Bradford, PA -- The University of Pittsburgh at Bradford men's lacrosse team returned to home action on Saturday as it hosted Augustana at Rathburn Family Field. The Panthers started slowly, but went on a 9-0 run through the middle of the game, which led to a 10-6 victory.
Goalkeeper Hunter Shank made three early saves for Pitt-Bradford, but the Vikings were able to score first, taking a 1-0 lead after 6 minutes of play. Shank made back-to-back saves to keep the deficit at one before a penalty put Pitt-Bradford a man down. The Panthers were able to force a turnover and sprang into attack. Shank bypassed the first line of Augustana pressure with a long pass to Logan Giles, who caught it at midfield, noticed the goalie away from his crease, and shot into the open net to tie the game. It was the first career goal for Giles, as well as the first career assist for Shank. The teams split possession for the remainder of the period, but neither found space for a shot on goal until Augustana regained the lead with 39 seconds left in the quarter.
In the second quarter, the Panthers grabbed control, scoring three times within 4 minutes. Off the faceoff, the Panthers went right to work. Luke Amberman and Reid Kristufek each missed the net with shots before Amberman converted from the left wing on a pass from Kristufek. 20 seconds later, Amberman turned provider. He caused a turnover in the offensive end and fed Evan Hawley, who gave the Panthers the lead from close range. The Vikings won the ensuing faceoff, but Shank made a save to keep the Panthers in front. With 11:45 left in the half, the Panthers added to their lead when Sam Kemp scored on a pass from Logan Watts. Shank made 3 saves over the next 7 minutes of play, and the Panthers kept the momentum on their side with two quick goals in 20 seconds. Austyn Stack scored the first after receiving a pass from Watts, and then won the next faceoff, starting an odd-man rush that resulted in Watts assisting Hawley for the second time.
Both sides made halftime adjustments, resulting in a stalemate for the majority of the third quarter. Shank made 6 saves in the quarter, while the Panthers forced the Augustana goalie into one. Nick Hause scored the only goal of the quarter. After forcing a turnover and picking up the ground ball, he once again noticed the Augustana goalie man-marking an attacker away from the goal. He took advantage of the open net and bounced a shot in past the retreating defense to push the Panthers' lead to 5. It was his first career goal.
The Panthers continued to roll to begin the 4th quarter, scoring three more times before the visitors could answer. Watts joined the goal tally seconds into the corner, converting from close range on an assist from Amberman. Austyn Stack added a second goal with 11:48, scoring with a man-advantage. Finally, Amberman brought the scoring to a close for the Panthers, beating the Augustana defense from the left wing on Watts' 5th assist of the contest. The Panthers let off the gas late, allowing Augustana to score 4 unanswered goals in the last 9 minutes of play, but built a large enough lead to finish with a 10-6 victory.
The Panthers used a balanced offensive attack in the win, which saw 7 different players score, with no one converting more than two goals. Luke Amberman scored twice on two shots, while also picking up a pair of assists. Austyn Stack and Evan Hawley each scored two goals on three shots, while Stack also won 12 of 17 draws. Logan Watts was only able to find the net once, but registered 5 assists. Sam Kemp, Nick Hause, and Logan Giles all scored once, with Giles and Hause scoring their first career goals. Hunter Shank made 21 saves in the win and also picked up his first career assist.
The victory moves Pitt-Bradford to 7-3 on the season. They will return to action on Tuesday, Mar. 31st, when they host Elmira at 5:00 p.m.
