Wheeling, W. Va. – During the 2025 season, the Great Midwest Athletic Conference (GMAC) Men's Lacrosse field expanded with the addition of two new teams this season. The Wheeling University Men's Lacrosse team (4-4, 3-2) will hit the road to battle one of those new teams Saturday as they take on Northwood. The Cardinals look to stay above .500 in conference play as they begin the final stretch run to the 2025 GMAC Tournament.
Last time out, the Cardinals made their second longest road trip of the year, heading to Crestview Hills, Kentucky to take on Thomas More. The Cardinals had their offense working early, taking a 4-1 lead over the game's first 18 minutes of play. Howd er the Saints were not going down easily, and rallied back to score four straight goals before the halftime break and took a 5-4 lead into halftime. Thomas More would add their sixth goal at the 12:00 mark of the third quarter and the Cardinals were looking for an answer. The Cardinals tied the game just before the 10 minute mark and rattled off four straight goals to take a 9-6 lead. It was a lead the Cardinals would not give up the rest of the way, scoring eight fourth quarter goals to seal their fate on the 17-8 win, moving to 3-2 in conference play.
It was the continuation of a big week for Brenner Chase, who was the Cardinal's points leader with six points on the day. Chase would get the scoring started with the first two goals of the game, but after that went into a passing role. He would lead the Cardinals with four assists in the effort, setting a season high to finish the six points effort. He would be instrumental during the four-goal run, assisting in two of the four goals as he helped the Cardinals take the lead for good. Chase is the Cardinal's point leader this season with 28, while also leading the way with 10 assists across the team's eight games. Chase has now scored 5+ points in back-to-back games and will be a key part of the Cardinal's success down the stretch run.
It was also a breakout game for Ty Taylor, who finished as the Cardinal's goal leader with five goals on the day. He would get his scoring started by breaking the Thomas More run, and scored all five of his goals as the team was pulling away in the second half. The five goals were a season high for Taylor, who scored 1/3 of his 15 goals on the season in the game. Taylor has been a leader for the Cardinal offense throughout his career and looks to continue that success as the team heads into April. After facing some heat early on, goalkeeper Austin Hall sured up his defensive game over the final 30 minutes of play. He allowed just three second half goals, while making seven saves. He finished the day with 17 saves on 25 shots, hitting the 17 save mark for the sixth time in seven games this season.
As they enter the final game of March, the Cardinals find themselves sitting in a tie for the fifth place spot in the conference sitting at 3-2. They currently sit tied with Malone for that spot, but are within 2.5 games of Seton Hill for the top spot in the conference. As they hit the stretch run of conference play, the Cardinals have four conference games remaining, with three of those four teams sitting below them in the conference standings. Wheeling looks to take advantage of this late run and claim one of the top six spots in the conference. Last season , the Cardinals would have to go on the road for their playoff match, and the Cardinals will hope to grab one of the top four spots to bring playoff Lacrosse to Bishop Schmitt Field.
The Matchup
The Cardinals and Timberwolves are meeting for the first time in program history as the Cardinals hit the road on Saturday. Northwood brought Men's Lacrosse back for the first time since the 2000 season in 2025 and are currently sitting 3-6 overall and 2-3 in GMAC play. They earned their first GMAC win against Tiffin in a 15-7 match and followed that with a 12-8 win over Malone in the next game. The Cardinals look to start the all-time series strong as they welcome Northwood to the GMAC Matchup.
The Details
Opening face-off for Saturday's game is scheduled for 3 PM inside Hantz Stadium on the campus of Northwood University. You can watch the game live by clicking HERE or follow along with Live Stats by clicking HERE.
