Pitt-Greensburg women's soccer team in midst of record-breaking season

Don’t blame coaches in the Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference. They had no idea.

The Pitt-Greensburg women’s soccer team, which made its fourth consecutive appearance in the conference tournament last season for the first time in program history, was picked to finish fifth in this year’s preseason poll.

But conference coaches did not know about the Bobcats’ incoming freshman class, nor did they realize how much UPG’s returning players improved during the offseason.

Even the Bobcats are a little surprised by their success.

After Saturday’s dominating 4-0 win against Medaille, Pitt-Greensburg is 13-0-0 and 5-0-0 in conference play. The win total ties the program’s single-season record, which was set in 2004 (13-7-0), and the Bobcats are one of five undefeated teams in Division III.

“I am (surprised at our record) only because it’s so hard to do,” coach Chuck Wigle said. “… They’ve earned these results, and it just shows how special this group is. There’s only five D-III teams still undefeated. It’s amazing to be one of them.”

It already has been a record-setting season, one UPG hopes ends with the program’s first conference championship, a banner hanging in the school’s gymnasium and a berth in the NCAA Tournament. And it all started before the Bobcats played a match.

“I think we knew in the preseason that this could be something special,” freshman central defender Jenna Conty, a Southmoreland graduate, said. “Our coach said he hadn’t seen a group that committed.”

Wigle, in his eighth season at UPG, took over a program coming off a winless 2011 season. The Bobcats won seven games in his first year, and there has been a steady progression since. Wigle credits the players’ effort, attitude and work rate for this season’s success, and he is quick to compliment the work of assistant coach Chris Fabian, a teacher at Southmoreland who is in charge of the team’s recruiting.

This year’s freshmen class includes players from Louisiana (midfielder Sydney Parker), Texas (defender/midfielder Hawa Janneh) and the eastern side of the state (leading scorer Ashley Lucas).

Lucas scored her 16th goal of the season against Medaille. Sophomore midfielder Tiffany Michalek added her 14th in the game, and the duo have been among the top goal-producers in Division III. Lucas ranks seventh nationally in goals, and her eight winning goals tops the country.

“It’s just a really great team atmosphere, and everyone has a really welcoming attitude toward the newcomers,” Lucas said. “We’re all here to be successful together.”

How successful and dominating are the Bobcats and their 4-4-2 alignment?

UPG has outscored opponents 43-3, with two of the goals coming in a 4-2 victory Sept. 11 against Chatham. The Bobcats’ .231 goals-against average is third nationally, and sophomore goalkeeper Lauren Yoder has 10 shutouts and a .939 save percentage.

“We do get kind of disappointed when we give up a goal,” said Conty, whose 1,046 minutes are second most on the team to Yoder. “We’ve worked hard on connecting better, and I think we’re connecting well back there. Lauren is pretty amazing. With her, we’re a pretty confident group.”

It’s a group on a mission to put together the best season in program history and to build toward a better future.

But the present looks good, and there’s no doubting the Bobcats have earned the attentions of conference coaches.

“You have to work so hard to be undefeated, only give up three goals and prepare for every match with a refuse-to-lose attitude,” Wigle said. “Every sacrifice made by the players since I took over in 2012 is for (winning the conference). It would be wonderful to leave this legacy.”