PITTSBURGH-- Point Park women's soccer plays host to West Virginia Wesleyan on Wednesday night at F.N.B. Stadium. Opening kick for the MEC matchup is scheduled for 5 p.m.

LAST TIME OUT

The Pioneers (7-3-1, 7-1-1 MEC) took down MEC-newcomer Shawnee State 2-0 on the road on Sunday. Point Park was led by goals from Meea Irwin in the 32nd minute and Maria Gomez in the 80th minute in the result. Rebecca Pihlgren picked up an assist on Gomez's tally.

The Pioneers fired 21 total shots to only five from Shawnee State, including an 11-3 edge in shots on goal. Seven different Pioneers registered an attempt on target, with Gomez leading the team at three. 

BRICK WALL

Point Park is tied for the best team goals-against average in the MEC, only allowing 0.45 goals per match. Goalkeeper Nicole Kuchinski leads the MEC in save percentage (.939) and shutouts (seven), and she ranks second in goals-against average at 0.30. Her 4.60 saves per game are good for sixth in the league. 

Kuchinski surrendered her first goal since Sept. 16 last Wednesday against West Virginia State, and two of her three goals this season have come on the road against ranked opponents (then-No. 22 Ashland and then-No. 23 Fairmont State).

WEEKLY HONORS

Point Park has received three MEC weekly honors on the season, with Rebecca Pihlgren being named MEC Offensive Player of the Week on Sept. 7 and Nicole Kuchinski earning back-to-back MEC Defensive Player of the Week crowns on Sept. 21 and 28. 

REGION RANKINGS

Point Park was ranked 10th in the United Soccer Coaches NCAA Division II Atlantic Region, the committee announced. It is Point Park's first time being regionally ranked this season, and the Pioneers are one of three MEC teams ranked with Fairmont State and Frostburg State being the others.

CONFERENCE CHECK-IN

Point Park is currently tied with Frostburg State for second place in the MEC North Division at 22 points apiece. The Pioneers hold the current tiebreaker of head-to-head matchup after their 1-0 win over FSU on Sept. 20. Both teams trail No. 20 Fairmont State - the only MEC team to beat Point Park this season - by a single point.

WELCOME TO MOE'S!

Rebecca Pihlgren was named the Moe's Southwest Grill Pioneer Women's Athlete of the Month on Sept. 10. Pihlgren was named MEC Women's Soccer Offensive Player of the Week on Sept. 7 after her heroics in the match against Wheeling. The award marks the second time Pihlgren, the reigning MEC Freshman of the Year and 2025 First Team All-MEC nod, has been named MEC Offensive Player of the Week, as she received the honor last year on Oct. 20.

Philgren leads the team with her three goals and 8 points. Her two assists are tied with Julia Rusiecki for the most on the squad. She sits in sixth place in shots on goal (14) in the MEC and 10th in shots (26). Two of her goals have been game winners, which ties her for fourth in the MEC with teammate Eliya Adjo.

SHARE THE WEALTH

Point Park has won seven of its nine conference games with a goal differential of 11-2. The Pioneers have featured eight different goalscorers over this stretch, with Rebecca Pihlgren scoring three goals, including a brace against Wheeling, Charisma Arteaga and Becca Simpkins both scoring against West Liberty and Reece Frank recording the lone tally in the win over Davis & Elkins. Eliya Adjo scored in back-to-back games against Glenville State and West Virginia State, a game in which Isabelle Meier also scored.

Meea Irwin and Maria Gomez both dented the twine at Shawnee State, becoming the most recent Pioneers to score in MEC play.

SCOUTING THE BOBCATS

West Virginia Wesleyan (4-5-2, 4-4-1 MEC) enters on the outside looking in on the MEC South Division top three. The Bobcats' 13 points trail the three-way tie for first in the south at 15 points, with the top three teams in each division qualifying for the MEC Tournament.

Wesleyan dropped its most recent match at Frostburg State on Saturday 2-0. Mia Rodriguez leads the team with her four goals and 8 points, and Ayan Ahmed's three assists are the best on the team. 

Reyna Dalton has started all but two games for WVWC this season, posting a GAA of 1.00 and a save percentage of .859. Dalton ranks fourth in the MEC in goals-against average and is third in save percentage. She leads all MEC South Division goalkeepers in these statistics. 

THE MATCHUP

Point Park is 0-1-1 against WV Wesleyan all-time. The Bobcats picked up a 1-0 win in Pittsburgh in 2024, and the two teams drew last season at Wesleyan 2-2. Rebecca Pihlgren and Paula Sole scored PPU's goals in the matchup last year, with Pihlgren picking up an assist on Sole's tally.

PRESEASON POLL

Point Park was picked to place fourth in the Mountain East Conference North Division in the MEC Women's Soccer Preseason Poll. The Pioneers returned 19 players from the 2025 season, in which they qualified for the MEC Tournament, including the aforementioned Rebecca Pihlgren who was named 2025 MEC Freshman of the Year and First Team All-MEC.