Kearney, Neb. – Sophomore Shaeley Reichmuth scored on a pass from freshman Bella Spadavecchia in the 61st minute to help Nebraska Kearney tie No. 3 Pittsburg State, 1-1, Friday night at Cope Stadium.
With this being UNK's final Friday night game, it was deemed "Senior Night." Twelve fourth- and fifth-year players were honored after the contest ended.
And it was a celebration for the Lopers (3-6-4, 1-4-2), who picked up a key point in the MIAA standings and had their best-ever result against a top-15 squad. Pitt (10-0-3, 4-0-3) entered the night having outscored its competition 29-0 but found itself in a tussle for much of the second half.
"That's my team. That's who we are. That's the team we can be and we should be every single day," said UNK head coach Rob Breton. "If we can figure a way to bottle this and make it go forward, we can build on this for the rest of the season."
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With just under 29 minutes remaining, UNK had a throw-in near midfield and managed to send the ball a good 20 yards down the left side of the field. There, senior Anna Thorhallsdottir (Iceland) was battling for possession against two Gorilla defenders. Spadavecchia (Greenville, S.C.) came in from the right and forced the issue, with the loose ball ricocheting forward and then off a Pitt player toward the goal. Now with possession, Spadavecchia was free on the left wing and sent a pass to the middle to find a wide-open Reichmuth (Omaha Skutt) for her second career goal.
"The selflessness in the moment where you could potentially be the scorer but instead to find the open teammate for a tap in," said Breton.
Pitt recorded its 30th goal when junior Rose Harden headed in a corner taken by junior Peyton Webb less than four minutes into the game. The Gorillas had nine of the game's 11 corners and nine of the first 11 shots. However, both teams had three shots after the break.
"Around the 20th minute, we started finding the gaps we showed them on film. We started finding moments for us to get to the next space. The way they reacted at halftime when we talked; they were committed and locked in," said Breton. "We understood what we had to do and the way we came out in the second half. That showed who we can exactly be."
Senior keeper Susie Bovaird (Lincoln East) had six saves; freshman Natalia Waller (Omaha Marian) was a force in front of her, with Spadavecchia recording two shots. Thorhallsdottir, who recently returned to the pitch after a yearlong injury, almost had the winner, but her attempt was just wide of the Gorilla net.
"We held on first half, kept ourselves in the conversation and then stepped it up," said Breton.
UNK hosts Northwest Missouri Sunday at 1 p.m. The Bearcats (1-7-3, 1-3-2) fought to a 1-1 draw last week vs. then-nationally ranked Central Missouri.
A) UNK vs. No. 3 Pitt State, 1-1 (10/9/26)
B) UNK at No. 10 Central Missouri, 0-0 (10/5/25)
C) UNK vs. No. 8 Central Missouri, 1-1 in 2 OT's (9/16/12)
