As the men’s and women’s hunt for the River States Conference (RSC) championship continued, they both had to go through Rio Grande in the semifinals.

Starting with the men’s, they headed into Wednesday afternoon to face the first ranked team in the conference and nationally ranked sixth best team Rio Grande. In their previous match up against Rio Grande dating back to October 26, the Pioneers lost 3-0 on the road. The boys hoped to turn this tide with an impressive win over Midway in the quarterfinals and ride the momentum to face an outstanding Rio Grande club this year. Rio Grande is filled with offensive firepower, as they have four players in the top five of the RSC leading in goals. The number one focus for the Pioneers’ defense was to be on the lookout for Rio Grande’s Joe Mclnnes, as he has 14 goals, leading Rio Grande in that category. Rio Grande had yet to lose to a conference opponent, and Point Park was hoping to be the first.

The game started out tight, as players did not have a lot of space to work with. This was due to a great defensive first half exhibited by both teams , resulting in a score of 0-0. The Pioneers were pushing for that all-important first goal in a win or go home game but could not do it, as Rio Grande drew first blood and scored at the 55:51 mark. Rafael Kawata scored the first goal of the game on Point Park goalie Eduard Garcia. Considering that time was ticking fast, the Pioneers needed to tip the game. However, Joe Mclnnes, a player who has had a spectacular season, scored just three minutes after Rio Grande’s first goal to make it 2-0. The game was getting away from Point Park. The Pioneers absolutely needed to score next and do so quickly, a feat they accomplished at the 65:54 mark with Genildo Postimo’s fourth goal of the season. This was the last goal of the season for the Pioneers, as Rio Grande pulled away by scoring the next two goals and advancing to the next round. It was a great season for the men’s team, finishing third in regular season conference play. They hope to return to postseason play next season and improve on this year. 

Women’s soccer had a tough assignment as well, as Rio Grande finished second in the RSC with a 6-1-3 conference record. Point Park finished third, and these teams were neck and neck throughout the regular season. When they did play each other, the game finished 3-3, resulting in a draw.

Heading into this game, many were focused on the high power offense that the Pioneers displayed throughout the entire season against the defensive juggernaut that is Rio Grande. The Pioneers led the conference with a total of 67 goals, with an average of 3.35 per game. Meanwhile, Rio Grande only allowed 19 goals against the entire season and allowed an average of 0.91 goals against.  Arguably the best player in the conference, Holly Pascoe was going to have to perform great offensively for the Pioneers to advance. 

The game was intense, but right away Rio Grande wasted no time, scoring at the 14:23 mark against goalie Maggie Pappas. This was Rio Grande’s Amora Albano’s first goal of the season. The Pioneers continued to fight and tie up the game, but the first half ended with Rio Grande up 1-0. Heading into the second half, the offensive surge and push continued, but the Pioneers could not get one past Rio Grande goalie Morgan Nutter. As the final minutes of the season came dwindling down, the Pioneers were shut out, as Morgan Nutter recorded an impressive 9 saves. The women played a competitive season all around, and their players put on a season to remember. The Pioneers hope to bounce back with motivation to enhance on the play displayed this year.