After feeling each other out through the first 20 minutes of play, the Cardinals would be first on the board in the 24th minute as they took a 1-0 lead. It was one of four shots taken by the Cardinals in the game's first half, with three of those shots going on net. Lincoln would add the game-tying mark in the 40th minute and the team's would head into the locker room with the score standing at 1-1. The Cardinal defense held strong through the first half, only allowing two shots on goal and they would continue that success into the second half. Wheeling would retake the lead in the 62nd minute and the offense would end up outshooting Lincoln in the second half 9-7. However, two of those seven Lion shots would find the back of the net and, despite a last second effort from the Cardinals, they would end up falling 3-2.
 

Despite the loss, it was a big day for Wheeling freshman Lily Hanna, who tallied her first career goal in the effort. The goal came in the game's 62nd minute as Hanna got the ball in the Cardinals defensive zone. She took the ball up past the 50-yard line and made her move around a pair of Lincoln defenders. With green in front of her, she took her shot and sent it into the back of the net to give Wheeling what at the time was a 2-1 lead. Although the score didn't stand, Hanna finished with a string out g taking two shots and putting one on net for the goal. It was also a special goal for Hanna, who wears #22 this season, which was originally worn by her mom Carrie (Plute) Hanna, who is the program's all-time leading scorer. She hopes there are many more goals in the #22 jersey as she continues through her freshman season.
 

The other goal on the day came courtesy of Mary DiFonzo, who scored in the 24th minute of the game to give the Cardinals the lead. She was the team's leading shooter on the day, taking three shots and putting one of them on net. DiFonzo set a career-high with 13 goals a season ago and with more depth on the team she can focus on being one of the primary scorers for the Cardinals this season. The Cardinals also put together one final push in the final seconds thanks to Kaitlyn Osorio. She would sub into the game in the 86th minute and made the most of her opportunity. After DiFonzo sent a shot high, Osorio would fire back-to-back shots on goal, but unfortunately both would be saved by Lincoln's Ariel Reyes.
 

As they enter Wednesday's matchup, the Cardinals are looking to get back on track in what will be their final tune-up before officially jumping into their conference schedule. It will also be a brief reprieve from their season opening road trip, which sees them play four of their first five games away from Bishop Schmitt Field. Head Coach Emmanuel Awotula picked these two non-conference opponents because both will give the team a good look at what they will face in the conference. When talking about Malone, he said they are a very technical team that will help them prepare for the strategy they will see from the conference. Wheeling is looking to shut the Pioneers down before jumping into MEC play with the a brand new conference opponent on Sunday.
 

The Matchup
 

The Cardinals and Pioneers are meeting for just the third time in program history on Wednesday, with Malone winning each of the first two meetings. It is the second straight year that the teams have met, but will be the first time that Wheeling has made the trip to Canton, Ohio. Wheeling scored two goals in the first meeting between the two teams, before being shutout last season, for an average of one goal per game. As they hit the road for the first time in the series, they look to continue the run of road team victories as they look for win #1.
 

In their most recent meeting, Malone would pick up a 4-0 victory over Wheeling on September 6th, 2023 at Bishop Schmitt Field. The Cardinals would be led by Talynn DeBartolo, who finished the day with a team high three shots, putting two of those on net. Mary DiFonzo, Olivia Hoban, and Caryn Goins each finished with shots in the day to round out the offense. Sam Faulkner and Olivia Kqira split time in net, with Kqira making one save and Faulkner adding two.
 

The Details
 

Kick-off for Wednesday's game is scheduled for 6 PM inside Pioneer Park on the campus of Malone University. You can watch the game live by clicking HERE or follow along with Live Stats by clicking HERE.