Wheeling W. Va- Last week, the Wheeling Cardinal Women's Soccer (1-4), (1-1) team picked up their first win of the season on the 15th against Point Park. The team then went on the road Wednesday and Saturday to open Mountain East Conference (MEC) play. They came short to Fairmont State 3-2 and lost to Frostburg State 4-0. With a three-game home stand on the horizon, the Cardinals hope to get their wings flapping in front of the Wheeling faithful.
In the 2-0 win over the Pioneers, Lily Hanna and Nyah Smith struck for the Cardinals. In the loss to Fairmont State, Mary DiFonzo wasted no time making her presence known as she scored 2:13 into the contest. The Falcons answered nine minutes later for the final scoring of the half. FSU put up another 15 minutes in the second to make it 2-1. Lily Hanna didn't let the Falcons enjoy the lead for long. She put up her own mark just one minute later to tie it up. The Cardinal defense held strong, but the Falcons got it past them for the final mark in the 74th minute.
Coach Emannuel Awotula was asked about the game against the Falcons.
"When we play them, it's always a good game. We always battle to the end." He continued, "It's about who can get the right bounce at the right time. In the first game, they got the right bounce. Hopefully, the next time we play them, we'll get the right bounce."
Wheeling traveled to Frostburg, MD, to match up with the Bobcats on Saturday. It would be a tall task to overcome last year's MEC runner-up. The Cardinals battled hard in the first half, holding the opposition to only one goal as Olivia Kqira stopped 10 of 11 shots against her. The Bobcats started the second aggressively and scored in the 54th, 61st, and 64th minutes.
Although the two road losses were tough to swallow, Coach Awotula is ecstatic about the team's three-game home stand. He is excited to play in front of the loud and supportive Cardinals fanbase.
"Right now, we're 1-0 at home and want to keep that streak going."
A Glance into the Tiger Cage
The Salem Tigers haven't had a terrific start to the season. In their five games, the Tigers have been outscored 28-1 and were shut out in four of those matches. In the game against West Liberty, freshman Vanessa Allen netted the team's first goal of the season.
The Wheeling Women's Soccer team will play the Salem Tigers at Bishop-Schmitt Field on Wednesday, September 25th, at 7 p.m. The game will be streamed on MEC. TV here, and LiveStats will be available for viewing here.
