Bradford, PA -- The University of Pittsburgh at Bradford men's lacrosse team returned to home action on Wednesday afternoon as they hosted Keuka at Rathburn Family Field. The Panthers fell behind the Wolves early and could never erase the deficit, ultimately falling to the Wolves 8-6.
The Panthers scored the game's opening goal on their 4th shot of the game. Sam Kemp received a pass at the top of the zone and, after scanning the defense, whipped a shot into the top corner of the net to put the Panthers up 1-0. The visitors grabbed control after the goal, forcing goalie Hunter Shank into a pair of saves before they evened the score just after the 7-minute mark. They maintained momentum after tying the score, scoring two more goals without the Panthers possessing the ball. Shank made another stop after a third straight faceoff win for the Wolves, and the Panthers settled in, limiting the guests to two more shots that were wide of the net before the first quarter ended.
The scoring drought continued into the second quarter as neither team could add to their tally for the first 6 minutes of play. The Wolves finally ended the scoreless string, scoring with 8:29 left in the half to extend their lead to three. The Panthers were able to pull one back before the halftime whistle, scoring with 5 minutes left in the quarter. Luke Amberman subbed into the game and picked up a pass just over the midline to begin an attack. He sprinted past his defender to the right side of the zone, and from a sharp angle, fired to the far post to cut the deficit to two.
After the restart, the Wolves regained momentum, restoring their three-goal edge after 75 seconds of play in the second half. Two minutes later, the Panthers matched the goal after going a man-up due to a slashing penalty. Following two Kemp shots that missed the net, Pitt-Bradford was able to control possession and find Amberman on the left flank after the restart. The freshman attacker received a pass from Logan Watts and bounced a low shot to the far post for his second of the game. The Panthers pushed to continue their rally after the extra-man goal, forcing the Keuka shot-stopper into 5 saves. Shank also saved 4 shots in 9 minutes for the Panthers before he was beaten on two straight shots on goal to see the deficit grow to 4. After the second, Austyn Stack found a quick response, scoring seconds after winning the ensuing faceoff. He won the draw and then quickly sprinted down the right flank, finding space between defenders, before beating the goalie low to the far post to put the Panthers down 7-4 heading into the 4th.
Keuka restored their four-goal edge after 3 minutes of action in the 4th, but Pitt-Bradford had a response 40 seconds later. Kemp missed the target with a left-handed shot and then, after the restart, created another chance spinning off his defender before releasing a low shot that beat the goalie for his 2nd of the game. The Panthers used the goal to launch a comeback attempt, continuing to pressure the Keuka goal for the remainder of the game. They hit the post once and forced 4 saves before finally finding the net with 1:40 left. Evan Hawley picked up a ground ball on the right flank and beat his defender to the outside with pace, but had his shot deflect off the goalie. On the restart, Reid Kristufek caught his defender napping and was found by Watts in front of the goal. The junior midfielder caught the pass and quickly slipped a shot into the goal to cut the deficit to two. The Panthers had one more offensive possession that resulted in a missed shot before the Wolves ran out the final 1:10 of the game to secure the 8-6 win.
Sam Kemp and Luke Amberman each scored twice for the Panthers. Kemp tallied 9 shots, while Amberman took 7. Reid Kristufek and Austyn Stack also scored for the Panthers, while Logan Watts logged a pair of assists. Hunter Shank made 24 saves for the Panthers in the loss.
The Panthers drop to 4-2 with the loss. They will have the next week off before returning to action with their Spring Break road trip to North Carolina and Virginia. The Panthers' next game is scheduled for Thursday, Mar. 12th at Warren Wilson. Opening draw is slated for 4:00 p.m.
