Wheeling, W. Va. - Coming off their biggest win of the season to date, the Wheeling University Men's Lacrosse team (3-3, 2-1) looks to continue riding high as they hit the road. They will face a tough test as they take on the Great Midwest Athletic Conference (GMAC) preseason favorites Seton Hill with opening face-off at 4 PM. The Cardinals will face their second ranked opponent of the season as they Griffins sit #9 in the country heading into Tuesday afternoon's match.
Last time out, the Cardinals welcomed Walsh to Bishop Schmitt Field in a rematch of the 2024 GMAC Quarterfinal matchup. It was a back and forth match early, with the teams trading the first three goals before Walsh got out to a 3-1 lead. The Cardinals would continue to battle throughout the half and when the first half buzzed rang, the Cardinals were back even with Walsh 4-4. The Cardinals scored the final two goals of the first half and pushed their run to seven straight goals into the third quarter as they built a 9-4 lead. Walsh would battle back with three straight goals of their own to make it a 9-7 game, but that is as close as they would get. Wheeling sealed the deal with a goal with six minutes to go and they were able to hold on for the 10-8 win, their first win over the Cavaliers since March of 2018.
Leading the way for the Cardinals was Brenner Chase, who finished with five goals and five points in the contest. He would be an efficient shooter throughout the day, putting six of his eight shots on net while adding two ground balls in the effort. He was the one who would kick-off the Cardinal's seven goal run, and ended up scoring four of the seven goals during the stretch. He kicked off the second half of the game with three goals in four minutes that turned a 4-4 tie at half into a 7-4 Cardinal lead. With the effort, Chase now leads the Cardinals with 13 goals this season and sits tied for the team lead with 17 points. He has scored two or more goals in four straight games and looks to continue being a catalyst for the offense.
On the defensive side, it was another big day in net for Austin Hall, who held Walsh off the board for most of the third quarter as the Cardinals hit their run. He would finish the game with 17 saves on 25 shots faced in the effort, finishing with a .680 save percentage in the effort. For Hall, it was the fifth time in the team's six games that Hall has finished with 17 or more saves in a game, and he continues to lead the GMAC with an average of 16.33 saves per game. The other Cardinal to reach the five-point mark on the night was Jack Rowe, who got the job done both in the passing and scoring game. Rowe finished with three goals and a team-high two assists, while leading the team with 10 shots on the day. Rowe is the team's leader with six assists on the season, while sitting third with 15 total points.
As the Cardinals enter the final two weeks of March, the team looks to end the month strong with a full slate of conference games. Tuesday marks a stretch of three straight road games for the Cardinals, with Thomas More and Northwood waiting in the wings. The Cardinals are currently locked in a three-way tie for the third spot in the conference with Malone and Walsh, and are just a half game behind conference leader Seton Hill. A win on Tuesday would propel the Cardinals to the top of the conference, as they begin the end of March run. After facing Seton Hill, the Cardinals will take on three teams sitting lower than them in the standings as they look to separate themselves on the push for the GMAC Tournament.
The Matchup
The Cardinals and Griffins are meeting for the sixth time in program history, with Seton Hill leading the all-time series at 10-5. The Cardinals have faired better on the road in the all-time series, going 3-4 compared to a 2-6 mark on their home field. The Cardinal's offense has performed well in the series, averaging 10.33 PPG, as Wheeling looks for their first win against Seton Hill since the 2016 season.
The last meeting between the two teams came on March 19th, 2024, in a game that Seton Hill would win 20-6. Former Cardinal Mike Andersson led the way for Wheeling, finishing with two goals while taking five shots and putting three of those on net. Four other Cardinals would score goals on the day, while Austin Hall finished with a career-best 22 saves on 42 shots faced in the effort.
The Details
Opening face-off for Tuesday's game is scheduled for 4 PM inside Dick's Sporting Goods Field on the campus of Seton Hill University. You can watch the game live by clicking HERE or follow along with Live Stats by clicking HERE.
