Wheeling, W. Va. - Throughout the early portions of the 2025 season, it has been a strong defensive effort that has led the Wheeling University Men's Lacrosse team (2-2, 1-1). The Cardinal's take on Walsh as they continue their Great Midwest Athletic Conference (GMAC) play on Saturday, and that defense looks to continue to be at the forefront of their success. The Cardinals have allowed the fourth fewest goals in the GMAC this season, and look to continue that defensive success against the team that knocked them out of the GMAC playoffs a season ago.
Last time out, the Cardinals took on Lake Erie College in a game where the defense came to play early on. The Cardinals would shutout the Storm over the first 15 minutes of play, and scored two goals of their own during that time frame to hold a 2-0 lead. The early defense was key to keeping the Cardinals in front as Lake Erie came back with three goals in the second quarter, and the Cardinals answered with two of their own to hold a 4-3 lead heading into the break. As the teams broke from the locker room, offense was hard to come by in the third quarter, with no one scoring over the first 12 minutes. Lake Erie would break through at the 3:43 mark, and the teams would go back and forth over the final 3:43 of play to keep the score tied at 5-5 heading into the fourth quarter. Unfortunately, it would be the Storm that ended the game strong, outscoring Wheeling 4-3 over the final 15 minutes and the Cardinals would fall 9-8.
Leading the way for the Cardinals was Dylan Lavern, who finished with three goals and one assist, to finish with four points on the night. He would be the Cardinal's leading shooter, putting eight of his 11 shots on net, while adding a groundball and a caused turnover in the effort. For the senior, it was his fourth straight game picking up at least one assist, and the third time in the last four games that he has finished with multiple goals. Lavern is currently tied for the team lead in goals with 10 this season, while leading the way in both assists (5) and points (15) on the season. He is also the Cardinal's leader in shots (36), shots on goal (23), and shot on goal percentage (.639) and looks to continue to be a leader on the offensive side of the ball.
The other Cardinal leader on offense was Brenner Chase, who equaled Lavern's effort with three goals and one assist on the day. Chase was the Cardinal's most efficient shooter on the day, putting four of his five shots on net throughout the day. All three of his goals would come in the game's biggest moments, with his first giving the Cardinals a 2-0 lead, while his final two goals gave Wheeling late leads of 5-4 and 7-6. On the defensive end, Austin Hall would lead the way finishing with nine saves on 18 shots faced for a .500 save percentage. Hall's biggest quarter came in the first, where he helped the Cardinals keep Lake Erie off the boar with a game-high four saves on four shots faced. Hall leads the GMAC with an average of 16.2 saves per game and looks to continue to be a leader on the defensive side of the ball.
As they head into Saturday's game, it will be a big revenge game for the Cardinals after Walsh knocked them out of the GMAC playoffs a season ago. The Cardinals have split their first two GMAC games of the season and is looking to get themselves back over .500 as they head to the middle of March. The Cardinals enter Saturday's game sitting in a four-way tie for fourth in the conference with Thomas More, Malone, and Davenport all sitting at 1-1. They sit a half game behind Lake Erie and a game behind Walsh from getting as high as second in the conference and the Cardinals are looking o make the jump to set them up for a postseason run.
The Matchup
The Cardinals and Cavaliers are meeting for the 12th time in program history, with the all-time series sitting tied at 6-6. However, when the two teams meet in Wheeling, it is the Cardinals who have the advantage, holding a 3-2 record in five previous meetings. Wheeling is in the midst of a six-game losing streak at the hands of the Cavaliers, and will be looking for their first win against Walsh since March 24th, 2018.
Their last meeting came in the quarterfinal round of the 2024 GMAC playoffs in a game that Walsh won in overtime 11-10. Ty Taylor would lead the way for the Cardinals, scoring four goals while putting eight of his 11 shots on net. Dakota Strong added two goals in the effort while former Cardinal Mike Andersson, former Cardinal Brody Fawver, former Cardinal Adam Smellie, and Brenner Chase each added a goal. Austin Hall would get the start in net and made 13 saves on 24 shots faced throughout the day.
The Details
Opening Face-off for Saturday's game is scheduled for 1 PM inside Bishop Schmitt Field. You can watch the game live by clicking HERE or follow along with Live Stats by clicking HERE.
