The Pioneers women’s soccer team had a strong showing Wednesday, Oct. 24, against Viterbo, coming away with a 3-1 win.

The game got going in the third minute when Pioneer senior Anna Strasser took a shot from about 30 yards.  Viterbo goalie Ashley Hicks got a touch to the ball, but the shot went in to give the Pioneers a 1-0 lead.

Later in the first half, Viterbo’s Selena Garunio beat the Pioneer defense and scored a goal to the far post to tie the game at 1-1.

The game remained tied for the first half.  Early in the second period, Strasser struck again as she went near post to take back the lead, making the score 2-1.

The Pioneers then put the game out of reach with five minutes left in the match as Strasser completed a hat trick with her third goal of the match, giving the Pioneers a 3-1 lead that they would not relinquish. This was Strasser’s first hat trick of the season.

Pioneers head coach Allison Sanyi-Stringer was expecting a hard-fought game and got one.

“We were expecting a tough game since they were 13-1-1,” Sanyi-Stringer said. “We let them back in the game late in the first half but were able to put them away late.”

The team was playing for more than just a win; they were also playing for suicide awareness.  They wore special yellow uniforms to commemorate the cause.

“When we put those jerseys on, we wanted to play for all of the families who have lost someone,” Strasser said. “So it felt amazing to beat them not only because of their record, but because of the cause as well.”

The Pioneers finished their season on Saturday afternoon against conference opponent University of Wisconsin-Superior. Junior Sarah Eck scored twice and Strasser scored once as the Pioneers shut out the Yellowjackets 3-0.

While their final record is 6-11, the Pioneers went 4-2 in their last six matches, inspiring optimism for the Pioneers squad next season.