Wheeling, W. Va. - After suffering their first Mountain East Conference (MEC) loss of the season, the Wheeling University Women's Lacrosse team (5-5, 2-1) looks to get back on track at Bishop Schmitt Field. They take a break from their heavy road swing with a home match-up on Wednesday when they welcome in MEC leading Frostburg State with opening draw at 3 PM. Wheeling has played well on their home field through the first six games, going 4-2 during that span, and they look to build on that success to open April.
The Cardinals are coming off a road trip to Charleston, West Virginia, where they fell to the University of Charleston 20-12. While the final score didn't look close, Wheeling was able to compete with the Golden Eagles early on, as the offense got them going. They would put up the first three goals over the first five minutes of play, and would hold a lead until the final minute of the quarter. Charleston would lead 4-3 heading to the second quarter and extended that lead to 6-3 to complete a 6-0 swing. However, Wheeling came right back with four goals in the span of seven minutes and took their second lead of the day at 7-6. The Golden Eagles would once again respond, taking a 10-7 lead into the half and adding five goals each in the third and fourth quarters. Wheeling would get as close as 13-9 with 2:55 to go in the third, but in the end the Cardinals would drop a 20-12 affair to move to 2-1 in conference play.
Leading the effort for the Cardinals was senior Jovie Noack, who finished with four goals and one assist to total five points in the effort. She would be the catalyst for the Cardinal's hot start to the game, scoring the first goal in a man-up opportunity and assisting on the second goal as the Cardinals took a 2-0 advantage. Noack would score two of her four goals during that first half surge, and played a part in three of the first six Cardinal goals. With the effort, Noack pulls into the team lead with 40 points through 10 games, and she has scored two or more goals in six of her last seven games. She sits among the conference leaders in both points and goals, ranking fourth and seventh respectively, and looks to continue being a catalyst for the team down the final month of games leading to the MEC Tournament.
The Cardinal's other offensive leader is junior Trinity Rose, who finished right behind Noack with two goals and two assists to total four points. She was able to hold off Noack as the team's goal leader with the two goals, and sits as the conference's second leading goal scorer (27), while sitting fifth in total points (38). Rounding out the effort for the Cardinals was sophomore goalkeeper Giavonna Perkins, who was named the MEC's Co-Defensive Player of the Week. She finished with 14 saves on 34 shots faced, finishing with a .412 save percentage while keeping the Cardinal's competitive early. Of her 14 saves on the day, seven of those came in the first half as she helped the Cardinals build not one but two leads over the first 30 minutes of play.
Despite the loss, the Cardinals remain in the conversation for one of the top two spots in the conference, holding a half game lead over Charleston despite the defeat on Sunday. They sit just one game behind the division leading Frostburg State Bobcats, and a win on Wednesday could have them tied atop the conference. With the #3 spot already being claimed by Dominican, the Cardinals are looking to grab one of the top two spots to earn a first-round bye in the MEC Tournament. Wheeling's offense has been their driving force during the season, with the team sitting second in the conference with a .443 shooting percentage, while sitting as the fifth highest scoring team in the conference with 135 goals. On the defensive side, they have been making their saves as well, holding a .443 save percentage as a team to sit second highest in the conference. Wheeling looks to get back on track and set themselves up for a deep postseason run.
The Match-up
The Cardinals and Bobcats are meeting for the fourth time in program history, with Frostburg State leading the all-time series at 3-0. It will be just the second trip to Bishop Schmitt Field for the Bobcats, with Wheeling going 0-1 in the first meeting, and the Cardinals will be looking for their first ever win against the Bobcats. Wheeling is averaging 5.0 goals per game, and has scored six or more goals in two of the previous three meetings.
The last meeting between the two teams came on May 1st, 2025, in the MEC Semifinal round game that Frostburg State would win 17-1. The Cardinals would be led by senior Sophia Cirone, who finished with the lone Cardinal goal while putting one of her two shots on net. Former Cardinal Maisy Latus would make four saves on 11 shots faced while Klara Domachowska added five draw controls to round out the effort.
The Details
Opening draw for Wednesday's game is scheduled for 3 PM inside Bishop Schmitt Field. You can watch the game live by clicking HERE or follow along with Live Stats by clicking HERE.
