Wheeling, W. Va. - Last Friday, the Wheeling University Women's Lacrosse team (2-2, 0-0) returned to the field for the first time in three weeks when they battled Rockhurst. On Wednesday, the Cardinals return to Bishop Schmitt Field looking for a bounce back when they host Indiana University of Pennsylvania with opening Draw Control at 4 PM. The Cardinals look to get back into the win column before they head into Mountain East Conference (MEC) play this weekend.
Last time out, the Cardinals would face a very strong Rockhurst team, and their offense would make itself known early scoring five goals over the games first four minutes before the Cardinals answered. The Hawks offense would continue to dominate early, outshooting the Cardinals 19-6 through the first 15 minutes of play to build a 12-2 lead. The Cardinals would get just those two goals during the first half and went into halftime trailing 6-2. As the game continued on, the Cardinals would keep looking for their chances, but Rockhurst kept adding on. It wasn't until the final quarter that the Cardinals would tack on two more goals, bringing the game to its final score of 23-4. It was the Cardinal's first loss on their home field, but the strong competition will be something the Cardinals look to learn from in conference play.
It was yet another strong outing for Trinity Rose, who led both sides of the ball with two goals and three draw controls. She has been a key contributor for the Cardinals throughout the season, scoring multiple goals in each of the four games for the Cardinals this season. It was the second straight game that Rose hit the three-goal mark, finishing one shy of her season-best. Along with her offense, Rose was also the Cardinal's leader on the defensive side, picking up three draw controls and four ground balls. She also picked up one of the team's two caused turnovers on the day to round out a big effort. She looks to continue her success for the Cardinals as they move into conference play.
The other two Cardinals to get on the scoresheet were Jovie Noack and Sophia Cirone, each scoring two goals. Cirone would tie for the team's point lead with two, finishing with a goal and an assist on the day. She would pick up her assist on the Cardinal's opening goal of the day, finding Rose to get the Cardinals on the board, and added her goal as the final tally for the Cardinals. The other Cardinal goal came courtesy of Jovie Noack, who followed Rose with the team's second goal of the day to make it a 6-2 game. Noack is the Cardinal's leading goal scorer this season with 13 and sits second on the team with 15 points. Noack picked up 10 of her 13 goals in the first game, as she looks to continue climbing the leaderboards.
As they head into their final non-conference tune-up, the Cardinals are looking to get back over .500 before playing their first MEC game since the 2019 season. The Cardinals have had pretty even splits through their first four games, averaging 12.75 goals per game, while giving up 15.5 goals per game. Head Coach Faith Flanagan has noted that she wants her team to work on their draw controls and creating more opportunities for the offense. With Wednesday being their final non-conference Wheeling will look to challenge the Crimson Hawks throughout the afternoon to get back in the win column.
The Matchup
The Cardinals and Crimson Hawks will be meeting for the first time in program history on Wednesday when they meet at Bishop Schmitt Field. The Crimson Hawks enter the contest sitting at 1-5 overall, but they have battled several ranked opponents throughout the season. IUP has scored nine or more goals in four of their six games this season, as the Cardinal defense will look to hold them at bay.
The Details
Opening draw control for Wednesday's game is scheduled for 4 PM inside Bishop Schmitt Field. You can watch the game live by clicking HERE or follow along with Live Stats by clicking HERE
