The Pitt-Bradford women’s soccer team used an offensive explosion in the first half of Saturday’s match to ease past Pitt-Greensburg 5-0.
The Lady Panthers tallied four goals in the first half alone.
Pitt-Bradford (13-4, 7-1) outshot the visiting Bobcats 18-3, with 14 of those shots coming before halftime.
Freshman goalkeeper Sarah Dailey continued her strong season in the net, while notching the fifth shutout of her career. She clocked in 58:46 between the posts and needed just one save in the first half to finish her afternoon.
Sophomore Brooke Redfern replaced Dailey in the 59th minute. Redfern didn’t see a shot come her way in her 31:14 in the net.
There were no surprises that sophomore Melissa Smith put together a strong performance offensively to lead the Panthers. Smith finished with six shots, two on goal, and one marker to break the scoreless tie in the game’s opening minutes.
Freshman Haley Russell finished behind Smith with three shots, all on net, and one goal as well.
Smith’s tally came in the second minute of play when she took a throw-in past the defender and beat the goalkeeper in a one versus one situation to give the Panthers the lead.
Minutes later, senior Casey Schimpf scored to add to the Panthers’ lead. Today also marked Senior Day for the Panthers and Schimpf was honored before the game as the lone senior on this year’s squad.
Sophomore Catherine Mammoser scored on a shot from outside the box in the 17th minute, and Schimpf was credited with the assist. Just before half, freshman Kaitlyn Donnelly sent a long cross from the sideline to an open Kaitlyn Williams, who pushed the ball by the keeper to send the Panthers to halftime with a 4-0 lead.
The second half didn’t see nearly as much action from either team. In the 81st minute, Russell put her name in the scorebook with a goal that was assisted by junior Maggie Boehler. With the final marker, the Panthers allowed the clock to expire and continue their strong season thus far.
“I thought today was a solid performance from the whole team,” said UPB head coach Mike Idland. “We showed some maturity to handle a long break and then get back to business. We picked up where left off in conference play.”
Pitt-Bradford returns to action Tuesday. Hilbert comes to town for a match at the Kessel Athletic Complex at 1 p.m.
Lady Panthers defeat Franciscan, 3-1
The Pitt-Bradford volleyball team used early momentum offensively to defeat the Franciscan Barons, 3-1, in an Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference showdown on Saturday at the KOA Arena.
With the win, the Lady Panthers clinched a spot in the AMCC Tournament.
Pitt-Bradford (11-19, 5-2) defeated the Barons 25-16, 19-25, 25-18 and 25-21. Franciscan (9-16, 5-2) put forth a strong effort, but it was the Panthers finding a way to win it in the end.
Offensively, seniors Brittni Cumberland and Taylor McMillen stole the show. Cumberland finished with seven kills, 18 assists and 12 digs. McMillen tallied 13 kills, two assists and four digs. Fellow senior Peyton Kauffman was close behind with 15 assists and nine digs.
Defensively, several Panthers put together strong performances. Sophomore Kelsey Repke finished with 19 digs and one assist, while freshman Haley Vinelli grabbed seven kills, one assist and 15 digs. Junior Jenessa Ceprish notched 14 digs to go with one kill and two assists.
In the first game, Pitt-Bradford moved ahead early and was able to sustain the lead late. The Panthers managed to take advantage of the Barons’ mistakes throughout the set and eventually earn the victory. This was due in part to sophomore Brittany Watts’ big block followed by a kill to seal the Panthers’ win.
Later in the fourth set, Watts tallied four kills, while McMillen, Vinelli and freshman Erin Fagan had three each to close out the match and finish a solid victory for the Lady Panthers.
“I was really pleased with our effort for the most part today,” said UPB head coach Tina Phillips. “This win was important because it secured us a playoff spot and a chance to keep our season going.”
Pitt-Bradford now looks to conference-foe Medaille as it continues to race toward the AMCC Tournament. The Panthers and Mavericks square off in Buffalo, N.Y., on Wednesday at 7 p.m.
Men’s soccer falls in overtime
A late goal in regulation forced an unforeseen overtime, and the Pitt-Bradford men’s soccer team allowed the golden goal in the first OT to fall to Pitt-Greensburg, 2-1.
Pitt-Bradford (3-14, 2-6) grabbed a 1-0 lead early in the first period, and carried that lead until the clock showed 54 seconds remaining. Pitt-Greensburg (10-6-1, 6-2-1) scored in a one versus one situation with the keeper to tie it late.
In a physical battle between the two squads, the goalkeepers stayed on edge throughout the match. A total of 23 shots were taken by the two teams, and sophomore goalkeeper Colin Frownfelter tallied three saves during the contest.
With the seniors being recognized for Senior Day, it seemed fitting that senior Seth Levy would pace the offense with three shots at the Bobcats’ keeper. Freshman Wyatt May scored in the first half on a long shot from outside the box that sailed over the keeper’s head and gave the Panthers the 1-0 lead.
As the clock moved into the final minute, Pitt-Greensburg’s Carmene Albano scored on a pass from Jeremy Niemiec to equalize the game with only seconds remaining.
Seven minutes into the first OT, it was Pitt-Greensburg’s Jake Lauderbaugh finding the net after beating the keeper one-on-one to steal the win from the Panthers. Sean Baxendell was credited with the assist as he fed the ball to Lauderbaugh between two defenders in the box.
“This was a heart breaking loss, but I’m so proud of the team’s ability to fight throughout the game,” said UPB head coach Darek Panol. “They have shown tremendous heart and pride each week.”
Pitt-Bradford faces Hilbert on Tuesday at the Kessel Athletic Complex at 3 p.m.
