Terry Hancock

Women's Soccer 9/28/2024 2:20:00 PM Peyton Trollinger- Sports Information Graduate Assistant

Cardinals Will Defend Home Soil Against Hilltoppers

Wheeling W. Va- Coming off an impressive 6-0 blowout victory over Salem, the Wheeling Cardinals (2-4) (2-1) are ready to defend their homeland again against West Liberty. The team plans to use the same level of effort and offensive presence in the upcoming Mountain East Conference (MEC) matchup.

The Cardinals' offensive performance against the Tigers was nothing short of spectacular. They outshot their opponent 51-1. The Wheeling attack simply could not be contained, as they continuously created chances in the zone and cashed in plenty of times. Mary DiFonzo played a terrific game, scoring twice for four points on the night. Lily Hanna spearheaded the Cardinal attack by leading her team in shots with 10 and shots on goal with five.

Wheeling did not hold back any in the second half, either. After recording an assist on a DiFonzo goal, she put one up herself to open the scoring. Talynn DeBartolo was an offensive threat all night long. In the first half, she tallied six of her seven total shots, but it was the seventh shot that came in the second that connected and found the back of the net. Nyah Smith used her speed and skill close to the goalie to fake one way and score the other.

The View from the Hill
The Hilltoppers have not started the season off on a positive note. They sit 1-4-1 and 0-2-1 in the MEC. Wheeling is currently slotted third in the conference standings in the North Division, and West Liberty is right below them. Morgan Kost is in the game plan for the Hilltoppers. She paces her team with two goals and three assists across six games. In the last meeting between the two schools, Kost recorded a goal and an assist in the 5-1 win over Wheeling. Historically, West Liberty has gotten the best of Wheeling. They are 14-7-2 all-time and 7-5 when they come to town.

The Wheeling Cardinals take on the West Liberty Hilltoppers at 1 pm on Sunday, September 29th, at Bishop-Schmitt Field. To watch the game live on The Mountain East Digital Network, click HERE. To follow along with LiveStats, click HERE.

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