Women’s Soccer
Wheeling, W. Va. – When they came into the 2024 season, the Wheeling University Women’s Soccer team had the goal of making the Mountain East Conference (MEC) Tournament. With a team made up of veteran talent and some young rookies, the Cardinals were able to accomplish their goal, making it back to the tournament  for the first time since the 2022 season. With several of their talented young players back next season, they look to build on their experience and continue to build the program. 
After a pair of tough non-conference games to start the season against Lincoln and Malone, the Cardinals came soaring into conference play with a 2-0 shutout win over Point Park. They would then battle the top two teams in the MEC North Division, falling in a close 3-2 match against Fairmont State and a 4-0 loss to Frostburg State. They picked up a big 6-0 win over Salem to bounce back and ended the month with a 2-1 Homecoming loss to West Liberty. They opened October with their second conference win of the season, taking down Davis & Elkins 2-1, and sprinkled in wins against West Virginia Wesleyan and Salem down the stretch. 
Coming off a win over Salem on the road, the Cardinals entered the final game of the regular season with a playoff spot clinched, and seeding to be decided. They would fall 2-1 to the Hilltoppers on the road, clinching them the #4 seed in the tournament. Lying ahead of them was a daunting task, taking on the #1 seed from the MEC South in the University of Charleston. Wheeling was entering with a young team, and the veteran Golden Eagles squad jumped early with two goals in the first six minutes of play. Unfortunately for the Cardinals, they came out on the losing end of a 7-0 score. Despite bowing out in the first round of the tournament, the Cardinals gained valuable experience they can use as this young team continues to grow. 
Leading the way throughout the season was senior Mary DiFonzo, who was rewarded with her first First Team All-MEC honor of her career. She tied for the team lead with nine goals and 20 points, while finishing tied for second in assists (2) and second in both shots (59) and shots on goal (30). The offense went as DiFonzo went this season, with the senior scoring at least one goal in each of the team’s five wins. She was also honored as the postseason kicked off, earning Division II Conference Commissioner’s Association (D2CCA) Second Team All-Region honors. It wrapped up a strong career for the senior from Ontario Canada, as she helped the program grow from the ground up over her four seasons. 
The team leader on the offensive end was freshman Lily Hanna, who earned Second Team All-MEC honors, as well as a spot on the MEC’s All-Freshman team. Hanna tied with DiFonzo for the team lead in goals and for second in assists, but topped her in both shots (72) and shots on goal (37). Hanna was the MEC’s leading shot taker, averaging 3.83 shots per game, and recorded her first multi-goal effort of her career against Point Park with a pair of goals. The other young Cardinal set to lead the team into the future is sophomore Nyah Smith. After earning a spot on the MEC’s All-Freshman team a season ago, Smith came back strong in her sophomore season, scoring four goals and totaling eight points on the day. Smith will look to take on a heightened role with DiFonzo’s graduation and looks to take advantage during her junior season. 
The Wheeling University Women’s Soccer team now heads into the off-season as they prepare to get back to the MEC Tournament in 2025. 






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