Wheeling, W. Va. - After making the Mountain East Conference (MEC) semifinals a year ago, the road back begins for the Wheeling Women's Lacrosse team (0-0, 0-0) on Saturday when they open Bishop Schmitt Field. The Cardinals welcome in Gannon University in non-conference action, with opening draw control at 1 PM. It begins a six-game non-conference schedule for the Cardinals, spanning through the middle of March, as they prepare themselves for the challenging MEC schedule.
The 2025 season saw the program return from a five-year hiatus as part of the addition of three new women's sport for the 2024-2025 athletic season. They took the field with a bang, earning a 22-9 win over Allegheny College in their opener, and followed that with their first NCAA DII win against Tiffin the very next weekend. After dropping their final three non-conference games, they entered the MEC schedule sitting at 2-3 overall. They would come out strong in their MEC opener, beating West Virginia Wesleyan 26-4, and following that up with a 13-8 win over Davis & Elkins. Losses to both the University of Charleston and Frostburg State evened their record at 2-2, and a duplicate performance in the second half of their conference schedule had them at 4-4. They entered the MEC tournament as the #4 seed and earned a home 11-8 win over Davis & Elkins, before falling to the eventual MEC Champions Frostburg State 17-1 in the semifinal round.
In their second year back from hiatus, the Cardinals return a lot of their experience from a season ago, with all four of their All-MEC honorees returning. Leading the charge is junior midfielder Trinity Rose, who took home First Team All-MEC honors a season ago thanks to her work both on the offensive and defensive sides of the ball. She would finish the year as the Cardinal's leading scorer, putting up 43 goals and 55 points, while sitting third on the team with 12 assists. Her .430 shooting percentage was good for third on the team, while her .720 shot on goal percentage ranked in the top five of all eligible players. For as good as her offense was, it was her defense that powered her throughout the season and put her name in the Cardinal record books. She would set the program's single-season record for ground balls (72), Caused Turnovers (54), and Draw Controls (88) to round out a solid Cardinal debut.
Joining her on the offensive end will be senior Jovie Noack, who returns coming off a historic season of her own. She would start the season by setting the team's single-game goal record with 10 against Allegheny College and road that momentum the rest of the way. She finished as the team's second leading scorer, finishing with 31 goals and 73 points, while holding a .630 shot on goal percentage throughout the season. The Cardinal's defense has also gotten a big boost thanks to the incoming class of 11 freshmen and transfers. Leading the way is sophomore Lela Plouse, who comes to the Cardinals after appearing in 10 games for Post University a season ago. She would record three ground balls and three caused turnovers with Post, and looks to be a leader for the Cardinals this season.
As they kick-off the 2026 season, the Cardinals will challenge themselves with a six-game non-conference schedule, with all of their opponents being from the Atlantic Region. The Cardinals will have a heavy dose of their home field in the non-conference slate, with four of the six games being played at Bishop Schmitt Field, as Wheeling looks to take advantage of the home crowd. The Cardinals played better at home a season ago, going 4-4 compared to a 3-4 mark on the road, including picking up their first home playoff win since 2017. A strong start to the season will be key for the Cardinals as they prepare to face the challenging schedule of the MEC.
The Match-up
The Cardinals and Golden Knights are meeting for the fourth time in program history on Saturday, with Gannon leading the all-time series at 3-0. It will be the Golden Knights second-ever trip to Bishop Schmitt Field, where they hold a 1-0 record against the Cardinals, and it will be the first meeting between the two teams since the 2019 season. Wheeling is averaging 10 goals per game in the all-time series, and has scored at least seven in every meeting with Gannon.
The last meeting between the two programs came back on March 14th. 2019, in a game that Gannon would win 16-15. Leading the way for Wheeling was former Cardinal Mackenzie Kaderabek, who finished with 10 goals, while taking 13 shots and putting 12 of those on net. Former Cardinal Paige Orbell and Former Cardinal Hayley Holmquist each scored twice in the game to round out the big day on the field.
The Details
Opening draw control between the Cardinals and Golden Knights is scheduled for 1 PM inside Bishop Schmitt Field. You can watch the game live by clicking HERE or follow along with Live Stats by clicking HERE.
