In a disappointing end to what was a strong season, the Gorillas have fallen short in the MIAA Championship this past weekend after a 3-2 loss to the Northeastern State Riverhawks. The Gorillas will now have to wait to see if they make the NCAA Central Regional first round, which will be announced on Nov. 17. Pitt State was ranked #3 in the region prior to the loss, so while the Gorillas have a good position, it will be unclear until the announcement.
Looking at the rest of the stat sheet apart from the goals scored, you would’ve guessed that the Gorillas were the winners of their game against the Riverhawks. Pitt State outshot the Riverhawks 25 shots to just eight shots, with the Gorillas having nine on goal to Northeastern States six. The edge came in goaltending, as the Riverhawks goalie made seven saves to just three on the Gorillas side.
The game started in the Gorillas’ favor, as they went back and forth with the Riverhawks. Both sides threatened to score early, but Northeastern State found the back of the net early on, as a second chance off-of-a-corner kick evaded the Gorilla defenders and turned into an easy kick in for the Riverhawks. Despite the first score, the first half was lopsided in the Gorillas favor, as they outshot Northeastern State 12 to six, and had six shots on goal to the Riverhawks four.
The second half started poorly for Pitt State, as they allowed another Riverhawks goal in the 49th minute. A low cross from the right wing would find a Northeastern State striker, who beat the defender and poked it just past the goalie to give them a 2-0 lead over Pitt State. Just four minutes later, the Riverhawks would strike yet again, rebounding a blocked shot and sending it near post on the top left corner of the goal to make it 3-0.
The Gorillas refused to give up, scoring in the 54th minute after freshman Adelynn Phipps found junior Macy Malik up the middle. Malik proceeded to dodge the trio of incoming Riverhawks before kicking a strong outside the box shot that went past the outstretched goalie and ended up in the roof of the goal. Pitt State would continue to push, culminating in their second and last goal in the 77th minute. Redshirt sophomore Danae Hobson was fouled, with the ref awarding Pitt State a penalty kick. Freshman Ella Cazzavillan would take the kick and would convert it into a goal after the Riverhawks goalie dove in the wrong direction.
The Gorillas would continue to push for the game-tying goal, but time ran out on them as they finished the match with a loss. Pitt State will have to wait and see the results of the announcement for whether or not their season has ended.