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Wheeling, W. Va. – Last time out, the Wheeling Women’s Soccer team (0-2, 0-0) battled National Athletic Intercollegiate Association (NAIA) Lourdes University in Columbus, Ohio. The Cardinals would fall to the Panthers 3-1, while holding a strong defense. The Cardinals will be back on the field Saturday, September 13 in Pittsburgh, PA when they take on Point Park University with kickoff at noon. 

During their match against Lourdes, the Cardinals would hold a strong defense and be aggressive on the attacking end for the first 45 minutes. Senior Goalkeeper Akyla Walcott would get her first start of the season, and would hold Lourdes to a 0-0 score going into half time. The Cardinals would start the second half strong with the first goal of the game by Kaitlyn Osorio. They would take the lead 1-0, but the Panthers would answer back quickly by scoring two goals with 36 minutes to go in the second half. Lourdes would score one more goal in the match to make the final score 3-1. 

Despite the loss, Walcott’s efforts would be rewarded as she earned Mountain East Conference (MEC) defensive player of the week for women’s soccer. She would make eight saves on 11 shots during the entirety of the game. Another Cardinal to highlight would be Senior Midfielder Kaitlyn Osorio as she led the Cardinals in shots and goals. Osorio gained the first goal of the season for both herself and the team, and led the Cardinals with three shots on goal. The Cardinals are now 0-2 in non-conference play, but look to make more progress as they open conference play against Point Park University.  

After making the MEC Tournament a season ago as the #4 seed in the MEC North Division, the Cardinals were picked #5 in this year’s MEC Preseason Poll, as voted on by the coaches. Defense has been the name of the game for the Cardinals over the first two games of the season, with Wheeling having yet to concede a goal in the first half of a game through two games played. With the top four teams from both the MEC North and MEC South making the tournament, the Cardinals are looking to get off to a hot start and get a leg up on one of their divisional opponents. 

The Matchup 

Wheeling and Point Park will be meeting for the fourth time in program history, with Wheeling leading the all-time series at 2-0-1. Wheeling is making their third trip to Highmark Stadium, going 1-0-1 in the previous two meetings at the facility. It has been a high-scoring series for the Cardinals, averaging 3.67 goals/game in the previous four matches. 

The last time the Cardinals and Pioneers met on October 23rd, 2024, they would tie the game 3-3. Leading the way for the Cardinals was Lily Hanna, who scored two of the team’s three goals in the game, while taking two shots and putting both on net. The other Cardinal’s goal would come from Maira Alevato, who put her lone shot of the day into the back of the net. Sam Faulkner would get the start in net, and made eight saves on 11 shots faced. 

The Details 

 Kickoff for Saturday’s game is scheduled for noon inside Highmark Stadium in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. You can watch the action live by clicking HERE or follow along with Live Stats by clicking HERE.