The Point Park women’s soccer team pulled off a 2-2 draw after a last minute goal against the Glenville State Pioneers on Sunday, Oct. 6, in Glenville, West Virginia.
Point Park came off a crucial conference win against Davis & Elkins, as Point Park searched for its second Mountain East Conference (MEC) win.
Point Park entered the final five minutes of the game trailing Glenville State 2-1, when Vanessa Vasquez scored off a dime from Madison Spencer. This decided the match as a draw.
“Playing on the road is tough, but I can tell you, our players, our women, they never put their head down,” coach Raddar said. “They kept fighting.”
Glenville State scored its first goal in the 67th minute after a costly error from Point Park. Defensive midfielder Maggie Oduor tripped while in possession, allowing a Glenville State striker to storm down the field for the goal.
Four minutes later, Glenville’s Sophia Calkins scored the leading goal after a failed recovery from Point Park defender Orsi Tatai.
“I think now we have a better understanding with any team that we play, from the moment the whistle blows, what the level is going to be [and] what the speed is going to be,” Raddar said.
Point Park combined for four shots on target – two in each half. The team entered the second period leading 1-0 after an unassisted goal from Martina Cardemil.
“[Glenville State] played a very good, disciplined side, and they played a very good game,” Raddar said. “We controlled most of that game yesterday, which is very, very encouraging, because we needed to be going into October.”
The team faced two major absences from its starting lineup due to injury and illness. Defender Cara Spry, who contributed two goals this season, and defender Tatum Lucero both sat out on Sunday, but will make their return this week. Lucero has not played since Point Park’s first game of the season on Sept. 9.
The Pioneers improved to a 1-3-2 conference record, remaining in last place in the MEC North. Raddar shared that it took a couple of weeks for the team to adapt to a new conference.
“Some of the level of play, that was kind of shock to our system, the system of the team,” Raddar said. “I think we’re acclimating very well to that now. I think that plays a huge role in not only the team hitting its stride, but also now the expectation is there.”
Point Park went 2-1-2 in its last five games. The team earned its first two wins of the season during this time, combining for six goals, 52 shots and 16 saves.
“We’re beginning to have better control of those games and begin to kind of dictate the pace a little bit,” Raddar said. “So that’s very encouraging, and I hope that’s going to serve us well to finish out the season amazing.”
Raddar stated that, although the team made several adjustments to earn their first victories, there is one component that needs serious improvement.
“We have to minimize our mistakes,” Raddar said. “We’ve come a long way. We’ve got a better understanding of what to expect.”
The Pioneers played in the NAIA River States Conference (RSC) last year. They finished 7-1-2 in the RSC and entered the postseason as the No. 2 seed, losing in the semi-final round.
Point Park joined NCAA Division II over the summer, and the women’s soccer began MEC matchups this fall.
“When you’re playing good teams, one mistake could be one mistake too many, because these good teams will punish you for any mistake that you make,” Raddar said.
The conclusion of Sunday’s game marked the halfway point of the regular season. Point Park has nine games remaining, and Raddar shared how minimizing mistakes is the focal point for the team.
“I think if we clean up our act a little bit more and go to zero, potentially, in the number of mistakes that we made in critical areas, I think that’s going to be a huge point for us to finish this season,” Raddar said.
The women’s team travels to West Virginia on Wednesday, Oct. 9, to face MEC opponent West Virginia State at 6 p.m.
