Wheeling, W. Va. - After starting the season on the road, the Wheeling University Men's Lacrosse team (1-1, 0-0) is making their way to Bishop Schmitt Field for the first time this season. It wills serve as the opener of their Great Midwest Athletic Conference Schedule, when they host Davenport with opening face-off at 1 PM. After a pair of tough non-conference games to start the season, the Cardinals look to start the road to the GMAC playoffs with a bang in front of their home fans.
Last time out, the Cardinals traveled to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania for a non-conference matchup with Holy Family University. The Cardinals would score the first two goals of the game, but Holy Family would not back down, leading 4-3 after the first quarter. By halftime, the lead was pushed to 8-6 and the Cardinals knew they needed to respond in the second half. They did just that, scoring five of the first six goals to open the frame and overtook Holy Family at 10-9. The Carinal defense did their job as well, allowing just two goals over the final 20 minutes of play. The Cardinals would add on in the fourth quarter, putting up four more goals over the final 10 minutes to secure the win. It would even out their record in non-conference play, and gives them momentum as they begin the conference run.
Leading the come from behind effort for the Cardinals was Dylan Lavern, who had a career day finishing with three goals and two assists to lead the team with five points. Of his three goals, two of them came in the second half comeback, while one of his two assists came in the comeback. Lavern's first goal of the second half made it a one-point game at 9-8 with 8:36 to play, and he would give the Cardinals the lead at the 6:04 mark with goal #3. With Lake Erie threatening to battle back, making it an 11-10 game Lavern would help the Cardinals seal the deal, finding Brenner Chase for the team's 12th goal of the day, bringing the score to 12-10. Lavern scored 12 goals for the Cardinals last season, and is already a quarter of the way there as the 2025 season continues.
The comeback would not have been possible without the work of senior goalkeeper Austin Hall in net. He faced 28 shots throughout the day, making 18 saves and finishing with a .642 save percentage on the night. After giving up eight first half goals, Hall would go to work in the second half, making nine of his 18 saves. He would save five shots during the third quarter and four during the fourth, including one with under a minute to go to help preserve the win. Hall earned Second Team All-GMAC honors a season ago and looks to continue that success into the conference schedule. The other multi-goal scorer for the Cardinals was Jack Rowe, who finished with three goals and one assist in the effort. It was the second straight game that Rowe has finished with four points, as he went from passing the ball last game to scoring in the second game of the season.
Last season, the Cardinals would finish 4-4 in the GMAC schedule, but would have to battle back after a slow start. As they head into 2025, the team is looking to turn their fortunes around early and set themselves up for success late in the season. With Lincoln Memorial on April 12th being the last remaining non-conference game on the list, the Cardinals will look to rack up wins early in the season. They earned the #5 seed in the GMAC Tournament a season ago, being forced to go on the road for their first round GMAC contest, and are looking to bring the tournament to Bishop Schmitt Field in 2025. They will be facing a pair of new members to the GMAC to start the season, and look to welcome them to the conference with a bang.
The Matchup
The Cardinals and Panthers are meeting for the fourth time in program history, with Davenport winning each of the first three contests against Wheeling. It is the third time the two teams have met at Bishop Schmitt Field, with the Cardinals going 0-2 compared to an 0-1 mark when they travel to Davenport. It has been a high-scoring all-time series, with Wheeling averaging nine points per game and scoring double digits in two of the three meetings.
The last matchup between the two teams came on February 17th, 2024, when the Cardinals fell to Davenport 11-10 in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Former Cardinal Mike Andersson led the way with three goals in the contest putting five of his eight shots on net. Brenner Chase would score three goals, while leading the team with one assist, while JAck Rowe added two goals and an assist on the day. Austin Hall would lead the defensive effort, making 14 saves on 11 shots to round out the day.
The Details
Opening Face-off for Saturday's game is scheduled for 1 PM at Bishop Schmitt Field. You can watch the game live by clicking HERE or follow along with Live Stats by clicking HERE.
