Pittsburgh, PA - The Wheeling University Women's Soccer team (0-3), (0-1) traveled to Pittsburgh to clash with the Point Park Pioneers. The Cardinals were looking to start off strong against their first Mountain East Conference (MEC) opponent of the year, and despite producing more offensive chances, it was the Pioneers who emerged with the 2-0 victory.
The Cardinals stormed out of the gate with immense pressure. Graceylyn Hanna recorded the first shot of the contest six minutes in as the Pioneers had troubles generating a counterattack. Kaitlyn Osorio floated a shot top left, but it was stopped by the Pioneer keeper. The services of goalkeeper Sam Faulkner were required in the 22nd minute for the first time all match. She made the stop with ease and played the ball forward to give the offense a chance to hopefully do some damage. The Cardinals looked alive and well with two shots from Maira Alevato within the span of two minutes with the ladder shot challenging the opposing keeper. Though frustrated, the Cardinals were persistent in the offensive zone and earned a corner kick for their efforts in the 28th minute. Alevato was directed the ball toward the net, but it just missed to the right, keeping the game scoreless as time expired in the first half.
The break allowed the Pioneers to rest and regroup and when the second half began, they wasted no time driving the ball down field. Point Park's Sterre Kuijper moved the ball over to Paula Sole' who found open twine behind Faulkner to give the Pioneers the 1-0 lead in the 47th minute. The Pioneer offense continued to buzz, generating two corner kick opportunities and three shots across the ensuing 10 minutes. Finally, the Cardinals were able to clear their zone as Ana Santos got her foot on a ball from a corner kick, but the shot went too far to the left. The Pioneers worked their way out of their zone, and shortly after, Sole' found Kuijper open for another marker in the 64th minute to add to their lead. The Cardinals were not about to stop fighting as Jersey Scyoc took a shot on goal, however, it did not roll across the line. Shots from Lily Hanna and Santos looked dangerous but were a little too high of the goal. Caryn Goins had a go in the 78th minute, but once again, the keeper answered the call, and with that, the Pioneers earned their first win of the season by defeating the Cardinals 2-0.
The Cardinals had played at a fast pace all game long and ended the contest outshooting the Pioneers 12-8. Maira Alevato finished with three shots while Ana Santos and Kaitlyn Osorio each recorded two. Jersey Scyoc, Caryn Goins, Graceylyn Hanna, Lily Hanna, and Lu Yela Gonzalez all registered one shot. Sam Faulkner ended with three saves on eight shots.
The Wheeling University Women's Soccer team will be much closer to home, but they will still wear the away kit as they will play the Hilltoppers in West Liberty, WV on September 17th, 2025, at 7pm.
