading scorer, with 153 goals, and looks to continue to chase down the number one spot. It was the fourth time this season that Andersson has scored four or more goals in a game as he looks to continue his success into the postseason.
Behind Andersson, the Cardinals had two other players reach the four goal mark in Ty Taylor and Brody Fawver. For Fawver, it was a career-high effort as he scored four goals on five shots on net. He was the Cardinal's most efficient shooter on the day, putting five of his six shots on net, and it capped off a big day where not only did he celebrate senior day, but also received his nurses pin. For Taylor, it was the second time he scored four or more goals in a game this season, as he added a team-high three assists for seven points. Taylor has been the team's leader in assists this season, with 27 through the team's 13 games, and he looks to continue to play a big role on the offense down the stretch.
As they head into this final regular season games, the Cardinals essentially have two seeding possibilities. If they win, they will end in a three-way tie with Walsh and Malone and due to tiebreakers would end up as the #5 seed with a possible trip to North Canton, Ohio to play Walsh. However, if the Cardinals fall to Davis & Elkins, they would lock themselves in to the #6 seed and would have a trip to Painesville, Ohio in front of them to take on Lake Erie College. The Cardinals have been competitive in the conference throughout the season and they are looking to finish strong as they compete for the program's first-ever GMAC Championship.
The Matchup
The Cardinals and Senators are meeting for the seventh time in program history on Wednesday, with Wheeling leading the all-time series at 6-2. They have identical 3-1 records on the road and at Bishop Schmitt Field, while the Cardinals have averaged 17.75 goals per game in the all-time series. The last two meetings between the two teams have gone to the Cardinals as they look to continue their winning ways on Wednesday.
In their most recent meeting, the Cardinals went to Elkins, West Virginia, and picked up a close 20-18 win. Wheeling was led by a big day from Ty Taylor, who scored seven goals and added one assist to total a team-high eight points in the win. Mike Andersson added five goals and six points while goalkeeper Austin Hall made 15 saves on 33 shots faced on the day.
The Details
Opening faceoff for Wednesday night's game is scheduled for 6 PM at Bishop Schmitt Field. You can watch the game live by clicking HERE or follow along with Live Stats by clicking HERE.
