Latrobe, PA --The University of Pittsburgh at Bradford men's soccer team kicked off its 2025 campaign with a 1-1 draw against Valley Forge on Saturday. The Panthers dominated possession for the majority of the game, but allowed a late goal to even the match.
The Panthers held the majority of possession early, but surrendered the first shot on goal of the game after 4 minutes; however, sophomore keeper Christopher House was up to the task, keeping it out of the goal. After another Valley Forge effort went wide, the Panthers took control of the game, registering the next 9 shots without finding the target.
The first true chance of the game came in the 25th minute when Yihao Xu's shot from the right flank hit the crossbar. After three more Panther shots were stopped in the goal, Pitt-Bradford picked up a man advantage after a Valley Forge red card in the 30th. The Panthers went in front just two minutes later. Brady Hathaway found Bailee Verdill with a through pass in the midfield. Verdill sprinted away on the break and placed his shot inside the far post for the Panthers' first goal of the season. Pitt-Bradford nearly doubled the lead 7 minutes later. Kojo Imbeah ran onto a long ball over the defensive line from Alex Stockton to go on the break. He tried to beat the keeper to the near side, but saw his effort rebound off the woodwork.
After the restart, the Panthers thought they found the back of the net once more. Xu beat a defender down the left flank and released a shot that was parried toward Verdill on the far side. Verdill slipped a shot into the goal, but saw it called back for offsides. The Panthers continued to keep possession and pressure the Valley Forge net, but saw 5 shots stopped in the foal and many others miss the target. They would rue the missed opportunities late in the game. In the 87th minute, Valley Forge was able to take advantage of a loose touch on the back line and quickly went on the fast break. The Valley Forge attacker slipped a shot past an onrushing House to tie the match at one. Pitt-Bradford had two late shots stopped and a headed corner miss the net high before the final whistle blew.
Pitt-Bradford outshot Valley Forge 36-5 in the game, putting 16 on target. Bailee Verdill scored the lone goal for the Panthers. He took 4 shots in the game, all of them on goal. Brady Hathaway picked up an assist on the goal and took four shots. Zhennan Sun led the Panthers with 5 shots, while Verdill, Hathaway, Daniel Hartman, and Yihao Xu all took 4. Christopher House made one save in the draw.
The Panthers are 0-0-1 to start the season, and will be right back in action tomorrow afternoon. They stay in Latrobe to take on Saint Vincent at 2:00 p.m.
