Women’s and men’s soccer both awaited their matchups vs Shawnee State. 

The women played first and the conditions were not easy, as it drizzled all day. The women’s team started off struggling to gain possession and get their offense going. The defense was staying strong with defensive back Alina Bigec getting a lot of action from the Shawnee State offense and Maggie Pappas making good plays in the net. Neither team could get many shots on goal, but Shawnee State scored a goal when the Pioneers made a mistake on the defensive side.

The Pioneers were down 1-0 which remained the score for the rest of the first half. The Pioneers were clearly locked in and prepared to make a comeback in the second half. They were still in a winnable situation and took full advantage of what they had. Early in the second half, at the 52-minute mark, the Shawnee State goalkeeper had a bad collision with Pioneers forward Holly Pascoe. This collision resulted in a penalty kick by Lorena Montanes, tying up the score.

As time went on, the Pioneers placed offensive pressure on the Shawnee State defense. A foul just outside the box allowed the Pioneers to take a free kick at the 75-minute mark, where Vanessa Vazquez would shoot. Vazquez kicked this beautifully over the defensive wall and curved it into the top left corner of the net. 

After a slow start, the Pioneers had the lead. This crew would hold strong on defense and would end up with a conference victory and three points in the standings. The Pioneers women’s soccer team now is 7-4-3 and 4-1-1 in the RSC.  

The men’s soccer team has been having a great year so far. They were 4-0-1 entering this matchup vs Shawnee State. The Pioneers were second overall in the conference with hopes of putting pressure on the one-seeded Rio Grande. 

The Pioneers started this game off very poorly, giving up a way too easy early goal at the eight-minute mark. The Pioneers miscommunicated on the defensive side and this allowed the Bears to shoot and score. The Pioneers definitely learned from this as they played stellar defense the rest of the half. The struggle came from the offensive side, with the Pioneers just not able to get any good looks to score. They took plenty of shots but none of them were great opportunities. 

The first half would end 1-0 in favor of Shawnee State. At the 53 minute mark, Joao Toledo would show some great skill moves and manage to hit a great shot to put Shawnee State up 2-0. 

As time went on, the Pioneers were able to get better looks and take better shots. Fortunately, one of these shots was a beautiful cross from Philipp Harder and ended in a diving header from Baptiste Ferrand. The Pioneers showcased their drive and talent as they tried to make a late comeback. With no overtime rules, the Pioneers’ objective was to try and force a tie. 

After several missed chances, the Pioneers would suffer a 2-1 loss to Shawnee State. After the game ended, a brawl almost erupted between the two teams on the Pioneers’ defensive side. Benches emptied as players argued face to face. Fortunately nothing really happened, as plenty of the players shook hands afterward. Still, this was an obvious display of the Pioneers’ frustration after a rough performance. 

The Pioneers are now 7-3-3 and 4-1-1 in the RSC.