PITTSBURGH -- Point Park women's soccer seeks its fourth-straight win on Wednesday when it visits No. 23 Fairmont State in MEC play. Opening kick is scheduled for 7 p.m. Joe Duvall-Rosier Field.
LAST TIME OUT
The Pioneers (3-2-0, 3-0-0 MEC) extended their winning streak to three games on Saturday in a 1-0 win over Davis & Elkins. Reece Frank scored the winning goal on a header from Julia Rusiecki's free kick, directing it into the far bottom corner of the goal.
Goalkeeper Nicole Kuchinski made three saves in the victory, continuing her conference shutout streak.
CONFERENCE QUEENS
With a 3-0 record in conference play, Point Park sits in the top spot in the MEC North Division. Point Park's 9 points in the standings are the most among all teams, and are 2 better than Fairmont State and Frostburg State - the Pioneers' next two opponents. Point Park's three-game winning streak is also the best among MEC teams.
Point Park's 0.60 team goals-against average is tied for Fairmont State for the second-best in the MEC, trailing only Frostburg State (0.40). The Pioneers average margin of 0.40 goals per game is third in the conference, with both Fairmont State and Frostburg State sitting at 1.40.
WELCOME TO MOE'S!
Rebecca Pihlgren was named the Moe's Southwest Grill Pioneer Women's Athlete of the Month last Thursday. 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 is tied for fourth in the conference in goals and is sixth in points per game. She sits in third place in shots on goal and is 10th in shots.
SHARE THE WEALTH
Point Park has won its three conference games with a goal differential of 5-0. The Pioneers have featured four different goalscorers over this stretch, with Rebecca Pihlgren scoring twice 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.
SCOUTING THE FALCONS
Fairmont State (4-0-1, 2-0-1 MEC) enters Wednesday's match unbeaten on the season. The Falcons sit in 23rd place in the United Soccer Coaches DII Poll and won their first four matches of the season before drawing with Frostburg State on Sunday 0-0. The Falcons have outscored their opponents 10-3 on the season.
Eight Falcons have scored in the 2026 season, with Dayra Dinarte and Sam Yuen both scoring two goals. Dinarte and Yuen are also tied with a team-leading 5 points on the season. Yuen was named MEC Offensive Player of the Week on Aug. 31, and goalkeeper Olivia Johnston was named MEC Defensive Player of the Week on the same day. Johnston has posted a 0.60 goals-against average and an .889 save percentage on the season to go with her two shutouts.
FSU and Point Park share three common opponents on the season. Point Park fell to Findlay 2-0, with Fairmont State beating Findlay 2-1. Both teams beat West Liberty, with Point Park winning 2-0 on the road and FSU winning 3-0 at home, and both teams beat Davis & Elkins with Point Park earning a 1-0 victory and the Falcons picking up a 2-1 win.
Fairmont State will be the second ranked opponent the Pioneers have faced this season, with the first being then-No. 22 Ashland on Aug. 27
STURDY AT THE BACK
Point Park is tied for the second-best team goals-against average in the MEC, only allowing 0.60 goals per match. Goalkeeper Nicole Kuchinski sits in third place in the league in both GAA at 0.25 and save percentage at .938.
Kuchinski has a share of the MEC lead in shutouts, tying with Reyna Dalton of West Virginia Wesleyan at 3 each. Kuchinski has not allowed a goal in her last three games, and her only goal surrendered came against then-No. 22 Ashland in her first start of the season.
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.
