PITTSBURGH, Pennsylvania - With fall campaign winding to a close, the Salem men's soccer team hit the road this evening for a big matchup for their season finale. That contest was a rematch with the Point Park Pioneers, who defeated the Tigers earlier this season at The Bridge Sports Complex. Unfortunately, Salem ended up with a similar result in their second match with the Pioneers as they were defeated 4-3 in dramatic fashion.
The opening half of the contest was relatively uneventful for the Tigers. The Pioneers took a 1-0 lead early, and Salem struggled to find solid offensive chances against the tough Point Park backline. Therefore, the contest went into the break at 1-0 favoring the home squad.
The second half was the polar opposite of the first half. Salem suddenly found their offensive mojo and punched in 2 goals in quick succession to open the half. The first was from Carter Block, and then Aldair Cardenas followed that up with another quick goal of his own. The pressure mounted on the Tigers as they now held a slim lead on the Pioneers' home turf. From there, Point Park answered with 2 more quick goals of their own to bring the contest to 3-2 late in the half. The Pioneers added 1 more about 10 minutes later, and Salem truly found themselves in a tough spot trailing 4-2. Salem regrouped and even found the beginnings of their big comeback bid when Aldair Cardenas added another goal from the penalty spot to make it 4-3. Despite the Pioneers playing a man down for the final moments of the contest due to a red card, that is where the Salem comeback bid ran out. The Tigers were unable to find that last score to draw level, and therefore conceded the season finale 4-3.
Despite the loss, it was still a huge day for Aldair Cardenas with 2 goals in the game. Carter Block added the 3rd Tigers goal as well. In goal, Josh Hills logged a pair of saves in the loss.
With this contest, that puts the final touches on the 2024 campaign for Salem Tigers men's soccer. Head Coach Greg Gilmore will certainly have a lot to build on from his debut season at Salem, and there will likely be some newfound energy as the program transitions into the offseason.
