Wheeling, W. Va. - After taking three weeks off for rest and recovery, as well as the spring break, the Wheeling University Women's Lacrosse team (2-1, 0-0) returns to action for their final non-conference stretch before jumping into Mountain East Conference (MEC) play. Their two-game run begins on Friday, March 14th, when the team battles Rockhurst at 11 AM at Bishop Schmitt Field. Wheeling is looking to bounce back following their first loss of the season and get back in the win column heading into the middle of March.
The last time the Cardinals took the field was on February 22nd, when they hit the road to face Shepherd. The Cardinals fell behind early, with Shepherd scoring the first two goals of the night before Wheeling got on the board. However, as the half moved on the Cardinals would slowly battle back into the game and by halftime the score would sit at 6-4 in favor of Shepherd. The Cardinals would continue their consistency, scoring two goals in each of the game's four quarters. However, that was as close as the Cardinals would get, with Shepherd scoring six goals in the final quarter of play to secure the win. The Cardinals would finish with the last goal of the night, bringing the game to its final score of 16-8 as Wheeling took their first loss of the season.
Leading the way for the Cardinals was Trinity Rose, who continued her strong season with three goals and one assist to total four points in the effort. It was a continuation of an already strong season for the sophomore, who leads the Cardinals with 15 points, while tying for the team lead with five assists and sitting second with 10 goals. She has scored three or more goals in each of the team's first three games, with her biggest effort coming in the Cardinal's second game of the season against Tiffin, where she finished with three goals and four assists in the effort. Along with finding the back of the net, Rose also has made her mark on the defensive side, leading the team with 15 caused turnovers and 14 draw controls, while also tying for the team lead with 11 groundballs. Rose looks to continue being a leader for the Cardinals as they prepare for the MEC portion of the schedule.
While the offense has been led by Rose, the defensive effort has been led by Maisy Latus in net for the Cardinals. Latus would face 34 shots on the ay against Shepherd, making 18 saves to finish with a .529 save percentage on the day. Latus has finished with double digit saves in two of the three games so far this season, holding a .506 save percentage across the team's three games. The senior leads the MEC with an average of 13.33 saves per game, while sitting third in the conference with 40 saves. Although she was held off the board against Shepherd, Jovie Noack has been one of the Cardinal's top scorers this season. She leads Wheeling with 12 goals on the season, putting her second in the MEC in goals this season.
As the Cardinals return to the field, they do so with two more non-conference games leading up to their MEC opener against West Virginia Wesleyan on March 23rd. The Cardinals are one of three teams in the conference with one loss or less on the season, as they currently hold the #3 seed in the conference. Wheeling has the second-highest shooting percentage in the conference at .475 while also holding the second highest save percentage in the conference at .506. As they continue through the non-conference schedule, the Cardinals look to keep up their success both on the offensive and defensive side of the ball.
The Matchup
The Cardinals and Hawks will be meeting for the first time in program history when they meet on Friday morning. Rockhurst enters the game sitting at 5-1 overall and have scored seven or more goals in each of their six games this season. The Eagles are averaging 12.67 goals per game while holding a .478 shooting percentage during the season. The Cardinals look to open the all-time series strong as they welcome the Eagles to Bishop Schmitt Field.
The Details
Opening face-off for Friday morning's game is scheduled for 11 AM inside Bishop Schmitt Field. You can watch the game live by clicking HERE or follow along with Live Stats by clicking HERE.
