The women’s soccer team continued their early season struggles this week, falling to Shawnee State University 3-1 on Wednesday, Sept. 8, and 4-0 to Madonna University on Sunday, Sept. 12. The team is now 0-5 on the season, marking their worst start to a season since 2016, when they went 0-5-1 to start.

In Point Park’s first road game of the season on Wednesday, the Pioneers came out with a strong start against the Bears, scoring in the 20th minute for their first lead of the season. The unassisted goal would come off the foot of freshman forward Madison Spencer, her first goal of the season. Point Park would try to hold the lead, but conceded a goal in the 33rd minute to tie the game at 1 a piece.

The first half was an extremely close match up, with both teams being dead even at 7 shots each and 3 saves by both sides before the start of the second half. Although the second half was also an extremely close match up on the stats sheet, with Point Park taking 4 shots compared to Shawnee State’s 5, the Bears would end up scoring the go-ahead goal four minutes into the second half at the 49th minute.

Shawnee State would then score an insurance goal in the 54th minute to put them ahead 3-1 and ice the game. Point Park would take 11 shots, with 7 landing on net in the contest. Shawnee State would boot 12 shots and put 8 on net. Sophomore Ella Serlin was the starting goalkeeper in the match for Point Park, making 5 saves in the contest.

The Pioneers would travel back home to play at Highmark stadium once again on Sunday, where they would face off against the Madonna University Crusaders. Madonna came into the match up with a vengeance, scoring three goals in the first half alone, as well as putting in the first goal of the game in the 4th minute of the first half.

The Pioneers would then let up the second and third in 28th and 37th minute to put the Crusaders ahead early in the contest. Madonna would then tack on another in the second half with a goal in the 55th minute to end the scoring for the night.

The Crusaders took a whopping 34 shots and 18 on goal, compared to Point Park’s 7 shots, with only 3 landing on net. Freshman goalkeeper Gillian Bierhals did what she could in the match, making 14 saves in the contest.

The Pioneers will look ahead to their upcoming homestand this week, starting with a River State Conference (RSC) match up against the Brescia University Bearcats on Thursday, Sept. 16 at the Montour Junction Sports Complex. That game will start at 2 p.m.

Their next game will take place on Saturday, Sept. 18 at the same location against another RSC opponent in the Oakland City University Mighty Oaks. That game will start at 10 a.m. Both games will be streamable online through the Point Park athletics website for fans that aren’t able to attend to watch.