WHEELING, W. Va. – The No. 18 Frostburg State Women's Soccer team maintained their perfect start to the season with a 3-1 win over Wheeling on the road Sunday afternoon.
 
FSU wasted no time getting into their rhythm, as within the first minute, senior Toni Fiocco-Mizer had a pair of shots saved, the latter of which fell to senior Lela Clark at the back post to tap home for an early 1-0 lead.
 
The Bobcats peppered WU's Olivia Kqira in goal, firing off another six shots that were all stopped by the Cardinal keeper before the 14-minute mark. Wheeling had their first shot of the match in the 15^th minute, with senior Ashley Bigler gathering in Taylor Wells' effort. Frostburg continued to assert themselves in possession but couldn't create many other clear-cut chances through the half. The Cardinals had a breakaway on 36 minutes, but junior Cat Smith made a fantastic sliding challenge to limit the damage to a corner and nothing more.
 
Freshman Madison Hinton, sophomore Morgan Mrizek, and junior Mackenzie Alonso all had their chances to score late on, but Kqira was there for each one, with Alonso coming closest on a smart header that was saved in the bottom left corner just before the half.
 
With just under eight minutes gone in the second half, FSU got the insurance goal they desired, as Kqira saved a shot by Fiocco-Mizer, but junior Madi Allen was right there to slot home for a 2-0 lead. That seemed to spark each team into action, as another pair of goals were scored within the next 10 minutes. WU got on the board in the 58^th minute, as a mistake at the back allowed Nyah Smith a free shot on goal to make things 2-1. Just two and a half minutes later, Fiocco-Mizer struck from 25 yards out, arrowing a shot into the bottom left corner for a 3-1 Frostburg lead.
 
FSU didn't allow another Wheeling shot the rest of the contest, while Kqira was forced into action several more times. On another five occasions, the Bobcats tested the Cardinal shot stopper, who was up to the task, keeping the deficit at just two the rest of the way for a 3-1 Frostburg victory.
 
In securing the win, the Bobcats fired off 39 shots, with 21 on target, compared to just five and three, respectively, for the hosts. Kqira was the standout for the Cardinals, making a whopping 18 saves in goal to set a new WU program record.
 
With the result, FSU improves to 5-0 on the year, while Wheeling falls to 2-3. Combined with results from around the MEC, the Bobcats now stand alone at the top of the North Division standings, as just they and the South Division's Charleston (WV) and Concord remain the lone unbeaten teams in conference play. Frostburg returns home on Wednesday, September 20 to face West Liberty at 7:30 PM in Bobcat Stadium. Information and updates will be posted to frostburgsports.com.