With the men’s soccer team’s season coming to a close with an Oct. 27 loss to Bloomsburg University, one player, senior D.J. Vogelman can call it a career, the only senior on the team.

Vogelman said this year’s team was one of the better teams that he had been on.    

Vogelman said that before the season, he played with a couple different teams over the summer to prepare. 

“I had games every Sunday and Monday, and practices on Tuesdays and Thursdays. The offseason shows who put in the time to get better and who doesn’t care,” Vogelman said. 

Vogelman said that,  in addition to playing on these teams, he also watched film of himself playing to visualize how to improve. 

However, Vogelman’s last season wasn’t just about improving as a player. 

On Sept. 30 against Shepherd University (West Virginia), Vogelman was given a red card, which meant that he was ineligible to play in the remainder of that game, plus their next game against Slippery Rock. 

Vogelman, nor any of his teammates, could substitute. Pitt-Johnstown would have to play 10 players against Shepherd’s 11 players. 

“We had to play a man down for 40 minutes while losing 0-1. We ended up losing the game 0-1. I took the blame for the loss,” Vogelman said. 

According to Vogelman, the next game was difficult to sit through. 

“I had to watch the game from my apartment on my laptop, and it was upsetting seeing my team out there without me competing,” Vogelman said. 

The team lost the game, 0-4. 

Vogelman said that the best game of his senior year won’t be one he’ll be forgetting. 

On Sept. 4, the players went to Highmark Stadium, in Pittsburgh, to play Carlow University. The stadium is where the Pittsburgh Riverhounds, a minor league soccer team, hosts their games. 

In the game, Vogelman had both a goal and an assist in a 2-0 victory. 

Vogelman, however, said that playing at the stadium was a memory. 

“It was so cool to play in that stadium under the lights. A lot of alumni showed up for that game also,” Vogelman said.