Pittsburgh, PA. - After playing through a seven-game non-conference stretch, the time had come for the Wheeling University Women's Lacrosse team (4-4, 1-0) to open their Mountain East Conference (MEC) schedule. The Cardinals would welcome Point Park to the conference in their first MEC match as a program, and Wheeling would go on to win by the final score of 18-8. The Cardinal offense was consistent throughout the night, scoring three or more goal in each of the four quarters, with eight different Cardinals scoring goals to lead the way on the night.
Getting the scoring started was Trinity Rose just over two minutes into the game, taking a pass from Ava Annuziata and putting it into the back of the net. It was the start of a big day for the junior, who finished with six goals and three assists to finish with nine points in the effort. Three of her six goals would come in the first 30 minutes of play, while she added four total points during that first half. She was essential in helping the Cardinals build an 8-0 lead by halftime, and she scored the teams 16th goal of the game that officially got the mercy rule clock running. Both the nine goals and three assists were career highs for Rose as she led the Cardinal's offensive success throughout the night. With the effort, Rose propelled herself into the team lead with 21 goals this season, while sitting second on the team with 29 points.
Wheeling would outscore Point Park 5-0 in the opening quarter, and the defense continued to hold strong into the second quarter. After the Cardinals outshot the Pioneers 11-5 in the first quarter, they continued that streak into the second quarter. They outshot Point Park 11-7 over the next 15 minutes, adding three more goals to their team total to take an 8-0 lead into halftime. Rose would score the first two goals of the quarter, taking assists from Jovie Noack as the Cardinals built a 7-0 lead with 6:52 to play. The final goal of the half came from Julia Daniels, who took a pass from Rose and found the back of the net to send the Cardinals into the locker room with an 8-0 lead. Giavonna Perkins got the start in the effort, and held Point Park off the board through the first half. She would save all three shots she faced in the opening half and continued that success as the teams re-emerged for the second half.
The Cardinals would come out of the break scoring the first two goals of the second half, with Sophia Cirone and Jovie Noack getting on the board with assists from Noack and Iway. They would build a 10-0 lead before Point Park got on the board, scoring three straight goals to cut the Wheeling lead to 10-3. Paige Jankowski would get on the board with the first unassisted Cardinal goal of the day, and Wheeling broke the run to take an 11-3 lead. Point Park got on the board one more time before the quarter let out and with 15 minutes to play it was an 11-4 Cardinal lead. The final quarter would be the closest scoring quarter of the day, with the Cardinals outscoring the Pioneers 7-4.
Five different Cardinals would account for the seven goals in the quarter, with Rose leading the way with three of those seven goals, with two of those being assisted by Cirone. Kara Bradley, Macy Davies, and Julia Daniels would each get on the board before the quarter let out as Wheeling got to the 18-goal mark. It would also prove to be the end of a big day for Klara Domachowska, who both assisted and scored during the run. She would assist on two of the fourth quarter goals, finding both Bradley and Daniels before rounding out the scoring with a goal of her own. With 5:49 to play, Domachowska brought the ball up the field and found the back of the net for the 18th Cardinal goal of the day, it finished out a day that saw her score three goals and pick up three asissts to finish with six points in the effort. Point Park scored the final two goals, but Wheeling would hold on for the 18-8 win.
Behind Rose's six goal effort, the Cardinals had four multi-goal scorers to lead a potent Cardinal offense. Klara Domachowska finished right behind her with three goals and three assists, totaling six points. Julia Daniels, Macy Davies, and Paige Jankowski each put up two goals in the effort. Giavonna Perkins would finish with six saves on 10 shots faced, while Meckenzie Caldwell played the final 17 minutes allowing four goals and not making a save.
The Wheeling University Women's Lacrosse team returns to action on Thursday, March 26th, when they host Davis & Elkins at 4 PM.
