David Sheets Reporter
The inaugural season of Pitt State’s women’s soccer team concluded on Wednesday, Nov. 6, with a 1-0 victory against the Missouri Southern State Lions at home. This brought the Gorillas’ overall record to 8-8-2, with a 4-6-2 record in conference play. Redshirt sophomore Avianna Gonzalez scored the Gorillas’ only goal, assisted by junior Adriana Delgado and sophomore Dallie Hill, in the 35th minute.
“In the midst of not playing our best in the first 15 minutes, I felt like we didn’t give up a lot of chances,” said head coach Wes Branstetter. “If you look at the play-by-play, we had some shots, but none of them felt threatening. The first half was kind of a struggle all the way around. Toward the end of the half, we subbed a lot just because I knew our legs weren’t there. Bringing in a couple of fresh kids made a difference, and I feel like our depth in the first half is why we scored. We got on the front foot, took possession, and started creating chances.”
Senior McKenna Robinson led the team in shots with four, two of which were on goal. Freshman goalkeeper Jocelyn Kramar posted her fourth shutout of the season, recording four saves in the match.
Unfortunately, Pitt State did not advance to the MIAA tournament, as they were edged out in a three-way tiebreaker with Emporia State and Fort Hays State, the latter clinching the final tournament spot. Despite this, four players from the team received All-MIAA Honors. Senior McKenna Robinson was named to the All-MIAA Second Team, while junior Sailor Jensen and redshirt sophomore Avianna Gonzalez made the Third Team, and grad student Jadyn Newell received Honorable Mention recognition. Robinson, who received the highest honor on the team, ended the season nationally ranked in assists among Division II women’s soccer players, tied for 17th with eight assists.
“It feels good. I was really happy for Sailor, Avianna, and Jadyn as well. It just felt good to do my best this season for my last year and also to give my best to this program and help lead it in its first year,” said Robinson.
Although missing the tournament may feel disappointing at the moment, the Pitt State women’s soccer team finishing its first ever season a mere tiebreaker away from a tournament spot should be celebrated.
“The biggest thing for us is that we’ve got to grow and learn from this season. A program that had no players, coach, field, or locker rooms at this time last year finished a point out of a tournament spot, and I think that’s something to be proud of. We know that you don’t get to build on this season as if it’s a brand new one next year but laying the foundation for who we are and how we’re going to work is important. I think they did that at a high level,” said Branstetter.
Pitt State’s women’s soccer team will return in the fall 2025 semester, looking to build on an impressive inaugural season.