Wheeling, W. Va. – The second half of Wheeling's soccer doubleheader saw the Wheeling University Women's Soccer team (3-10-4, 1-8-4) welcomed in Point Park with a chance to clinch their spot in the Mountain East Conference (MEC) Tournament. The Cardinals would honor their class of 2025 seniors in a pregame ceremony before being locked in a defensive battle. The game would sit tied until the 80th minute before the Cardinals fell by the final score of 1-0.
The first half was ruled by a strong defensive effort On both sides of the ball with a two teams combining for seven shots over the first 45 minutes. Point Park would go on the offensive to start things off, with Austyn Burkett taking the first shot on goal in the second minute. Akyla Walcott Made her second straight start in net and was there to make the save to keep things tied at 0-0. Talia Salvador would take the first shot for the Cardinals in the 5th minute and Point Park would answer with their second shot 10 minutes later. However, both shots would end up falling off net. Wheeling's backline defense, led by center-back Lily Hanna kept the ball in the Cardinals offensive zone throughout the early part of the game. They allowed just the two shots for the first 25 minutes of play as the Cardinals kept looking for their first scoring opportunity.
As the 30th minute ticked by, Point Park would get another shot on the Cardinal goal but, for the second time on the day Walcott was there to make the save. The Cardinals were held to just the one shot in the fifth minute, but pushed through over the final 10 minutes of play. They had several good looks early in the game but it wasn't until a Pioneer foul in the 34th minute open the door. Graceylyn Hanna would be the first one to take a shot, bringing the ball up the sideline and sending it towards net. She would just miss the mark sailing it over the crossbar as the Cardinals bounced right back. Just a minute later Hanna was back at it again, this time shooting for the lower corner of the net. However, Point Park's Frederieke Rijlaarsdam would dive to make the save and keep the Cardinals off the board. It would be the final scoring opportunity for either team heading into the half as the game sat tied at 0-0.
The shot advantage was pretty even during the half, with Point Park holding a slight 4-3 advantage. However, The Cardinals had the advantage with two shots on goal compared to just one for the pioneers as they looked to convert in the second half. Wheeling would look to be more aggressive in the second half and that aggression showed right from the get-go. The Cardinals would take the first three shots spanning 10 minutes, with Hanna threatening to score once again in the 53rd minute. She tried to put it right between the goal posts, but another save from Rijlaarsdam would keep the game tied at 0-0. Walcott would be tested on the other end in the 56th minute and came through with her fourth save of the day as the two teams remained deadlocked. Wheeling's defensive effort continued to hold strong allowing just the one shot Over the first 35 minutes of the half. Their offense would make one more push With another succession of three shots coming in the 63rd minute.
Two of those shots would come courtesy of Maira Alevato, who had back-to-back shots blocked by Pioneer defenders. As the clock turned to the 64th minute, Ruby Gibbs would get her opportunity but sailed the shot over the crossbar to end the threat. The game would remain tied at 0-0 heading into the final 10 minutes of play, but Point Park would set up for a corner kick in the 70th minute. While the initial kick was unsuccessful, Point Park would bring the ball back up the field on the foot of Sterre Kuijper. She would dump a pass off to Rebecca Pilhgren, who sent the shot sailing towards net. It would end up going just out of the reach of Walcott and into the back of the net to give Point Park a 1-0 advantage. Point Park would take one more shot in the final minute of play to try to double their lead, but Walcott would make the save to bring the game to its final score of 1-0.
It was another strong defensive day for the Cardinals with Akyla Walcott leading the effort in net. She would make four saves on five shots faced As she kept the Cardinals in the game throughout the effort. On the offensive end, it was Graceylyn Hanna who led the effort, taking three shots and putting two of those on net. Maira Alevato was the other Cardinal to finish with multiple shots, taking two in the game, while Talia Salvador, Jeannery Diaz, Caryn Goins, and Ruby Gibbs each took one shot on the day. Wheeling's backline, led by Lily Hanna, would help the Cardinals win the shot advantage, out shooting Point Park 9-7, but the difference came in shots on goal where Point Park held the 5-2 lead.
The Wheeling University Women's Soccer team returns to action on Wednesday, November 5th, when they take on West Liberty with kickoff at 4 PM.
