Wheeling, W. Va. – During the 2025 Wheeling Athletics Fall Sports Media Day, Head Women's Soccer Coach Ryan Wall made one thing clear, he wants his team to compete in 2025 not just be happy about winning. Despite graduating some veteran players from their 2024 roster, the Cardinals bring back some strong young talent who look to lead the way. The Cardinals are looking to not only get back to the Mountain East Conference (MEC) Tournament in 2025, but compete for the conference championship.

During the 2024 season, the Cardinals had a mix of veteran talent and underclassmen looking to make their mark. After starting the season with back-to-back loses in non-conference play to start the season, the Cardinals came back with their first conference win against Point Park. They would end up dropping their next four conference games and sat at 1-4 entering October. The tides would shift on their October 6^th matchup with Davis & Elkins. The Cardinals would edge out the Senators 2-1 and began the stretch run towards the MEC Tournament. Wheeling would pick up three more conference points down the stretch, and earned the #4 seed in the MEC North Division. They would battle the #1 seed from the MEC South, the University of Charleston, in the first round, but fell 7-0 to end their season.

While the Cardinals lost their top scorer from the past four seasons, Mary DiFonzo, they have a new young leader stepping up. Sophomore Lily Hanna burst onto the scene during her freshman season, tying for the team lead in goals (9), assists (2), and points (20). She scored her first collegiate goal in the opener against Lincoln and the Cardinals would go 3-4-1 when Hanna scored at least one goal. For her effort, she was named a member of the MEC's All-Freshman team as well as a Second Team All-MEC honor. She would lead the entire conference in both shots (72) and tied for the conference lead in shots on goal (37). The sophomore midfielder will look to be a leader all over the field for the Cardinals, as she helps the team increase their offensive push.

Joining Hanna on the offensive side, is Nyah Smith, who proceeded Hanna on the MEC All-Freshman team during the 2023 season. 2024 would see Smith build off that success, scoring four goals and totaling eight points on the season. She was one of the Cardinal's most efficient shooters, sitting second on the team with a .680 shots on goal percentage. The next most efficient shooter was Theresah Markei who, despite not scoring a goal on the season, had one assist and a .720 shots on goal percentage. Markwei started the season working on the back line, helping to lead the Cardinal's defense. She was part of a Cardinal back line that held opponents to three goals or less in 14 of the team's 16 games last season. Markwei will once again play a role all over the field, and will look to help out on both sides of the ball.

Along with the returners, Wall has brought in a class of eight freshmen who are looking to make an immediate impact on this year's team. Through the preseason games, Jeanery Diaz has stepped up on the offensive end. Diaz, a Santiago, Dominican Republic native, led her club teams to three straight championships and looks to bring that championship culture to the Cardinals. The Cardinals have also added to the defensive group with the addition of graduate goalkeeper Akyla Walcott. Walcott came to the Cardinals from Milligan University, where she set a career-high with 120 saves a season ago. The Cardinals are looking for all their new additions to make contributions as they fight to build a competitive culture.

The Cardinals were picked as the #5 team in the MEC North Division, and are looking to defy the rankings. The Cardinals will start the year with back-to-back non-conference games against Florida Southern College and Lourdes University on September 6^th and 7^th. These two games will prepare them for the MEC run, which kicks off September 13^th on the road against Point Park. Wheeling will play just three home games throughout the month of September, with two of those three being MEC matchups. After spending a lot of time on the road I. September, the Cardinals will make up that time at home down the stretch. They play six of their final 11 games at home down the stretch as they fight for their spot in the MEC Tournament.

The Wheeling University Women's Soccer team kicks off the 2025 season on Saturday, September 6^th, when they take on Florida Southern College at noon.