Women’s Soccer Plowing Towards The Playoffs

The women’s soccer team continued its winning streak to close out the regular season on the road. The seven-hour bus ride to upstate New York over the weekend ended with two goal-scoring contests for the guests, who are now looking to bring the momentum to the next stage of the season—the East Coast Conference playoffs.

The Pioneers kicked off early in the late afternoon game under the lights in Rochester, N.Y., on Friday, Oct. 31. Whether it was the cold weather or the cause of an offensive drive from the Pioneers, the hosts from Roberts Wesleyan College froze only minutes in when senior forward Lauren Bellone caught up a loose ball in front of the Wesleyan goal.

The Green Machine doubled up after 13 minutes of play, this time from a corner kick whipped in by junior forward Susanne Vistnes. Senior defender Rebecca Swedberg met the cross in the box, to make it her first of the season.

However, Roberts Wesleyan did not go about unanswered. Before half time, the referee filed a penalty that the home side rolled in behind sophomore goalkeeper Hrafnhildur Agnarsdottir.

After the 2-1 score, the Pioneers lost their momentum for some time, and the game evened out in chances. Regrouping in half time, the Green and Gold came out solid, not letting Roberts Wesleyan back in the game. Instead, they could take advantage of the forcing attempts from the home side with speedy counter attacks. The Pioneers scored not once, but twice during the final minutes of play, ending comfortably with a 4-1 win.

In the second game against Daemen College, on Sunday, Nov. 2, not much changed for the Pioneers. As the weather remained chilly, the offensive peak did, too.

The narrow, turf field did not seem to complicate the drive forward; starting from a dominant midfield, chance after chance was created in the offensive third. On the other side, the defensive line did not let Daemen disturb Agnarsdottir in goal, who could record yet another clean sheet. As the final whistle blew, the scoreboard shone 0-5 to the Pioneers.