The University of Pittsburgh at Bradford Women’s soccer team is ready to return to action in 2024, looking to build of a promising finish last season.
Lorenzo Rodriguez returns to his second season at the helm of the women’s program, and is looking to build off of a season-ending win last October, the program’s first since the 2019 season.
Last year, the Panthers finished 1-14 working through a rash of injuries and a short bench throughout most of the season. The Panthers battled all season and saw their efforts rewarded in the finale, defeating Wells 6-0. They used a first-half hat trick from Delaney Stowe to jump ahead and then added goals from Makartnee Mortimer and Chloe Shaw in the 2nd half.
Stowe led the Panthers with 5 goals in her final season. Her sister Riley added two, despite only playing 8 games through injury. Freshman Makartnee Mortimer marshaled the Panther defense and added a goal.
Looking forward, the Panthers have retooled their roster, adding a class of 12 new players to a strong base of returning athletes. Mortimer will lead the back line again, while seniors Kimberly Goodwin and Chloe Shaw add valuable experience to the young team. The Panthers will field a freshman between the sticks, as Maddison Coe and Mackenzie Harmon will battle for playing time at goalkeeper.
“Since day one of our preseason, this newly reloaded and talented team came back extremely hungry and eager to make leaps and bounds this season,” said Rodriguez. “We are extremely excited to see what team goals we can accomplish this year, and cant wait to begin on Saturday.”
The Panthers will begin their season on Saturday, August 31st, as they will open the new Rathburn Family Field against Chatham.
They will play early home games against Thiel and Penn State-New Kensington before opening conference play on September 28th at Pitt-Greensburg. They are scheduled to close the regular season with three straight home contests against Hilbert, Penn State-Altoona, and Bryant and Stratton-Syracuse beginning October 23rd.
In the annual AMCC Preseason Coaches Poll, the Panthers were predicted to finish in 9th place.
