Point Park beats Carlow, 2-1, in #RSCgotw Women's Soccer, secures No. 2 seed
PITTSBURGH – Point Park University beat crosstown rival Carlow University, 2-1, in the River States Conference Women's Soccer Game of the Week Saturday night at Highmark Stadium.
The win for Point Park (8-7-2, 6-2 RSC) secures second place in the conference standings and gives it a bye in the first round of the RSC Tournament
The loss for Carlow (5-8-2, 4-4 RSC) places it fourth place, and the Celtics will play in the quarterfinal round Nov. 5 at home.
The Celtics got on the board early when sophomore Allison Lohr scored on a free kick from 18 yards out in the eighth minute to put Carlow up, 1-0.
The Pioneers had an opportunity to tie the game in the 23rd minute when freshman Gabby Widman took a penalty kick, but her shot hit the crossbar. The Celtics cleared the ball before any Point Park players could take another shot.
Point Park continued to knock on the door for much of the first half with great shots by a number of players and equally good saves by Carlow goalkeeper Lexie Mirenda.
The Pioneers finally got a shot to fall in the 44th minute when Izzy Hunter fed Katherine Melhuish the ball from just outside the 18, and Melhuish went top shelf to tie the game, 1-1, heading into halftime.
Carlow was awarded a free kick in the second half that sailed over the goal, and Point Park took advantage of the lucky break.
Senior Simone Keibler skipped the ball past Mirenda in the 77th minute. Mirenda, unable to get a hold of the ball, left the other side of the net open for Tatum Fabian to sneak by and tap in the game-winning goal.
The Pioneers out-shot the Celtics 25-7. Point Park goalkeeper Rebecca Cohen faced only two shots on goal and made one save.
It was a fitting end to Point Park's Senior Night. The Pioneers recognized four seniors before the game: Erin Gilmartin, Keibler, Paige Manning and Alex Pochiba. It was also Senior Day for Carlow with the Celtics honoring Torrey Reaghard.
With a bye into the semifinals, the Pioneers wait to see who they will face in the semifinals on Nov. 9 at Highmark Stadium. Game time is TBA.