Wheeling, W. Va. – After opening the Mountain East Conference (MEC) schedule on the road, the Wheeling University Women's Lacrosse team (5-4, 2-0) brought conference play to Bishop Schmitt Field for the first time in 2026. The team welcomed in Davis & Elkins and got out to an early lead with three goals in the first five minutes, it was enough to carry them to victory as they moved to 2-0 in the conference, keeping pace with the top two teams.
The afternoon started with a flurry of action from the Cardinal offense, with Wheeling striking for three goals in the first five minutes. It started at the 12:48 mark, after a high shot for the Senators resulted in a successful Wheeling clear. Trinity Rose would bring the ball up field and found Jovie Noack cutting in front of the net. The senior would complete the play with a goal and Wheeling took the 1-0 lead. It would take the Cardinals less than a minute to get back on the board as Klara Domachowska picked up the rebound of a wide Cardinal shot. She took the ball to the net by herself and found the back of the net to make it a 2-0 Wheeling lead. The final goal in the flurry of offense came with just over 10 minutes to play in the first after a Davis & Elkins turnover. Cirone would bring the ball up the field and found Noack for her second goal of the day to make it a 3-0 game.
Davis & Elkins would respond with back-to-back goals over the next four minutes and made it a 3-2 game. Wheeling would get on the board twice before the quarter let out, with both Rose and Domachowska scoring unassisted goals, before a Davis & Elkins goal to end the quarter. Wheeling led 5-3 heading to the second quarter and the back and forth continued between the two teams. The Senators tried to cut into the Cardinal lead, but two saves from Giavonna Perkins kept Wheeling in front 5-3. The Cardinals would extend that lead at the 10:30 mark as the Cardinals went on the attack. After a shot by Paige Jankowski was saved, two groundballs kept the Cardinals on the attack. Cirone would get the ball in her stick and made a move past the defense to make it a 6-3 game. The Senators would have their response just 30 seconds later and it was back on the attack for the Cardinals.
It was a save on a free position that got Wheeling going again as they cleared the ball up the field. Cirone once again found herself in attack mode with a free position attempt, and she found the back of the net to make it a 7-4 game. The final three minutes of the half was back and forth with Davis & Elkins scoring twice and the Cardinals sandwiching in a goal of their own. It would come following a Davis & Elkins green card and Cirone would set up the offense. She would connect with Rose for the final goal of the half, and the Cardinals went into the locker room leading 8-6. Coming out of the break, the Senators got one step closer, scoring their seventh goal of the day. With the score sitting a 8-7, the Cardinal defense stepped up forcing eight turnovers and not allowing another Davis & Elkins goal in the quarter.
The Cardinal offense rewarded their defense and responded a minute after the Senators opened the half. They would be given a free position opportunity and Cirone shot it in to bring the score to 9-7. Cirone would also be a part of the final Cardinal goal of the quarter, finding Macy Davies in a man-down situation to send the game into the fourth quarter at 10-7. They kept their foot on the gas pedal as the fourth quarter started with Rose taking a pass from Noack and finding the back of the net just 55 seconds into the quarter. That would end up serving as the nail in the coffin as the Cardinals defense allowed just two goals the rest of the way. Davies scored her second goal of the day with six minutes to play, and Noack and Rose would each get on the board before the end of regulation. The Cardinals would go on to win by the final score of 14-9, moving to 2-0 in conference play.
Leading the effort for the second game in a row was Trinity Rose, who finished with four goals and one assist to finish with five points. She now has 10 goals in her last two games and has been the motor for the Cardinal's offense. Wheeling would have two other players finish with hat tricks, with Jovie Noack and Trinity Rose each hitting the mark. Cirone would also lead the passing game, finishing with three assists to total six points, while Noack added an assist to finish with four points. Macy Davies and Klara Domachowska rounded out the scoresheet with two goals each, with Domachowska adding an assist to round out the day. Giavonna Perkins would get the start in net, making 11 saves on 20 shots faced, while Brooke Jeffery finished with nine draw controls.
The Wheeling University Women's Lacrosse team returns to action on Sunday, March 29th, when they travel to Charleston at 11 AM.
