Wheeling, W. Va. – With the Mountain East Conference (MEC) South portion of their schedule in the books, the Wheeling University Women's Soccer team (2-7-4, 1-5-4) begins the final stretch run towards the MEC Tournament. On Wednesday, they take on one final non-conference portion of their schedule as they welcome in Salem University with kick-off at 7 PM. The Cardinals are looking to get some momentum rolling on their side as they look to secure one of the top four spots in the MEC North to get back to the MEC Tournament.
Last time out, the Cardinals were locked in a defensive battle with Glenville State in their MEC South finale. It was a defensive battle throughout, with neither team being able to get on the board through the first 45 minutes of play. The Pioneers would end up outshooting the Cardinals 6-2 in the half, but the Cardinal back line did their job, allowing just two of those six shots to land on net. The Cardinals had two shots of their own, with one going on goal, but the teams would head into the locker room with the score deadlocked at 0-0. However, after some halftime adjustments, it would take Glenville State just two and a half minutes into the new half to get on the board as they took a 1-0 lead. Wheeling was more aggressive in the second half, getting off six shots in the 45-minute span, but only two of those would land on net as the Cardinals fell 1-0.
Pacing the Cardinal's offensive effort was Caryn Goins, who continues to take advantage of her chances on the offensive end. Goins took two shots against Glenville State, and it was the third straight game that she has taken multiple shots in a game. Over her last three contests, she has taken eight shots and put two of those on goal. She has a shot on goal percentage of .563 this season, while holding a respectable .063 shooting percentage. She made the jump from defense to offense earlier this year, and has been a strong set piece for the Cardinals to compliment Graceylyn Hanna on the other side of the field. She looks to continue being a leader for the Cardinals as they look to continue to improve their offensive attack.
After the Cardinals conceded their first goal of the day, Akyla Walcott got her first action since being injured back on October 5th, and did her part to keep the Cardinals in the game. She would play the game's final 41 and a half minutes and made four saves to keep the Cardinals in the ball game. It was the second time this season that Walcott has not allowed a goal while in net, the other time being in a short four-minute spurt against Frostburg State back on September 21st. The other Cardinal to take multiple shots in the game was Lily Hanna, who finished with two shots in the effort. Hanna has bounced around the field for the team, spending time both on offense and as the team's centerback as she took her opportunities on a pair of free kicks.
With the final three weeks of the season looming, the race is on for the top four spots in the MEC North Division to qualify for the 2025 MEC Women's Soccer Tournament. The Cardinals currently have a hold on the #4 seed, sitting with seven points this season. They currently hold a four-point advantage over West Liberty for the final spot, with their magic number to clinch sitting at three. Any combination of three wins for the Cardinals or three losses for the Hilltoppers would earn the Cardinals the #4 seed in the tournament. Wheeling is looking to make back-to-back MEC Tournament appearances for the first time since joining the conference in 2013, as they look to gain momentum down the stretch. They will look to take the first step towards doing just that as they wrap up the non-conference portion of their schedule on Wednesday.
The Matchup
The Cardinals and Tigers are meeting for the 16th time in program history, with Wheeling leading the all-time series at 15-0. Wheeling and Salem are meeting for the ninth time at Bishop Schmitt Field, where the Cardinals have gone 8-0 compared to a 7-0 mark when they travel to Salem. It has been a high scoring all-time series for the team, with the Cardinals averaging seven goals a game, and they have score five or more goals in nine of the last 10 meetings.
Their first meeting of the season came back on September 24th, 2025, in a game that the Cardinals would win 3-1. Wheeling was led in the effort by Ana Santos, who finished with two goals while putting all four of her shots taken on net. The other Cardinal to score was Rosie Caley, who scored her second goal of the season, finishing with eight shots and two on goal, while Akyla Walcott and Deetya Satyal combined for the shutout in the effort.
The Details
Kick-off for Wednesday's game is scheduled for 7 PM inside Bishop Schmitt Field. You can watch the game live by clicking HERE or follow along with Live Stats by clicking HERE.
