ST. ALBANS, W.Va. – The West Virginia State women's soccer team defeated the Wheeling University Cardinals by a score of 2-1 at Crawford Field in St. Albans. The match was the final match before the re-opening of Dickerson Stadium at Lakin-Ray Field, which will serve as the permanent home of the women's soccer program. Dickerson Stadium already serves as the home field for the WVSU football team.
 
WVSU improves its record to 7-2-1 on the season, 6-1-1 in the Mountain East Conference, and extends its unbeaten streak to seven. The only match that wasn't won outright by the Yellow Jackets during this streak was a 2-2 tie against Concord University on October 3^rd.
 
Wheeling falls to 3-6-1 on the season, 2-5-1 in the MEC.
 
Wheeling had the opening kickoff and both teams seemed to be feeling each other out early, with both teams spending most of their possession time in the midfield. Brooklyn Pritt took a through ball down the right side of the field in the third minute but the cross was long. Wheeling got a corner kick in the fifth minute of the match but the kick was long and a Wheeling attacker was flagged for being offside.
 
A Wheeling defender mishandled a clear and Brooklyn Pritt cleaned it up, took it down the right side of the field and crossed it into the box. Cierra Savin found the ball, found a wide open net on the backside, and found her first goal of the season when she headed the ball past Wheeling goalkeeper Mikayla Yarwood.
 
Just under a half-hour later, Delaney Day fired a through ball from the 36-yard-line of Crawford Field. Yarwood rushed out her goal to try and get it before a charging Fran Soares-Cupertino could get to it. Soares-Cupertino won the foot race and headed the ball easily into the back of the net, giving the Yellow Jackets a two goal cushion. WVSU wouldn't record another shot for the half, and Wheeling recorded one more, off-target. WVSU was whistled for five offside violations in the first half alone.
 
Coming out of the break, WVSU took the kick-off and 44 seconds later found their lead cut in half off of a Braedynn Porter goal for the Cardinals as she dribbled from 35 yards out and slipped it past Galindo. That was the lone shot on goal in the second half for Wheeling. The Yellow Jackets took six shots in the second half. Only one was on target, and it was saved by Yarwood. The Cardinals had a corner kick with under a minute to play, but were unable to get a shot off. Galindo gobbled up a cross with 10 seconds left and ran the clock out, giving the Yellow Jackets the victory.
 
Soares-Cupertino was the leading offensive threat for the Yellow Jackets, taking five shots, three on target, and scoring once. Savin took two shots, both on target and scored once. Galindo made two saves, facing eight shots and allowed one goal. Wheeling's leading scorer, Kenadee Burgoyne, was held to three shots. Only one of those three shots was on goal. Yarwood made three saves on 13 shots and allowed two goals.
 
The Yellow Jackets hit the road to play the West Liberty University Hilltoppers on October 13^th for a 6 pm match. All matches can be watched live and on demand at mountaineast.tv.