Wheeling, W. Va. – In their 2025 season opener, the Wheeling University Men's Lacrosse team (0-1, 0-0) showed they can play with the best against #19 Chestnut Hill. On Saturday, the team heads to Philadelphia, PA to take on Holy Family Saturday with opening face-off at noon. The Cardinals are looking to build on their momentum from a strong start to the season as they look to put their first win on the board.
The Cardinals traveled to the USA Lacrosse facility to open the season against #19 Chestnut Hill and they showed they could battle against a ranked team. The teams went back and forth through the first quarter, with Chestnut Hill getting on the board first and Wheeling being quick to respond. Wheeling was trailing 3-2 after a quarter of play, and kept the Griffins on the ropes at 5-4 sitting in the middle of the second quarter. However, Chestnut Hill rattled off four straight goals, and four of the final five, and the team went into the locker room with Wheeling trailing 8-5. Wheeling would get to within two goals to start the third quarter, but five straight Griffin goals would put the game out of reach. The Cardinals went goal for goal with Chestnut Hill over the final 15 minutes and the game came to its final score of 16-10.
After putting together a breakout season in 2024, Ty Taylor was back at it again on Saturday as the Cardinal's offensive leader. The senior finished with four goals on the night, marking the fourth straight game where he has finished with four or more goals dating back to last season. While he was the Cardinal's leading scorer on the night, he was also the taking efficient shots throughout the night. Each of his four shots on the night would result in goals as he brings his point total to four to start the season. Taylor has the ability to both shoot and pass the ball, after leading the team with 30 assists during the 2025 season. With the Cardinals having lost their top scorer from last season, Taylor will look to step into that role for the Cardinals as they continue through 2025.
One of the keys to the Cardinal's playoff run a season ago was the work of Austin Hall in net. Hall would get off to a hot start again in 2025, keeping the Cardinals in the game by saving 18 of the 34 shots he faced. Hall is coming off a season in which he had 211 saves and a save percentage of right around 54% as he looks to keep that success going in 2025. While Taylor was scoring, it was Jack Rowe who was creating opportunities, leading the team with three assists on the night. The junior finished with one goal of his own while leading the team in assists and tying for the team lead with four points. Like Taylor, Rowe had a breakout season in 2024 and looks to be a big part of the Cardinal offense moving forward.
As the Cardinals continue their stretch of non-conference play, they will go on the road for the second time this season as they face Holy Family. After facing the #19 team in the country to start the season, the Cardinals will look to build off their success as they head to Philadelphia. After Saturday's game, the team will have the luxury of playing in Bishop Schmitt Field for each of their next four games, including their 2025 Great Midwest Athletic Conference (GMAC) opener against Davenport next Saturday. The Cardinals played well at home during the 2024 season, going 5-3 in eight games, and will look to set themselves up in a position to take advantage of the home field with a win on Saturday.
The Matchup
The Cardinals and Tigers are meeting for the second time in program history on Saturday, with Wheeling leading the all-time series at 1-0. It will be the first time that Wheeling has traveled to Philadelphia in the all-time series, after winning the meeting between the two teams last season in Wheeling. The Cardinal's offense put up 20 points in the effort, and look to continue their success this time around.
The first meeting between these two teams came on February 11th, 2024, in a game the Cardinals would win 20-1. Former Cardinal Mike Andersson led the way in the win, finishing with four goals, two assists, and a team-high six points. Owen Doyle had a career day, adding four goals, while former Cardinal Brody Fawver and Brenner Chase rounded out the scoring with three goals each. Austin Hall would get the start in net, and made seven saves on eight shots faced for the Cardinals.
The Details
Opening face-off for Saturday's game is scheduled for noon inside Tiger Field on the campus of Holy Family University. You can watch the game live by clicking HERE or follow along with Live Stats by clicking HERE.
