Wheeling, W. Va. - With their spot in the 2025 Mountain East Conference (MEC) Women's Lacrosse Tournament secured, the Wheeling University Women's Lacrosse team (6-6, 4-3) wraps up their regular season on Saturday. They travel to Frostburg State to wrap up their regular season and MEC schedule when they take on the Bobcats at 1 PM. The Cardinals look to end the season on a high note, and carry that momentum into the MEC Tournament, beginning on March 27th.
Last time out, the Cardinals wrapped up the home portion of their schedule as they welcomed in The University of Charleston on Wednesday. After falling behind 7-1 in the first quarter of the first matchup between the two teams, the Cardinals kept things close early this time around. After the Golden Eagles scored two early goals, but the Cardinals would answer with two of their own to tie things up. However, Charleston would lead 3-2 by quarter's end and would not give up that lead the rest of the day. The Cardinals would get as close as 4-3 at the start of the second quarter, but a five-goal second quarter brought the score to 8-3 by the halftime break. Charleston would score five goals in each of the next three quarters, and the Cardinals would score three of their own during the second half. In the end, the Cardinals would fall to the Golden Eagles 18-7, dropping to 4-3 in MEC play.
Despite the loss, it was another big showing for sophomore Trinity Rose, as she continues to dominate the field on both sides of the ball. She was one of two Cardinals to finish with multiple goals, while putting two of her three shots on net in the effort. However, it was once again her defensive game where she made the biggest impact, finishing with one caused turnover, two ground balls, and six draw controls in the effort. She has been the Cardinal's leader in several offensive and defensive categories throughout the season, including goals (39), points (51), ground balls (59), Caused Turnovers (47), and Draw Controls (68). She has already broke the program's single-season record for Caused Turnovers and Draw Controls and sits just five ground balls away from the single-season ground balls record of 64. She looks to continue to lead the Cardinals throughout the season as they make a push into the MEC Tournament.
The other Cardinal to score multiple goals was Jovie Noack, who finished with two goals while being the Cardinal's leader with six shots on the day. She put half of those shots on net during the day, with both goals coming on free position opportunities. Like Rose, Noack has been a force on the offensive side of the ball, sitting second on the team in goals (29) and third on the team in points (34). On the defensive side of the ball, it was a combined effort in net with Maisy Latus and Giavonna Perkins splitting the time in net. As a whole, the group finished with 15 saves on 33 shots faced on the day for a combined save percentage of .454. As they get set to make their first run in the MEC playoffs since the 2019 season, the Cardinals will be relying on their goalkeeping group to play solid defense throughout the run.
Entering their final regular season game on Saturday, it is all about growth for Head Coach Faith Flanagan and her team. The last time they played Frostburg State, the Bobcats seemingly read the Cardinals like a book, and walked away with a 21-6 win. As the Cardinals prepare to hit the road to face the defending MEC Champions, they have implemented some new plays and strategies to improve their standing from the last meeting between the two teams. Just like their did the second time around against the University of Charleston, the Cardinals are looking to keep things close early and find a way to get ahead on the Bobcats to prevent the second half running clock from ticking time away on their final regular season effort.
The Matchup
The Cardinals and Bobcats are meeting for the second time in program history, with Frostburg State leading the all-time series at 1-0. Saturday will mark the Cardinal's first-ever trip to Bobcat stadium, giving them a feel for the field that they will likely play on if they are able to advance to the MEC Semifinals. The Cardinals were able to put six goals up on the Bobcats in their first meeting of the season, and look to improve upon that in their second time out.
The first meeting between the teams came back on March 29th, 2025, in a game the Cardinals fell 21-6 at Bishop Schmitt Field. It was Trinity Rose leading the way for the Cardinals, finishing with two goals and one assist to go along with four ground balls and five draw controls on the defensive end. Paige Jankowski added two goals of her own on the day, while Macy Davies and Jovie Noack each added tallies in the effort.
The Details
Opening draw for Saturday's game is scheduled for 1 PM inside Bobcat Stadium on the campus of Frostburg State University. You can watch the game live by clicking HERE or follow along with Live Stats by clicking HERE.
