Wheeling, W. Va. – On Sunday, the Wheeling University Women's Lacrosse team (7-7, 4-3) picked up their first postseason win since 2018. On Thursday, the MEC Tournament run continues for the Cardinals as they travel to Frostburg State for the MEC Semifinals with opening draw at 6 PM. The Cardinals are looking to play underdog as they try and upset the #1 seed in the tournament field.
The Cardinals began their tournament run in the MEC play-in game, when they took on #5 seed Davis & Elkins. Early on, the visiting Senators put pressure on the Cardinals, scoring the first two goals of the game over the first five and a half minutes of play. At the 7:25 mark, the Cardinals would get on the board and they would battle their way to a 4-3 lead. Once the Cardinals had the lead, they would never give back, putting up two more second quarter goals and they would head into the locker room with a 6-4 lead. In the third quarter, the Cardinals would pull away, holding the Senators to just one goal while building their lead to 9-5. The Senators had one more push left in them, outscoring the Cardinals 3-2 in the fourth, but the Cardinals had built up enough of a lead as they held on for the 11-8 win to advance to the MEC semifinal round.
The Cardinals were led by graduate student Paige Jankowski, who finished with two goals and one assist to total three points on the day. When the Cardinals were down 2-0 early, it was Jankowski that got them going with a pair of first quarter goals to make it a 3-2 game. She scored the first goal at the 7:25 mark and added another just as the quarter was coming to an end that brought the score to 3-2. Her assist would come at the start of the third quarter as she helped the Cardinals go on a 3-1 run that built up their lead. As the Cardinal's most veteran player, Jankowski has been a leader for the team throughout the season. As they make their way to the semifinals, she looks to lead the Cardinals on their quest for an MEC Championship this Saturday.
The other three points scorer for the Cardinals was Macy Davies, who equalled Jankowski's effort. She finished with two goals on the day, both coming in free position opportunities, and assisting on Jankowski's second goal of the day. After missing some time with an injury, Davies has bounced back for the Cardinals, taking advantage of her two free position opportunities. Giavonna Perkins would get the start in net for the Cardinals and would end up facing 13 shots on the day and made five saves. Perkins is coming off being named a member of the MEC's All-Freshman team during the season and stepped up in a big way against Davis & Elkins. She finished with 62 saves during the regular season and she will look to continue being a strong presence on net for the Cardinals.
After picking up the play-in game win, the Cardinals are back in the semifinals as they hit the road to face #1 seeded Frostburg State. The Cardinals will be looking to play underdog throughout the tournament, as they continue their first year rise as a program. Thursday will mark the fourth straight season, not counting the five year hiatus, that the Cardinals have found themselves in the semifinal round. The last appearance for the Cardinals came in 2019 when the team battled former MEC opponent Shepherd University in a game that saw them defeat the Rams 21-13. The two semifinal games will be hosted at campus sites, with #3 Dominican traveling to #2 The University of Charleston and #4 Wheeling heading to #1 Frostburg State. The highest remaining seed will serve as the host site for the MEC Championships while the other two teams will play in a 3rd place game.
The Matchup
The Cardinals and Bobcats are meeting for the third time in program history, and the first time in postseason action. Frostburg State has won each of the first two meetings, with both of those coming this season, as the Cardinals are 0-1 at home and 0-1 on the road. They averaged seven goals per game across the first two meetings between the two teams and are looking to get into double digits in the semifinal round.
The last meeting between the two teams came on April 19th, 2025, when Frostburg State defeated the Cardinals 22-8. The Cardinals were led by Trinity Rose, who finished with three goals on the day while putting all six shots that she took on the day on net. Five other Cardinals would finish with one goal on the day as they rounded out the game.
The Details
Opening draw for Thursday night's game is scheduled for 6 PM inside Bobcats Stadium on the campus of Frostburg State. You can watch the game live by clicking HERE or follow along with Live Stats by clicking HERE.
