Pitt State women’s soccer team started its stretch of MIAA play with back-to-back road matches, drawing 1-1 at Nebraska-Kearney on Friday and earning a 1-0 victory at Fort Hays State on Sunday. The results extended a strong defensive stretch for the Gorillas, who have now held their opponents to fewer than ten combined shots in three consecutive weekends.
Friday’s opener against the Lopers saw Pitt State in control of most of the match. After starting down 0-1, freshman forward Annie Payne tied the Gorillas in the 28th minute when she scored her second goal of the season. Despite Pitt State’s dominance in possession and a 23-5 edge in total shots, the Lopers were able to keep the score tied with five saves from their goalkeeper.
“I know the score doesn’t indicate it, but we dominated pretty hard core,” head coach Wes Branstetter said. “At the end of the day, you’ve got to score more than they score. We just had to be better finding ways to put the ball in the back of the net. But pressing wise, defensively, and in possession, I thought we were absolutely excellent, especially on one of the hardest road trips in the NCAA.”
The Gorillas followed with an even stronger effort on Sunday in Hays. Pitt State not only prevented the Tigers from scoring but also held them without a single shot across 90 minutes. Meanwhile, the Gorillas created steady pressure on the other end, outshooting Fort Hays 17-0. Midway through the second half, junior Abby Hoffman found the net in the 69th minute off a pass from freshman Ella Cazzavillain.
Branstetter credited the shutout to the entire lineup, not just the defense.
“The backline is doing a phenomenal job of reading the game and keeping everything in front of them, but the biggest thing is that we’re defending all the way from the front,” Branstetter said. “A lot of the time we don’t even give them a chance to cross half. We win the ball back immediately and then go attack again. It’s just been a complete effort and a relentless mentality not to let the other team get near our goal.”
The weekend also marked an important step for the young athletic program. According to Branstetter, this was the first time Pitt State has earned results in both matches in a week with two road matches.
“We’re very proud that we got four points,” Branstetter said. “It’s the first weekend in my time here where we picked up points in both games on this trip, so that was awesome. We just have to keep improving and keep getting better each and every day.”
While pleased with the results, coach Branstetter pointed out that the Gorillas still need to turn more of their scoring chances into goals. Across the two matches, Pitt State finished only two of its 40 attempts.
“We’ve got to be a little more clinical,” Branstetter said. “If we score earlier, I think the game will open up a little bit more, which will help us. Scoring a goal is the hardest thing to do in soccer, but we’ve got to keep working at it.”
The Pitt State women’s soccer team will stay at home to take on the Rogers State Hillcats on Friday, Oct. 3, at 2 p.m. and the Northeastern State Riverhawks on Sunday, Oct. 5, at 1 p.m.