Behind freshman Isabella Veltre's (Ontario, N.Y./Wayne Central) five-goal performance in her collegiate debut, the Gannon women's lacrosse team opened the 2026 season with a 15–11 road victory over Wheeling Jesuit on Saturday afternoon. 

Head Coach Jennifer Pawlowski's Golden Knights improved to 1–0 on the season for the first time since 2020, when Gannon opened the year with a 17–14 road victory at Notre Dame (Ohio). 

Senior Charlie Hunter (Boston, N.Y./Hamburg) reached a career milestone in the season opener, surpassing 100 career points with a four-point performance against Wheeling. The Boston, N.Y. native entered the 2026 season with 96 career points and was named a PSAC First Team All-Conference midfielder a season ago.

Gannon held Wheeling scoreless in the second quarter to build separation, and although the Cardinals mounted a fourth-quarter comeback attempt, it was not enough. Wheeling, which was voted to finish third in the Mountain East Conference and advanced to the MEC semifinals a season ago, provided an early-season test.

THE GAME FACTS
Score: Gannon 15, Wheeling 11
Records: Gannon 1-0 | Wheeling Jesuit 0-1
Location: Bishop Schmitt Field – Wheeling, W.Va.
Date: February 14, 2026

THE KNIGHT CAP

• Freshman Debut: Isabella Veltre (Ontario, N.Y./Wayne Central) scored five goals in her collegiate debut to lead Gannon in the season opener.
• Balanced Scoring: Seven different Golden Knights found the back of the net in the season opener.
• Leading the Way: Charlie Hunter (Boston, N.Y./Hamburg) and Emma-Cait Cogan (Westerville, Ohio/Olentangy Orange) paced the offense with three goals apiece.
• Contributions Across the Lineup: Morgan Allardi (Roanoke, Va./Cave Spring), Megan Lang (Langhorne, Pa./Neshaminy), Maddie Walsh (Salisbury Mills, N.Y./Cornwall Central), and Rayla Smith (Pittsburgh, Pa./Plum) each added a goal.
• Sharing the Ball: Hunter, Lindsay Gavula (Butler, Pa./Butler Area), Allardi, and Walsh each recorded an assist.
• First Collegiate Goal: Walsh scored her first career goal after not appearing during the 2024 and 2025 seasons due to injury.
• Career Milestone: With four points on the day, senior Charlie Hunter (Boston, N.Y./Hamburg) reached 100 career points.
• Career Day: Cogan's three goals marked a career-high in a single game.
• Steady in the Cage: Riley Finnegan (Oviedo, Fla./Oviedo) played all 60 minutes and finished with nine saves in goal.
• Shot Efficiency: The Golden Knights finished with 19 shots on goal.
• Controlling Possession: Gannon won the ground ball battle 21–18 and outshot Wheeling 29–25.
• Defensive Pressure: Morgan Perkins (Hamburg, N.Y./Hamburg) led the Golden Knights with two caused turnovers.

Up Next
Gannon returns to action on Friday, February 20, traveling to Bloomsburg for a 1:00 p.m. matchup with the Huskies inside Steph Pettit Stadium.

This story was written using the support of AI.