The weather was perfect at Highmark Stadium on Sunday afternoon for Point Park University’s debut in the NCAA’s Mountain East Conference (MEC).
Point Park athletics made the jump to Division II over the summer after the university accepted an invitation to join the MEC in mid-January.
The Concord University Mountain Lions, hailing from Athens, West Virginia, were set to be the Pioneer’s first-ever MEC opponent in the school’s history.
Concord opened their season against a Point Park team that was coming off of an 8-1 non-conference victory over Chatham University on Thursday.
The Mountain Lions came ready to play out of the gate, getting four shots on Point Park’s graduate student and goalkeeper David Ali in the first 11 minutes of the game.
Concord finally broke through Ali 13 minutes and 29 seconds into the game on an unassisted goal from Concord sophomore forward Syrus Connolly, his first of the season.
Although, Concord’s goal wasn’t an exact indicator of perfect play early in the game. Shortly before Connolly’s goal, Concord forward Richard Henry bodied into Point Park’s junior Baptiste Gaume as he gained possession of the ball. Henry’s foul resulted in him receiving a yellow card from the referee.
The Pioneers earned five shots through the remainder of the half, but Concord’s strong defensive structure made it difficult for Point Park to convert on their chances.
Concord midfielder Santi Possu extended his team’s lead to 2-0 with about six minutes left in the first half, being assisted on the goal by Concord’s Richard Henry.
Sixteen minutes and 45 seconds into the second half, Point Park was given a yellow card of their own after junior forward Fridolin Gerfoer tripped Concord’s Patrick Alouidor, who was seemingly injured on the play.
The Pioneers ended the Mountain Lions’ shutout bid on a penalty kick taken by midfielder graduate student Cheroky Briard with about 20 seconds left in the game.
However, Concord was able to hold on for the remaining few seconds to win their first game of the season with a 2-1 victory over Point Park.
The Pioneers will continue their debut season in the MEC when they travel to West Virginia for their first road game of the season to take on the University of Charleston at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, Sept. 11.
