O'Donnell

PITTSBURGH — Winning was all Zeke O'Donnell knew.

The 2008 Butler graduate was the goalkeeper for the Golden Tornado boys soccer team that reached the WPIAL playoffs during his final two seasons and won the section title his junior year.

However, this fall was a different story.

O'Donnell tended goal for Point Park University, which struggled to a 1-15-1 record. A sophomore, this was his first year as a starter for the Pioneers.

"This was a different situation, to be sure," O'Donnell said. "But it's not going to last. I'm still glad I came here.

"We had a lot of young players this year and some key guys who were out with injuries. We should do a lot better next year."

O'Donnell did pretty well this year, actually.

His goals-against average was an ordinary 3.40, but he finished second in NAIA soccer with 150 saves. His save percentage of .882 ranked fifth in NAIA.

O'Donnell also was an all-conference honorable mention.

"If we put together any kind of season as a team, Kevin's first-team all-conference," Point Park coach Jeroen Walstra said. "He was outstanding."

Walstra knows something about goaltending. He also is the goalkeeper coach for the Pittsburgh Riverhounds professional team.

"He's one of the reasons I came to this school," O'Donnell. "I've learned a lot from him said. Cutting down angles, communicating and working with the defense — he's helped me with all of that."

O'Donnell started every game for the Pioneers, whose lone win and tie were shutouts.

The sophomore averaged 8.38 saves per game in 2009. He faced about two shots per game in high school.

Despite the fact Point Park was outscored 59-9 and was outshot 394-145, O'Donnell allowed three goals or fewer in 10 of 17 games.

"I'm happy with the year I had, but we need to win more games. I think we're headed in that direction," O'Donnell said.

"Zeke was under a lot of pressure every game, but he's so fundamentally sound that he kept us in most of those games," Walstra said. "He knows how to anticipate crosses and break them up.

"His positioning is solid and he knows when to come out of the net and stop breakaways. He is a very knowledgeable goalkeeper. He's a tall body who reacts to and understands the game really well," the coach added.

O'Donnell knows the game so well that he played forward for Point Park his freshman year despite having never played that position at Butler.

"I used to play different positions in practice at Butler," he said. "We had some injuries last year and were short at the forward position. I was happy to help out."

The Pioneers finished 4-13-1 in 2008.