PITTSBURGH — The West Liberty University men's soccer team made history Sunday afternoon at Highmark Stadium, earning the program's first-ever playoff victory with a 3–0 shutout over Point Park University in the conference quarterfinals.

The Hilltoppers struck twice in the first half and added an insurance goal in the second to secure the milestone win. Goalkeeper Shai'ya Fitzgerald anchored the defensive effort, recording six saves to preserve the clean sheet as West Liberty held firm against 15 Point Park shots.

Ethan Nethery put the Hilltoppers on the board in the 22nd minute, finishing a well-executed sequence assisted by Kevin Teather and Leyton Collier. West Liberty doubled the lead just 10 minutes later when Travis Scandalis found the back of the net at 31:54 off an assist from Jasper Newton, sending the Black and Gold into halftime up 2–0.

In the second half, Alex Watt extended the advantage to 3–0 in the 69th minute, calmly converting his lone shot on goal. From there, Fitzgerald and the Hilltopper defense took command, turning away multiple late chances from the Pioneers — including a key save against Ofek Bachar in the 78th minute — to seal the historic win.

Head coach Sean Regan reflected on the significance of the night and the years of work that led to this moment. "The win was seven years in the making," Regan said. "Building this program from scratch was extremely hard work. This win is dedicated to all the boys who fought for this program. To win our first playoff game is so exciting. The lads worked extremely hard tonight."

With the victory, West Liberty advances to the conference semifinals, where the Hilltoppers will face No. 2 seed Concord on Wednesday night at 7 p.m. in Athens, W.Va. The two teams split their regular-season meetings, with each side earning a win at home.