Waynesburg University women’s soccer team fell in their second straight conference match of the season, this one to Bethany by a score of 2-1, dropping the Yellow Jackets to 4-3-1 as they prepare for their next conference opponent when they host Allegheny. 

     In both this previous bout, as well as their loss on Wednesday, Sept. 25 to Westminster, Waynesburg only lost by one goal, with the Westminster match being decided in a 1-0 affair. Head coach George DeAugustino attributes this tight play to  the amount of talent around the conference. 

     “The PAC on the women’s side is super competitive. All of the games have been within one or two goals,” DeAugustino said, while mentioning that these tight games featuring low scoring matches is a testament to the defenders on both teams. “It’s been pretty quality defending wise. We’re conceding a lot less goals.”

     One of the staples in this trend is junior midfielder/forward, Reagan Mittendorf, who DeAugustino has mentioned as being a quality contributor on both ends of the ball. For her, she can see the competition begin to rise as well.

     “The conference is definitely competitive throughout. Almost every game could go to either team on a given day and that’s why it’s important for us to show up for every game at 100 percent,” Mittendorf said, while also going along with her coach’s sentiments regarding the defensive side of the ball. “I would say our defense is very solid and one of the hardest to go against for a full game.”

     In preparation for their game against Bethany, DeAugustino noted that there needs to be a full team effort for them to knock off their first conference opponent of the season and to attain the goal they have been working at all season.

     “A couple minor changes can be made. Keeping a little bit more possession and keeping our composure, and a couple of players have to step up a bit,” DeAugustino said. “We want to be in the top six, that’s still the goal.”

     Mittendorf sees an approach similar to how it has been to this point, and not allowing for two close losses to determine what the team does going forward. 

     “Our preparation stays the same. We’ll continue to work at practice this week and figure out what we can exploit in Allegheny. They will be solid, so we have to bring our best effort on Wednesday,” Mittendorf said.

     Waynesburg’s home match against Allegheny will be on Wednesday, Oct. 2 at 5:30 p.m.