Wheeling, W. Va. - The Mountain East Conference (MEC) Women's Soccer season is just six days away with all 12 teams starting non-conference play on August 25th. The conference got ready by releasing their 2022 MEC Women's Soccer Preseason poll, ranking the 12 teams in their two divisions. The Wheeling University Women's Soccer team finished #5 in the MEC North Division, receiving 27 points through a vote of the league's Head Coaches. The Cardinals moved up one spot from their 2021 ranking and look to climb the division standings this season.
In 2021, the Cardinals had several highs and several lows that led them to a 5-11-1 record overall and a 4-10-2 record in MEC play. It was the team's best season since the 2017 campaign and featured some big moments. They kicked things off with a 3-0 win over Lake Erie College for their first season-opening win since the 2009 season. A few weeks later, they broke an 0-16 skid against Notre Dame College with an exciting 3-2 victory that moved them to 2-2 in MEC play. After a slow middle of the season, the Cardinals came home for their final game of the 2021 season as they honored their seniors against rival West Liberty. It was a game that came down to the wire, but in the end Kenadee Burgoyne botched a pair of goals for the Cardinals and gave them a 2-0 victory. It ended their season on a high note and gave them their fourth conference win.
The Cardinals are entering a new era in 2022 with Head Coach Emmanuel Awotula taking the reigns. He comes from Lincoln University and is taking over a team that has several returners from last season. Each of the team's top two scorers in Burgoyne and Braedynn Porter are back as well as All-MEC Freshman team honoree Mary Difonzo in the midfield. They are joined by a strong recruiting class that includes two new goalkeepers, Sam Faulkner and Kendall Sheffy, and a new forward to jump into the mix in Hannah Schulte.
Leading the MEC North Preseason Poll was Frostburg State, who received 64 points and nine first place votes. Charleston finished second with 57 points and two first place votes and Notre Dame finished third with 52 points and one first place vote. In the south, Concord took the top spot with 64 points and nine first place votes, followed by Charleston (57 (2)) and West Virginia State (45 (1)). The rest of the preseason Women's Soccer poll looks like this:
North 1. Frostburg State - 54 (9) T2. Fairmont State - 52 (2) t2. Notre Dame - 52 (1) 4. West Liberty - 35 5. Wheeling - 27 6. Alderson Broaddus - 16 South 1. Concord - 64 (9) 2. Charleston - 57 (2) 3. West Virginia State - 45 (1) 4. West Virginia Wesleyan - 32 5. Davis & Elkins - 31 6. Glenville State - 17
The Wheeling University Women's Soccer team kicks off their season on Thursday, August 25th, when they take on Clarion at Bishop Schmitt Field at 1 PM.
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