The Point Park Women’s Soccer team opened its season with a 2-1 win over Malone University at Highmark Stadium.
Beth Millican, a senior forward scored the winning goal.
“It felt like the ball was travelling in slow motion as it was coming towards me for the game winning goal,” Milican said. “Coach Maggie [Kuhn] sent me back on with a couple minutes left with the instruction to get a goal, so I knew I had to just stay composed and do my job. Then the buzz and the emotion afterwards was just awesome. The crowd was loud and really outstanding throughout. It was such a great night to be a part of.”
The teams were evenly matched throughout the game, with a scoreless first half of the match before Point Park claimed the victory in the last few minutes of the match.
“We were prepared from [Malone] to have improved with it being 0-0 for most of the game,” sophomore defender Justina Cincotti said. “Then all the action in the second and then scoring the winning goal with like 2 minutes left, it was very exciting. We are doing really well. We have a ton of momentum going right now we just have to keep it up.”
The team went on further to claim a 1-0 victory Saturday against St. Catherine where senior goalkeeper Erica Roney displayed a shutout performance. Roney stopped all of the seven shots she faced in 90 minutes, allowing senior Alyson Joyce to score the lone goal of the match.
“We definitely are excited about the way that we’ve started this season off and it’s awesome to have this momentum behind us as we approach our next games,” sophomore defender Asia Pennock-Franke said. “We all have our eyes and hearts set on first place this season, and I really think that with how hard our team works, and how we’ve come together this year that we really have the best group of girls we could ask for to take the tournament title.”
As the season progresses, most eyes will fall on the seniors, as they have performed exceptionally well at the beginning of this 2015-2016 season.
“I don’t feel under too much pressure as a senior, I just try to focus on having fun and doing my job,” Millican said. “But I think all of us seniors this year are more determined than ever to make this season successful. We all want it so much, for both ourselves and the team.”
