Meadville, PA -- The University of Pittsburgh at Bradford men's lacrosse team hit the road for an away contest at Allegheny on Wednesday night. The Panthers struggled to get their offense started and eventually lost the game 13-3.
The hosts took control from the opening whistle, forcing an early turnover and turning it into a goal after two minutes. Hunter Shank made a pair of early saves, but the Gators extended their lead to three before the Panthers took their first shot of the game. Mikey Blake forced a save at the eight-minute mark and then picked up the loose ball. He had a second shot to put the Panthers on the board, but missed the target. The Gators regained possession after the miss and added a fourth goal 2 minutes later. Logan Watts and Sam Kemp each had shots that missed the net in the final minute of the quarter, and Allegheny scored one more time before the buzzer sounded to end the first.
Allgheny controlled the opening draw of the quarter and quickly forced Shank into a save. The Panthers turned the ball over after the stop, and the hosts converted it into their 6th goal of the game. Pitt-Bradford seemed to gain some momentum following the sixth. They took the first two shots of the quarter, as Sam Kemp and Reid Kristufek each missed the goal. Austyn Stack and Watts each made an attempt on goal, but saw their shots stopped. After the second, the Gators countered and scored again, increasing their lead to 7. They tacked on two more in the next three minutes of play and took a 9-0 lead to halftime.
After the break, the Panthers got on the board within 3 minutes of the restart. Shank made an early save, and then after the Panthers transitioned the ball into the offensive zone, they drew a penalty. They took advantage of the extra attacker shortly after the flag, as Luke Amberman received a pass from Watts on the wing and whipped a shot under the crossbar for his 13th of the season. Austyn Stack won the ensuing faceoff and fed Evan Hawley seconds after the restart, but the sophomore attacker hit the post. The Panthers were able to split possession for the next eight minutes, keeping the Gators off the scoreboard while creating a few chances of their own. The hosts were able to score before the quarter ended, sending the game to the 4th with a 10-1 lead.
Hunter Shank started the final period with an interception in the crease and quickly moved the ball to a midfielder to advance possession into the offensive end. Watts took the ball behind the net and, after scanning the defense, found Amberman on the left wing. The Freshman caught a pass and fired a low shot past the goalie for his second of the game. Allegheny went on to add two more to their tally before the Panthes found the net a third time. Stack won the draw once again and wove around the defense to find space for a shot. His effort was blocked, but Pitt-Bradford maintained possession and got the ball to David De La Teja. The sophomore tried to beat his defender with pace, but after being blocked off, took a step back and released a high shot that beat the goalie for his 4th of the year. The Gators went on to add one more goal in the final minutes, leading to a 13-3 final score.
Luke Amberman scored twice for Pitt-Bradford on 6 total shots. Logan Watts assisted with both of his goals. David De La Teja added the third, while taking 3 shots and collecting 3 ground balls. Austyn Stack won 14 of 20 faceoffs in the loss, while Hunter Shank (3-1) made 13 saves.
The Panthers fall to 3-1 on the year after the loss. They will be back in action on Saturday, when they host Juniata at Rathburn Family Field. The game is slated to begin at 2:00 p.m.
