PITTSBURGH -- Point Park women's soccer returns to F.N.B. Stadium on Wednesday when it faces West Virginia State. Opening kickoff is scheduled for 6 p.m.
LAST TIME OUT
The Pioneers (5-3-1, 5-1-1 MEC) took down Glenville State on Sunday with Eliya Adjo scoring her first goal of the season in the 76th minute to break the tie. Julia Rusiecki sent a free kick into the box, and Adjo pounced on the live ball and scored to give Point Park the 1-0 victory. Rusiecki moved into a tie for seventh place in the MEC in assists on Sunday with her assist.
The Pioneers outshot Glenville State 15-5 on Sunday, including an 8-2 advantage in shots on goal. Rebecca Pihlgren and Rusiecki tied for the team-leading three shots on the game. Goalkeeper Nicole Kuchinski made two saves in her sixth shutout of the season en route to earning her second consecutive MEC Defensive Player of the Week title.
BACK TO BACK
Nicole Kuchinski picked up her second-straight MEC Defensive Player of the Week title on Monday, becoming the first Pioneer to accomplish the feat since Point Park joined the Mountain East Conference in 2024.
Kuchinski tallied 13 saves across her two shutouts last week, highlighted by an 11-save effort at Concord. Kuchinski is one of two Pioneers to win an MEC weekly honor this season, with Rebecca Pihlgren being named MEC Offensive Player of the Week on Sept. 7.
Kuchinski leads the MEC in goals-against average (0.25), save percentage (.951) and shutouts (six). Her 5.33 saves per game is good for fifth in the league. Kuchinski has only surrendered two goals all season, both coming on the road at ranked opponents (No. 22 Ashland and No. 23 Fairmont State).
CONFERENCE CHECK-IN
Point Park is currently tied with Frostburg State for second place in the MEC North Division at 16 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. 16 Fairmont State - the only MEC team to beat Point Park this season - by a single point.
Point Park's 0.44 team goals-against average is tied for the best in the MEC with Frostburg State. The Pioneers average margin of +0.34 goals per game is fourth in the conference.
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 is tied for fifth in the conference in goals. She sits in seventh place in shots on goal in the MEC. Two of her goals have been game winners, which ties her for the MEC lead.
SHARE THE WEALTH
Point Park has won five of its seven conference games with a goal differential of 7-1. The Pioneers have featured four 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 became the newest Pioneer to tally in conference play against Glenville State.
SCOUTING WEST VIRGINIA STATE
West Virginia State (3-2-4, 3-1-3 MEC) enters with 12 points in MEC play, good for a share of the top spot in the South Division. The Yellow Jackets most recently tied 1-1 with No. 16 Fairmont State on the road on Sunday.
Leila Karam leads the Mountain East Conference with 5 goals and 13 points on the season. Karam's three assists are also the best on the Yellow Jackets and are tied for second in the MEC. WVSU features six players with multiple goals this year with Maria Alejandra Hernandez Diaz, Rachel Okoro - who tallied against Fairmont State, Cali Questel, Jazz Cedillo and Kaylee Smith all achieving the feat. Questel and Karam were both named MEC Offensive Player of the Week earlier in the season, with Questel earning the honor on Sept. 14 and Karam picking up the title on Sept. 21.
Celina Seggelmann has played all but 24 minutes for the Yellow Jackets this season, posting a 1.49 goals-against average and a .658 save percentage.
THE MATCHUP
Point Park will seek its first win over West Virginia State in the two teams' third time all-time game on Wednesday. The Yellow Jackets have picked up 6-2 and 4-1 victories over the Pioneers, with the latter coming last season at F.N.B. Stadium.
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.
