Wheeling, W. Va. - After some late-game heroics last time out, the Wheeling University Women's Soccer team (1-3, 1-1) continues their stretch of Mountain East Conference (MEC) North play on Sunday. They welcome in the defending MEC North champions Frostburg State Bobcats with kick-off at 5 PM. After picking up their first conference win of the season, the Cardinals look to keep their momentum going and knock off the defending division champions.
Last time out, the Cardinals went up Route 88 for their first taste of "The Battle for Wheeling" in 2025 against West Liberty. It was a defensive game from start to finish, but throughout the first half the teams combined for just 10 total shots. Wheeling outshot the Hilltoppers 7-3 as the Cardinal back line continued to push the ball up the field. The Cardinals were taking their shots, but they only put two of them on net and went into halftime with the score tied at 0-0. That score would remain with just two minutes to play in the half, but a huge save kept the game square at 0-0. With just 13 seconds to go, the Cardinals drew a foul just outside the box and had a free kick opportunity. That kick found the back left corner of the net, and Wheeling would pick up their first MEC win with a 1-0 victory over the Hilltoppers.
Setting up the big play at the end was Sam Faulkner, who had a great game in net all night long. She would face four shots on the net, making the save all four times, but none would come bigger than with 2:36 left on the clock. West Liberty's Frida Lundberg tried to sail a shot over her head. Faulkner was able to leap up and punch the ball over the crossbar, keeping the game tied at 0-0. Faulkner ranks third in the conference in Goals Against Average this season at 1.000, while also ranking third with a .786 save percentage. She has allowed just one goal or fewer in two of her three starts this season, and has been a big piece of the team's defensive success this season.
In the final seconds, it was Gabby Bortolussi who would set up for the free kick just at the top of the box. She was able to angle her kick around the wall of defenders and towards the back corner of the net. The West Liberty keeper got a hand on the shot, but it wasn't enough as it went to the back of the net for the first goal of the night. It was Bortolussi's first career goal, and it came in one of the biggest moments of the game for the Cardinals. The Cardinal's top shot taker on the day was Rosie Caley, who put each of the four shots she took on the day on net. However, one of her biggest moments against West Liberty was drawing the foul that led to the game winning free kick. Caley is tied for the team lead with eight shots, while leading the Cardinal's with five shots on goal.
Wheeling's stretch of MEC North play continues with two of the next three games coming against divisional opponents. The Cardinals will have the luxury of playing on their home field in both of those contests, where they picked up one of their three conference wins a season ago. Wheeling's defense has been its strength throughout the 2025 season, sitting third in the conference, allowing an average of just 1.00 goal per game this season. However, the MEC North has been a strong defensive conference throughout the early going with four of the five MEC North teams holding the top four spots in goals allowed per game. Wheeling looks to be the superior defense on Sunday as they look to continue their winning ways within the division.
The Matchup
The Cardinals and Bobcats are meeting for the 12th time in program history, with Frostburg State leading the all-time series at 9-1-1. All three of the points that Wheeling has earned in the all-time series have come at home, where they are 1-4-1 in seven previous matchups. The Cardinals are looking to break a four-game losing streak to the Bobcats, and an eight-game winless streak dating back to the 2021 season.
The last meeting between two teams came on October 30th, 2024, in a game the Cardinals fell 4-1 at Bishop Schmitt Field. Former Cardinal Mary DiFonzo would lead the way for Wheeling, scoring the team's lone goal of the day while putting all three of her shots on net throughout the night. Sam Faulkner would get the start in net, making four saves on eight shots faced, while Nyah Smith took two shots and put one of those on net.
The Details
Kick-off for Sunday's game is scheduled for 5 PM inside Bishop Schmitt Field. You can watch the game live by clicking HERE or follow along with Live Stats by clicking HERE.
