Angie Abel did not want to lose.
The Point Park women’s soccer team had a 2-7 record heading into a home match-up last Wednesday against Geneva College and had been out shot four times by a combined total of 92-26.
Looking for their first home win, the Pioneers accomplished that with a 1-0 victory against Geneva and out shot them 29-8, which pleased the senior defensive captain.
“It was a huge confidence boost for us all, as well as a turning point. We needed this to help us turn our season around,” Abel said. “We all said that we have to change this season, and it starts with that game. Our goal was, and continues to be, to put everything we have into every game to make sure we continue with this momentum.”
The win is a part of what head coach Maggie Kuhn believes are improvements that are helping the team become more confident. Kuhn believes that this will help the team work to get better.
“I think the biggest improvement has been their attitude and will to be more competitive on a more consistent basis,” Kuhn said. “In some of our games, the majority of us didn’t even run and now we are putting teams under more pressure. Now only if we can figure out how to score and keep teams off the board in the first five minutes.”
Scoring in the game for Point Park was junior midfielder Ula Koczkodaj, Koczkodaj’s first goal of the season was at the 39:26 minute mark of the contest. The Pioneers had a 10-2 advantage in corner kicks and faced three shots on goal.
The team won its second game of the season Sept. 16 against West Virginia Tech with freshman midfielder Audra Lewis scoring twice and junior midfielder Alyson Joyce once. In the season Lewis has a team-leading five goals. Against Walsh, the Pioneers were out shot for the only time in the past two weeks in a 2-0 loss.
Something that plagued the Pioneers in the losses against Walsh and Kentucky Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (KIAC) foe Rio Grande were the early goals. In five games this season, an opponent has scored in the first six minutes of the contest. Kuhn is frustrated and confused by the fact that the early goals happen so often.
“It’s just a lack of being mentally focused for the first part of the game unfortunately,” Kuhn said. “We don’t hold ourselves responsible to do our job, and there are breakdowns. It happens too often. I wish I knew completely because I would change it. We have tried different things in our pregame to get the kids thinking differently, but the breakdowns still occur.”
Abel agrees and puts that responsibility to everyone both on the offensive and defensive side of the ball.
“I think putting together a full 90-minute game is a big goal for us, and it always has been,” Abel said. “Defensively, we have to make sure our opponent is kept off the board – no more early goals, as well as putting pressure on the ball all over the field. Offensively, we have to find the net. We need to put away the chances that we create because we are creating some good opportunities.”
The Pioneers hoped to continue their momentum with a game at Waynesburg University Tuesday. The schedule for the week concludes with conference matches Thursday versus Cincinnati Christian University and Saturday against Asbury University (Ky.). The match Saturday serves as the final home game as well as senior day.
Kuhn said that the expectation is fairly clear.
“To win those games, especially our conference games,” Kuhn said. “Those are must-win situations. We can’t look past Waynesburg though. They are going to be a very good test going into our conference game on Thursday. We need to use that game to sharpen up and execute so we can be ready come Thursday.”
