Point Park men’s soccer held a rainy game at home on Sunday, Oct. 19, against Mountain East Conference opponent Wheeling for its second game of the season against the Cardinals.
The last time the Pioneers went up against the Cardinals, they achieved a dominant 4-1 win. The Pioneers closed the weekend with another win against the Cardinals, but unlike their prior matchup, Wheeling started the game with an advantage.
“We have to keep working together and never lose focus, because otherwise what happened [in this game] could happen again, conceding a goal in the first minute put us at a huge disadvantage,” junior forward Lorenzo Grispello said.
The Pioneers had a slow start, with the Cardinals scoring their first and only goal within a minute after kickoff. Wheeling would keep this lead for the next 38 minutes before the Pioneers struck back.
“I’m happy about my goal, but most of all for helping start my team’s comeback,” Grispello said.
Grispello led the comeback with a goal in the 38th minute with an assist from captain Fridolin Gerfrorer. The goal slipped through the hands of the Cardinal keeper due to the adverse weather conditions.
“Playing in the rain makes the game faster because the ball travels quicker on the ground and bounces differently,” Grispello said. “You have to be careful with your touches and always watch for your opponents’ mistakes.”
As the Pioneers went into the second half, they were tied up with no yellow cards issued. Shortly after sophomore midfielder Edouard Gagnon subbed in for Gerfrorer, he found the back of the net for the first time this season. This goal was also the game winner, as the game ended with a final score of 2-1 to Point Park.
“I’m really happy about this win, because after all, it’s all that counts, but we have some areas that we have to improve on from this performance,” Gerfrorer said. “Wheeling, especially at home, is a must-win game for us, so I am glad we got the job done, even with the tricky conditions.”
The Pioneers came off the field with a record of 6-6-1 overall and 6-4-1 in MEC play. The Cardinals fell to a record of 1-11-1 overall and 0-10-1 in MEC play.
“This match should’ve been easier, and we shouldn’t have been the ones chasing the result,” Grispello said. “But we’ll take the three points and now focus on the next game.”
Point Park will be traveling to New Jersey for a match against Felician on Wednesday, Oct. 22, with kickoff at 12 p.m. Following this game, Point Park will travel to Maryland for an MEC matchup against Frostburg State, kick-off at 4 p.m.
“During this stage of the season, a lot comes down to mentality and attitude, so we have to be at our best,” Gerfrorer said. “We have an opportunity to achieve a very good position in the standings this year, so we have to try getting the maximum out of the remaining games.”
