Wheeling, W. Va. - As the Wheeling University Men's Lacrosse team (5-6, 4-3) heads into Malone on Wednesday, the message is simple "win and you're in." The Cardinals hit the road on Wednesday evening to take on Malone at 5 PM, with a win officially clinching the Cardinals a spot in the 2025 Great Midwest Athletic Conference (GMAC) Tournament. The Cardinals are looking to make the tournament for the second season in a row, and a win would further their chances of hosting a first-round playoff game at Bishop Schmitt Field for the first time since May 8th, 2011, when they hosted the first round of the Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) Tournament.
Last time out, the Cardinals put together a strong senior day performance, but it wasn't enough as they fell to Lincoln Memorial University 10-8. The Rail Splitters came out hot, scoring two goals in six minutes, but the Cardinals had some quick answers in store to tie things up at 2-2 with 1:28 to go in the first quarter. It would be back and forth throughout the first half, with Lincoln Memorial building a lead, and Wheeling coming back each time to make it a 6-5 game at halftime. However, the Cardinals would be shutout throughout the third quarter and Lincoln Memorial pulled away, taking a 10-5 lead. The Cardinals flipped the script over the final 15 minutes of play, and got as close as 10-8 with 2:16 to play. However, that is as close as they would get as they fell by that same score in their final non-conference affair.
The Cardinals had four different Cardinals scored two goals on the day, but it was Brenner Chase who would lead the effort with three points (two goals and one assist). He was a big part of the Cardinal's third quarter comeback, assisting on the first goal of the quarter and scoring the second goals. He has scored multiple goals and multiple assists in four of his last five games and has been a steady presence for the Cardinals throughout the season. He leads the team with 16 assists during the season while sitting second on the team with 23 goals and 42 points. He was the GMAC's Men's Lacrosse Offensive Player of the Week two weeks ago in the team's win against Walsh and looks to continue his offensive success as they continue through the season.
On the defensive end, it was a big day for Owen Worley, who made his presence known on both sides of the ball. He would finish with three caused turnovers and three ground balls on the day as part of a 13 caused turnover effort for the Cardinals. However, he was also a key contributor on the offensive end, scoring two goals on the day, both coming in long range situations. The leader in the caused turnover department was Gabriel Hennin, who finished with five caused turnovers and three ground balls in the effort. He currently sits tied for fourth in the GMAC in caused turnovers (21) while sitting second in the conference with an average of 1.91 caused turnovers per game. The defense has been one of the Cardinal's strongest facets of the game this season and they look to continue that success into the final week of the regular season.
While a win on Wednesday would clinch the Cardinals their second consecutive GMAC Tournament berth, the goal remains to bring a home game to Bishop Schmitt Field for the first time since 2011. Entering play on Wednesday, the Cardinals currently hold the #5 seed in the GMAC Tournament, but are within one game of being as high as the #4 seed. In order for the Cardinals to clinch a home game, they would have to win each of their remaining two games against Malone and Davis & Elkins and have Walsh lose one of their remaining games against Davis & Elkins and Seton Hill. Last season, the Cardinals made the tournament as the #5 seed and fell to Walsh in the first round. This season, the Cardinals are looking for revenge as they challenge for a GMAC Championship.
The Matchup
The Cardinals and Pioneers are meeting for the third time in program history on Wednesday, with Wheeling leading the all-time series at 2-0. It will be the second time the Cardinals have traveled to Malone, where they are 1-0 compared to a 1-0 record at Bishop Schmitt Field. It has been an offensive driven series, with Wheeling averaging 19 goals per game, and neither team scoring less than 14 goals in either of the previous two matchups.
The last meeting between the two teams came on April 10th, 2024, in a high scoring affair that saw Wheeling pick up a 21-20. The Cardinals were led in the game by Jack Rowe, who finished with six goals and two assists to total eight points on the day. Former Cardinal Mike Andersson added four goals and an assist of his own, while four other Cardinals scored two goals on the day.
The Details
Opening face-off for Wednesday's game is scheduled for 5 PM inside Pioneer Park on the campus of Malone University. You can watch the game live by clicking HERE or follow along with Live Stats by clicking HERE.
