Wheeling, W. Va. - After a tough battle against non-conference Frostburg State last week, the Wheeling Men's Lacrosse team (5-5, 4-3) will host Malone University for their final home game of the season. Prior to the start of the game, the Cardinals will also honor five seniors — Jack Rowe, Nate Castner, Dominico Cataldo, Owen Worley, and Gage Kimmel — for their dedication and accomplishments at Wheeling. 

During last week's game, Wheeling fell to Frostburg 17-7. The Cardinals were able to keep it a close game during the first half, going into half time down by three. Frostburg gained their 10 goal lead during the third quarter after scoring seven goals in a row and holding Wheeling scoreless. The Cardinals were not able to close the gap during the fourth quarter with both teams scoring two goals. 

Despite the outcome, sophomore Andrew Turner was able to have himself a day. Turner scored three goals against Frostburg, setting a career high for goals in a single game. Ayden Shepard also helped on the offensive end, tying his career high of two assists in a single game for the third time this season. Landen Martin helped on the defensive end, alongside Riley Lincoln, by making seven saves on 22 shots and picking up five ground balls. Lincoln caused two turnovers and picked up two ground balls, with eight different Cardinals recording a caused turnovers. Mason Malec, Dominico Catald, and Hajiyianni Marin all made appearances in the faceoff, taking nine each. Marin won five, while Malec won two and Cataldo won one. Nate Castner also appeared for a faceoff and won it. Christopher Burlingame relieved Martin in the fourth quarter and saved one of three shots.

The Matchup

Wheeling and Malone will be meeting for the fourth time, with the Cardinals finishing on top each of the previous matchups. Last year, Wheeling won 17-13 after Jack Rowe scored five goals and assisted three other goals. Mason Malec and Dominico Cataldo split time at the faceoff, winning 14 of the 31 faceoffs. 

Malone is currently 1-8 in the Great-Midwest Athletic Conference (G-MAC), with their only win being against Davis & Elkins 15-7. Their last game was against Lake Erie on Saturday, and they fell to the Storm 14-11. Six Pioneers scored during the day, with five having two goals. Senior midfielders Ramsey Burnard and Darek Smith led offensively with both having two goals and two assists. Lead faceoff man junior Ty McCort went 19-27 in faceoffs on the day, and picked up eight ground balls to lead defensively. Freshman goalkeeper Zach Johnson started in goal for Malone, making 11 saves on 21 shots. Redshirt freshman Andy Lopez relieved Johnson halfway through the game and made five saves on nine shots. 

The Details

The Cardinals will make their last appearance on Bishop Schmitt Field for the season Wednesday, April 15th at 4 PM. They will honor their five seniors about 20 minutes before the first faceoff. The live stream can be accessed through FloCollege HERE and live stats can be found HERE.