History
West Liberty, W. Va. – “The Battle for Wheeling” kicked off on the women’s soccer field on Wednesday night and turned into an instant classic. With just 13 seconds to go, the Cardinals put the game-winning free kick into the back of the net, and Wheeling would pick up a 1-0 victory. It was the team’s first Mountain East Conference (MEC) win of the season and gives them momentum as they head into a few tough MEC North games on this upcoming stretch.
The drama began with just over four minutes remaining in the game when Gabby Bortolussi received a yellow card that gave the Hilltoppers the ball. West Liberty would set up the offense and, as the clock ticked under three minutes, Frida Lundberg would send a shot towards the upper left corner of the net. Wheeling goalkeeper Sam Faulkner would use every inch of her 5’7 frame to get up and knock the ball over the crossbar for her fourth save of the day. West Liberty would set up once again with under a minute to go, but Caryn Goins would get in front of the ball and send Wheeling on a counterattack. It would be Bortolussi on a two-on-one situation, and a foul with just 13 seconds to go would set her up for a free kick right on top of the goalkeeper’s box. The redshirt freshman would send the ball to the lower corner of the net and out of the reach of West Liberty’s Cianna Butera and the Cardinals would take “The Battle for Wheeling” by the final score of 1-0.
It was Bortolussi’s first career collegiate goal, and it couldn’t have come in a more clutch moment for her team. She would finish the day playing 52 minutes and taking two shots, putting one of those into the back of the net. It was Borotlussi’s second game of the season for the Cardinals and she looks to make herself a mainstay in the lineup. The Cardinal’s leading shot taker was Rosie Caley, who finished with four shots on the night, putting all four of those on net. The victory wouldnt have been possible without the work of Sam Faulkner in net, who picked up her first win of the season with four saves in the shutout effort. Maira Alevato would add four shots, one on goal, while Kaitlyn Osorio added two shots to round out the leaders. The Cardinals would outshoot West Liberty 16-9 in the contest, but it was the final shot that made the difference in the game.
It would be West Liberty that started the game on the attack, taking a shot in the 8th minute, but Faulkner was there to make the save to shut things down. Lily Hanna would send the first Cardinal shot of the day in the 17th minute, and four minutes later Rosie Caley would put the first Cardinal shot on net. However, West Liberty’s Butera was there to make the save, and the game stayed deadlocked 21 minutes in. As they have done all season, the Cardinal back line continued to force the ball up the field and allowed just two shots over the next 37 minutes before the half. Wheeling’s offense would push their way up the field, outshooting West Liberty 7-3 in the half, but only put two of those seven shots on net. Kaitlyn Osorio would take back-to-back shots in the 27th minute, but both would miss the mark as Wheeling continued to take advantage of their opportunities.
Just like the second half, the final minutes of the first half would have their fair share of drama with both teams pushing for the scoreboard. In the 37th minute, the Cardinals nearly got their first goal of the day when Lu Yela Gonzalez sent a shot over the keeper’s head. However, it would bang off the top crossbar, but the Cardinals would keep possession. Alevato would try to take advantage, but sent a shot off net that went wide left to keep it a scoreless game. As the half came down to its final minute, West Liberty would push towards the net and put a shot on goal with just 45 seconds remaining in the half. The Hilltoppers would have the Cardinal’s defense out of sorts but a heads up play from the back line sent the shot away and the teams headed into the locker room with the score remaining 0-0.
As they started the second half, Wheeling would come out aggressive and just four minutes in, the Cardinals were attacking the net. Caley would send a shot on net at the 49-minute mark, but was denied to keep it scoreless. West Liberty’s first shot on net would come in the 60th minute as Abigail Barki tried to sneak the shot past Faulkner. However, the senior would get down to make the save, and the 0-0 score held up. The Cardinals continued to push up field, with Caley taking two shots on net and Alevato adding one of her own as the 0-0 score held. The shooting gap narrowed in the second half, with Wheeling holding a 9-6 advantage, and the Cardinals would put five shots on net compared to three for the Hilltoppers. It would all come down to the final seconds of the game as the Cardinals earned their first two conference points of the season.
The Wheeling University Women’s Soccer team returns to action on Sunday, September 21st, when they host Frostburg State with kick-off at 5 PM.
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