Wheeling, W. Va. – After wrapping up a stretch where they played four of six games on the road, the Wheeling University Women's Lacrosse team (8-6, 5-2) returns to Bishop Schmitt Field on Sunday. They welcome in The University of Charleston as they continue their second run through Mountain East Conference (MEC) play with opening draw at 2 PM. With a win on Sunday, the Cardinals can officially clinch their spot in the MEC Tournament for the second season in a row.
Last time out, the Cardinals would hit the road to face Davis & Elkins College, officially beginning their second run through the conference. Wheeling would get on the board first just two and a half minutes into the game, but it would be a back and forth quarter. The two teams would trade the first six goals of the game and with 14:24 to play before half it was a 3-3 game. Wheeling would open things up over the next 12 minutes, going on a 7-1 run that made it a 10-4 game. The Senators would get on the board to break the run, but two more Cardinal goals would give Wheeling a 12-5 lead heading into the half. The second half would see Davis & Elkins battle back, outscoring the Cardinals 8-6 over the final 30 minutes of play. However, Wheeling's early lead was enough and the Cardinals would hold on for the 18-13 win.
Leading the effort was Sophia Cirone, who set a career-high with eight goals, and added one assist to round out the nine-point day. She would score four of the eight goals during the Cardinal's 12-5 first half swing, and helped them seal the deal with four of the team's six goals in the second half. She was efficient with her shots throughout the night, putting eight of her nine shots on net and converting each of her shot on goal attempts into goals in the effort. She sealed the deal with the final two Cardinal goals of the day, wrapping up the 18-13 win. With the effort, Cirone would move up the team leaderboards, tying for second on the team with 28 goals while sitting swecons on the team with 44 points. Cirone looks to use the effort as momentum as they get ready to welcome in Charleston on Sunday.
Finishing right behind her was junior Trinity Rose, who finished with six goals and one assist, finishing with seven points on the day. Each of her six goals would come in the game's first half, with five of those six coming in the second quarter. She would take one shot less than Cirone on the day, putting seven of her eight shots on net, as she continued to grow her team lead in scoring. She enters Sunday's game leading the team with 33 goals and 46 points to round out the effort. The defensive effort was led by Brooke Jeffery, who finished with two caused turnovers, three ground balls and three draw controls. Jeffery has made an immediate impact during her freshman season with the Cardinals, leading the team with 50 draw controls, while sitting third with 13 caused turnovers and fifth with 20 groundballs.
As they head into Sunday's match-up, Women's Lacrosse has a magic number of one to clinch a playoff spot. After Point Park fell to Davis & Elkins on Thursday, the Cardinals moved one step closer to clinching their MEC Tournament spot. With a win on Sunday, the Cardinals would clinch their MEC Tournament spot for the second year in a row. Wheeling currently sits one game behind Charleston for the #2 spot in the conference, and a win on Sunday would tie them for that second place spot. It would put them in prime position to secure a first round bye in tournament play, which would allow them to be the host for the semifinal round of the MEC tournament. The Cardinals have played well at home this season, going 5-3 compared to a 3-3 mark on the road, and Wheeling looks to clinch their postseason spot.
The Match-up
The Cardinals and Golden Eagles are meeting for the ninth time in program history and the second time in 2026. Wheeling leads the all-time series at 5-3, but is looking to break a three game losing streak at the hands of the Golden Eagles. Three of their five wins in the series have come on their home field, where they are 3-2 compared to a 2-1 mark on the road. Wheeling dropped the season opener with Charleston, and looks to even things up Sunday.
The first meeting between the two teams came back on March 29th in a game that Charleston would win 20-12. Wheeling was led by Jovie Noack, who finished with four goals and one assist to total Five points in the effort. Sophia Cirone, Macy Davies, and Trinity Rose each added two goals on the day, while Giavonna Perkins made 14 saves on 34 shots faced.
The Details
Opening Draw for Sunday's game is scheduled for 2 PM inside of Bishop Schmitt Field. You can watch the game live by clicking HERE or you can follow along with Live Stats by clicking HERE.
