North Canton, OH - The Wheeling University Men's Lacrosse team battled through a physical road matchup against Walsh University but ultimately fell to the Cavaliers, 15-6, in conference play. Despite the loss, the Cardinals officially clinched their spot in the 2026 Great Midwest Athletic Conference (G-MAC) Tournament in the win, thanks to Point Park losing to Thomas More.
The game opened with a defensive tone, as neither side was able to find the back of the net in the first quarter. Both teams generated opportunities, but goalkeepers stepped up early. Wheeling's Landen Martin made key saves, including a stop on Walsh's Kai Kimura, to keep the game scoreless. Despite a late penalty putting the Cardinals man-down, the defense held strong to close out the opening frame.
Walsh struck first in the second quarter after winning the faceoff, capitalizing to take a 1-0 lead. The Cardinals responded quickly, as Jack Rowe found the back of the net off an assist from Andrew Turner to even the score. The two teams continued to trade possessions, with both defenses forcing turnovers and limiting clean looks.
Walsh regained the lead midway through the quarter, but Rowe answered once again, netting his second goal of the game to tie things up. From there, both squads had chances to pull ahead, with Wheeling firing multiple shots on goal—including attempts from Josh Wesneski, Owen Worley, and Ben Tornatore—but Walsh goalkeeper Austin England came up with key saves. Martin matched him on the other end, turning away several shots late to keep things even heading into halftime.
Wheeling came out of the break looking to seize momentum, but Walsh struck quickly to take the lead early in the third quarter. The Cardinals answered right back, as Josh Wesneski scored to even things up. Shortly after, Zander Thomas gave Wheeling a brief edge off an assist from Rowe.
The Cavaliers responded with a decisive run, taking advantage of extra-man opportunities and strong faceoff play to swing momentum back in their favor. Walsh converted multiple man-up chances and controlled possession for extended stretches, building a multi-goal lead as the quarter progressed. Despite several saves from Martin, the Cardinals struggled to clear the ball consistently, allowing Walsh to maintain offensive pressure and extend the lead heading into the final frame.
In the fourth quarter, Wheeling looked to mount a comeback and found some success on the man-up, as Ben Tornatore scored off an assist from Ayden Shepard. Andrew Turner later added another goal to cut into the deficit, but Walsh continued to respond with timely scoring of their own. The Cavaliers controlled the remainder of the quarter, capitalizing on faceoff wins and turnovers to add to their lead. Wheeling created several chances down the stretch, with shots from Rowe, Turner, and Wesneski, but England remained steady in goal to deny the comeback attempt. Walsh closed out the game with a strong offensive push to secure the 15-6 victory.
Rowe led the Cardinals with two goals and an assist, while Wesneski, Tornatore, Thomas, and Turner each added a goal. Turner and Shepard contributed assists in the effort. Martin anchored the defense with multiple saves throughout the game, while Burlingame saw time in goal during the fourth quarter.
The Wheeling University Men's Lacrosse team return to action on Tuesday, April 21st against Davis and Elkins
