Wheeling, W. Va. - As the Great Midwest Athletic Conference (GMAC) Tournament kicks off on Saturday, it will be a historic day for the Wheeling University Men's Lacrosse team (7-6, 6-3) at Bishop Schmitt Field. It is the first time the Cardinals have made the GMAC Tournament in back-to-back seasons since joining the conference in 2018, and it will be the first home playoff game since they hosted the first round of the Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) Tournament back in 2011. Wheeling will welcome in Davenport with opening face-off at 2 PM as they begin the road to the GMAC Championship.
The Cardinals wrapped up their regular season last time out when they hosted Davis & Elkins. It was a big night at Bishop Schmitt Field for the Cardinals as they eclipsed the 20-goal mark for the first time this season in the 23-6 win. The Cardinals were firing on all cylinders early on, scoring eight goals in the first quarter and never looked back from there. They conceded their first goal of the day at the 10-minute mark of the second quarter, but by halftime that lead was pushed to 12-2. As Head Coach Gage Bradshaw started turning to his reserve players, the offense just kept on coming, with the team adding seven goals in the third quarter and four goals in the fourth quarter. In total, eight different Cardinals would contribute to the winning effort and they were able to seal it for the 23-6 victory, solidifying home field advantage for the Cardinals in the GMAC Quarterfinals.
The storyline of the night centered around Jack Rowe, who put his name in the record books twice on the day. He finished with 10 goals and four assists to total 14 points in the effort and set the new single-game point record while also tying the single-game goal record. Both of the records were held by former Cardinal Mike Andersson, who had 10 goals and 11 points to hold both records. He would end up breaking the single-game points record at the 7:54 mark of the fourth quarter when he scored his 9th goal of the day to make it a 21-5 Wheeling lead. It would take him until the final minute of play to tie the single-game goal record and, with 38 seconds to go he would get that 10th goal to tie the record. Rowe has been the Cardinal's leading scorer this season with 35 goals this season, while adding 20 assists to total 55 point on the season.
The Cardinals would also get a big offensive day for Ty Taylor, who finished with five goals and three assists to finish with eight points. Like Rowe, Taylor was a force for the Cardinals early on, scoring four of his five goals during the 12-goal first half. However, he was also passing the ball well, picking up all three assists in the first half, including assisting on three of Rowe's 10 goals. Taylor has scored five or more goals three times this season and looks to continue his success into the postseason. The final Cardinal to eclipse the five-point mark on the day was Dylan Lavern, who finished with two goals and three assists in the effort. The senior would pick up two of his three assists during the 12-goal first half and added his first goal as the final tally in the half. He has played his role well throughout the season and looks to help the Cardinals make a deep run in this year's tournament.
The GMAC Tournament officially kicks off Saturday with Wheeling hosting Davenport at 2 PM while Walsh gets the home game in the other quarterfinal matchup with Northwood at 1 PM. It will be the first home playoff game for the Cardinals since the 2011 season and the team is looking to get revenge after being knocked out of the first round in overtime last season. The winner of Saturday's quarterfinal match has a tough road ahead as they will head to Greensburg, Pennsylvania on Wednesday to take on #1 seeded Seton Hill in the semifinal match. The Cardinals won the regular season match-up against Davenport in the regular season and are looking to continue those winning ways as the two teams meet in postseason play Saturday.
The Matchup
The Cardinals and Panthers are meeting for the fifth time in program history, with Davenport leading the all-time series with a record of 3-1. Saturday will feature the first-ever postseason match-up between the two teams as they meet at Bishop Schmitt Field. The Cardinals hold a 1-2 record on their home field, with an average of 8.5 goals per game, and picked up their first program win against the Panthers earlier this season.
Their first meeting came back on March 1st, 2025, in a game that the Cardinals won in the final second of play 7-6. With time running out, defenseman Gabriel Hennin shot a full field pass to Jack Rowe who caught the rebound and put the ball into the back of the net to win the game. Rowe, Dylan Lavern, and Brenner Chase would all lead the way with two goals each in the effort. Austin Hall would lead the defensive effort with 17 saves on 23 shots faced, while Rowe, Lavern, and Trenton Rogerson each added four caused turnovers on the day.
The Details
Opening face-off for Saturday's game is scheduled for 2 PM at Bishop Schmitt Field. You can watch the game live by clicking HERE or follow along with Live Stats by clicking HERE.
