Wheeling, W. Va. - The Mountain East Conference (MEC) South Divisional stretch continues on the road for the Wheeling University Women's Soccer team (2-4-3, 1-2-3) on Wednesday. The team travels down to Athens, West Virginia, where they take on Concord in a rare weekday afternoon game at 1 PM. The team has earned at least one point in the conference standings in four out of their last five games, and looks to continue that string of success into this weekday matchup.
Last time out, the Cardinals welcomed in Davis & Elkins and the offense would get going right from the get-go. After the Senators got off the first shot of the game, Wheeling came back with a quick strike offense, scoring both their goals in a span of two minutes. Davis & Elkins quickly responded, making it a 2-1 game by the 12th minute, before the Cardinals defense went on lockdown mode. The back line allowed just two shots on goal over the final 32 minutes, and two big saves heading into the break kept it a 2-1 Cardinal lead. The defense continued to hold strong in the second half, making two saves and forcing several bad shots throughout the half. However, in the 70th minute, Davis & Elkins would tie the game at 2-2 and that would end up being the final score as the Cardinals ended up with one conference point thanks to the 2-2 tie.
Leading the defensive effort for the Cardinals was goalkeeper Akyla Walcott, who after allowing the early goal was able to silent the Senators before getting injured. She finished the day with seven saves on nine shots faced, sporting a .776 saver percentage on the day. Her biggest moment came in the final minute of the first half, when Davis & Elkins fired back-to-back shots on net in the span of nine seconds. Walcott was there to make both saves and kept the Cardinals in the lead heading into halftime. Walcott had stepped in nicely for the Cardinals after the injury to Sam Faulkner, making 19 saves on 26 shots faced for a .731 save percentage over her last three games. While she left Sunday's game due to injury, she looks to work her way back and contribute down the stretch.
Leading the offensive effort for the Cardinals was Lily Hanna, who moved up from the Cardinal back line to push the offense. She finished with two shots on the day, putting one of those on net, and scoring the second goal of the day for the team. It was her first goal of the 2025 season, after she has played on the back line in the early portion of the season. Hanna tied for the team lead last season with nine goals and has used her soccer IQ to lead the defensive effort. The other Cardinal to score a goal on the day was Rosie Caley, who finished with one shot that she was able to put in the back of the net. The goal helped tie her for the team lead with two goals this season and marked her second goal in the last four games.
As the Cardinals continue their MEC South stretch, they begin a nice run on their home field. After going on the road Wednesday, the Cardinals will be home for three of their next four games, including two MEC South matches against the University of Charleston and West Virginia Wesleyan. The Cardinals have played well on the road, going 2-3 in five road matches this season, and will look to get some momentum on their side before starting a long home stretch. The Cardinals currently have a strong hold on the #4 spot in the MEC North Division, holding a six-point lead over West Liberty. The Cardinals will be facing a Concord team that is sitting in the #3 spot in the MEC South Division, as they look to earn at least one more point in conference play.
The Matchup
The Cardinals and Mountain Lions are meeting for the 34th time in program history, with Concord leading the all-time series at 17-12-4. The Cardinals have picked up five of those 12 wins in Athens, West Virginia, where they hold a 5-9-2 record compared to a 7-8-2 mark at home. The Cardinals are looking to break a nine-game losing streak at the hands of the Mountain Lions, with their last win coming on September 8th, 2015.
The last meeting between the two teams came on October 9th, 2024, in a game that Concord would win 6-0. Wheeling was led by former Cardinal Olivia Kqira, who finished with eight saves on 14 shots faced for a .571 save percentage. Lily Hanna would lead the offensive effort, finishing with six shots with four of those going on net, while former Cardinal Mary DiFonzo added five shots with three of those falling on net.
The Details
Kick-off for Wednesday afternoon's game is scheduled for 1 PM inside Callaghan Stadium on the campus of Concord University. You can watch the game live by clicking HERE or follow along with live stats by clicking HERE.
