BRIDGEPORT, W.Va. — The Wheeling Jesuit University football team has unveiled its inaugural schedule for the 2019 season. The Cardinals will play the first game is school history on Saturday, Sept. 7 when they host West Liberty. Kick-off is is still to be determined.

Wheeling Jesuit will play an 11-game schedule, which includes 10 Mountain East Conference contests. The Cardinals will play two Thursday night games, including on September 12 at Fairmont State and on September 19 when they host Urbana.

Wheeling Jesuit will also play one non-conference game on Saturday, Oct. 12 when they welcome McKendree from the Great Lakes Valley Conference (GLVC)..

For West Liberty, Coach Roger Waialae’s Hilltoppers are once again a popular choice for the MEC’s “Thursday Night Lights” television package as there are four Thursday night games on the WLU schedule with three of them slated for the friendly confines of West Family Stadium.

As a result, the Hilltoppers will have only two traditional Saturday afternoon kickoffs at home this season — the annual Homecoming Game against Concord on Oct. 12 and the regular-season finale against Charleston on Nov. 16.

After kicking off the season with the Saturday game at Wheeling Jesuit, the Hilltoppers return home for the first of three consecutive Thursday night contests.

This year’s home opener presents a stiff challenge as the Hilltoppers will be coming off a short week to host defending MEC champion and NCAA Division II national semifinalist Notre Dame (Ohio) under the lights on Sept. 12.

It’s back on the road the following week as West Liberty will make its firs trip to new MEC member Frostburg State (Md.) on Sept. 19 before returning home for another night game against Glenville State on Sept. 26.

Four straight Saturday afternoon games follow, beginning with an Oct. 5 trip to West Virginia State. The Hilltoppers come back to West Family Stadium for the Oct. 12 Homecoming game against Concord before heading to Canton, Ohio on Oct. 19 for a non-conference test against Walsh.

West Liberty heads to Fairmont State to serve as the Falcons’ Homecoming opponent on Oct. 26 before coming home for the final Thursday game of the season, a 7:10 p.m. kickoff against Urbana on Halloween night.

The Hilltoppers close out the season with back-to-back Saturday games, traveling to West Virginia Wesleyan on Nov. 9 before welcoming Charleston to West Family Stadium on Nov. 16.

All Thursday night games will kick off at 7:10 p.m. Saturday afternoon kickoff times will be announced at a later date.