CHARLESTON, W.Va. — The West Virginia Wesleyan Lady Bobcats dropped a Mountain East Conference road contest on Saturday afternoon, falling 21-0 to the University of Charleston at Schoenbaum Field.
Charleston scored the game’s first goal at the 13:04 mark of the opening quarter when Sylvi Jenner finished off a feed from Hayden Slinkard, and the Golden Eagles quickly found rhythm from there. Wesleyan had an early opportunity on its opening possession after Wiktoria Walska secured the draw control, but Francesca Sloan’s shot at 14:30 was turned away. Nyah Elmer also generated a free-position chance later in the period, but Charleston’s defense held firm as the home team built a 10-0 lead by the end of the first 15 minutes.
The Lady Bobcats showed flashes of resistance in the second quarter, particularly in goal and in transition. Ella Gomez came up with a pair of saves early in the period, including stops on Jordan McCloskey and Hayden Slinkard, while Francesca Sloan added a ground ball and Wesleyan converted its clears cleanly. Charleston, however, capitalized on player-up situations, getting a man-up goal from Ella Creagh at 5:39 and another strike from Allie Drake at 4:17 to take a 12-0 advantage into halftime.
Charleston seized further control in the third quarter, scoring the first four goals of the frame in a span of less than five minutes. Mahlina McFadden opened the period at 14:46 off another Slinkard assist, and Emilee Franklin followed with back-to-back goals to push the margin to 15-0. After a yellow card on Wesleyan’s Francesca Sloan, the Golden Eagles converted the extra-player opportunity when McFadden scored again at 10:22. Tatiyana Blacknall entered in goal midway through the quarter and made two saves, including a stop on Ella Creagh, as Wesleyan worked to stem the momentum.
In the fourth, Wesleyan continued to compete through the final whistle. Nyah Elmer picked up a ground ball after forcing a Charleston turnover, Sydney McKinney caused a turnover and collected a ground ball, and Emeri Boggs stepped in late in goal and helped the Bobcats complete a clear. Wesleyan also generated two free-position looks in the closing minutes, with Elmer and Boluwatife Omoleye each getting chances, but Charleston preserved the shutout.
The Lady Bobcats return home for their third match in four days. Virginia State University comes to Cebe Ross field on Tuesday, Mar. 24 for a 6 p.m. start.
