FROSTBURG, Md. – Freshman Mollie Rebuck and junior Morgan Mrizek each recorded three points in helping lead the Frostburg State Women's Soccer team past Wheeling 4-0 on Saturday evening.
 
Over the first 15 minutes of the game, each side swung momentum in their favor, with the Cardinals taking the first crack at senior Katie Sterne's goal, as the Bobcat netminder made a great one-on-one save five minutes in. A minute later, juniors Jayme Sooy and Carly Gillette both tried shots from distance, but each were right at WU keeper Olivia Kqira. Coming back the other way, Wheeling again tested Sterne, this time on back-to-back efforts, but she stood tall on both to preserve the scoreless contest.
 
After a quiet four minutes, Rebuck won a tackle inside the Cardinal half, cut inside on her right foot, and unleashed a 20-yard screamer past Kqira for a 1-0 Bobcat lead. The goal sparked Frostburg into action, as they won a corner kick two minutes later, where senior Cat Smith thought she had scored, but the ball was cleared off the line to keep WU in the game. Neither team managed a shot on target for the next 10 minutes, as four total efforts went either high or wide, until a Cardinal shot from just outside the box was saved by Sterne, though WU received a free kick in return. The resulting shot was deflected high for a corner, where Frostburg was able to fend it off to stay in the lead.
 
In the final eight minutes of the half, sophomore Grace Sarver had a shot blocked, then freshman Elena Fernandez was played into the box, but couldn't get the angle necessary to score, settling for a corner after forcing a Kqira save. Two straight balls into the box only resulted in Smith heading wide, as the contest went into halftime at 1-0.
 
Frostburg came out of the break with renewed energy, taking the game to Wheeling from the first whistle. After winning a corner in the first minute and a half, Smith headed over the bar, then in quick succession, Mrizek saw an effort charged down before senior Mei Homman fired wide as the game was played almost entirely in the Cardinal half.
 
Three consecutive corners each resulted in senior Mackenzie Alonso hitting the crossbar, Smith forcing a Kqira save, and finally Mrizek surging down the right wing, crossing to Alonso at the back post to slot home for a 2-0 lead. As FSU continued to dominate possession, junior Mary Greco tried her luck from distance but was too close to Kqira. As Wheeling tried to play their way out of the back, Frostburg pressed up the field, as freshman Rayiah Davis won the ball about 25 yards out, with Mrizek receiving it at the top of the 18, turning, and curling a beautiful shot into the top right corner to go up by three.
 
The Bobcats rolled on just three minutes later, as Rebuck charged down the right side, sent a cross into the box that deflected off a WU defender and found freshman Ariana Davis, who coolly finished at the far post to make it a 4-0 score. Still hungry for more, Frostburg saw Homman miss high and Smith again forcing a goal line clearance before Wheeling was able to get the ball up the field for a corner kick after 25 minutes. It once again came to nothing, as junior Hannah Clagett came closest to scoring late on, hitting the post in the final five minutes to end things with a four-goal victory.
 
FSU held a 28-9 advantage in shots, as the visitors managed just one in the entire second half, with 12 of those efforts on target.
 
With the victory, Frostburg improves to 4-1 on the season, while Wheeling falls to 1-4. The Bobcats hit the road for their next matchup on Wednesday, September 25, as they travel to West Liberty at 7:30 p.m. Information and updates will be posted to frostburgsports.com.