In the 2018 season, the men’s soccer team scored 39 goals total, averaging 2.3 goals per game.

We are five games into the 2019 season and they have already scored 23, averaging 4.6 goals per game. They have 18 games (that is, before playoffs) and the entirety of River States Conference (RSC) play to go.

If you are doing the math, that means the Point Park men’s soccer team is on pace to score 106 goals this season.

Of course, I know that scoring 106 goals in a single season is near-impossible, but it helps put into perspective how well the team has been doing offensively so far.

Their defense has been just as impressive, allowing only four goals behind their goalkeepers so far this season.

106 may be far out of reach for the Pioneers, but there is no doubt that this team is special. In every single one of our men’s soccer beats, writer Rachael McKriger’s articles this year, the attitude of the team seems so electric.

Read any one of her articles since issue one and you will see what I am talking about. The way they talk about each other is admirable, and it is obvious that they are having fun while they do it.

Leading the offensive charge for the green and gold this year are seniors Wessel Rietveld and Victor Lorente as well as junior Mitchell Roell, who each have three goals apiece. Roell and Lorente both tallied all of their marks in the double hat trick effort against Penn State-Beaver.

All of this scoring has been great, but the men also have yet to face an RSC opponent. They will host non-conference challenger Ohio Valley University before actually getting into the conference, but if they keep up the offense — and defense for that matter — they might finally be able to break the Quarterfinals Curse.

What is that, you ask?

Well, every year dating back to the 2016 season, the men’s soccer team has not been able to break out of the quarterfinal round of the RSC Tournament.

So far (keeping in mind that we are only five games in, but being optimistic), this team has the offense, defense and mentality of a playoff-level team. If head coach Jeroen Walstra was looking for a year to break out of that curse, this year would be an excellent place to start.

Not only are they looking like the whole package, but there is also only one ranked team in their schedule this year so far, No.2-ranked Rio Grande, which will host Point Park in late October. Other than Rio, WVU Tech is receiving votes at the time of publication, but is not ranked as of yet.

The cards are in their favor right now. It is up to Walstra and his team to play them right.