A quiet second half led to a 2-1 loss for Point Park men’s soccer on Sunday, Oct. 13, against the West Virginia Wesleyan Bobcats. The Pioneers traveled to Culpepper Stadium in Buckhannon, West Virginia and returned home with their second straight conference loss.
After the Bobcats took a swift 2-0 lead, the Pioneers attempted to make a comeback late in the first period. Junior Nathan Lastreto scored his first goal of the season off a pass from Fridolin Gefrorer in the 26th minute, cutting West Virginia Wesleyan’s lead in half.
The Pioneers have scored 21 total goals this season, having the third most goals in the Mountain East Conference (MEC). These goals came from 12 different players.
“Depth is so important in this game,” coach Cameron Williams said. Williams is in his third season as head coach. “We have solid players, and everyone has the ability to put the ball in the back of the net. It’s a luxury that we have in our squad.”
The electric offensive performances in the first half did not endure through halftime, as both teams went scoreless in the second period. The Bobcats recorded only one shot on goal in the second half, giving the Pioneers a chance to potentially bounce back from their deficit.
However, the Bobcats held strong on defense and allowed only two shots on frame in the second half. Neither team converted on their chances, leading to the 2-1 final score.
“We just need to find our groove again,” Williams said. “Our guys are more than capable of putting it together. I’m looking forward to it all coming together.”
West Virginia Wesleyan recorded their game-winning goals early in the first half, after Adam Gribben scored an unassisted goal in the 12th minute to take the lead. Only nine minutes later, Archie Farquhar scored off a pass from Dillon Rajkovic to award the Bobcats a 2-0 edge.
Both teams attempted 14 shots each, but the Bobcats combined for six shots on target, edging past the Pioneers’ four shots on target.
“I hope we continue to play good soccer, and we come away a very-together bunch heading in the home stretch of the season,” Williams said.
Game leaders for the Pioneers included Lastreto, with one goal, and Gefrorer, with one assist and one shot. Cheroky Briard, Nils Benning and Ruben Kuypers each had a shot on goal. Javier Morejon recorded four shot attempts.
The Pioneers combined for seven fouls, and defender Bruno Lancellotti received a yellow card late in the second half. The Bobcats received a team red card and a team yellow card.
David Ali led the night in saves with four, three of which occurred in the first period.
Ali leads the conference in total saves with 60 saves and averages 5.45 saves per game, the second most in the MEC. He started all 11 games of the season so far and played all 90 minutes in 10 of those games.
Point Park dropped to a 5-5-1 record overall and a 3-5-1 conference record, putting the Pioneers at sixth place in the MEC standings.
The Pioneers remain on the road as they take on Concord on Wednesday, Oct. 14 in Athens, West Virginia. Kickoff is at 3:30 p.m.
“Losing is tough, and so we have to learn from our previous two matches,” Williams said. “This team will respond on Wednesday. We know what is at stake.”
