Latrobe, PA -- The University of Pittsburgh at Bradford men's soccer team played its second game in as many days on Sunday, as they fell 2-0 to Saint Vincent.
The Panthers started well, taking the first two shots of the game. Three minutes in, Zander Parsons chased a longball down the left flank and stole the ball off a Saint Vincent defender near the edge of the box. He released a quick shot with his right foot, but missed the target wide. A few minutes later, Zhennan Sun found Parsons on the left wing again, but Parsons' shot missed the target.
The Panthers would rue the missed opportunities as the hosts took advantage of a Panther foul to take the lead. After a free kick was awarded just outside the box, Saint Vincent's attacker beat the wall to the near side into the empty side of the net to take the lead. The goal switched momentum onto the home end of the field, as Pitt-Bradford could not move into the final third and find space for a shot. They nearly made it to the break trailing by one, but the Bearcats struck again with less than a minute remaining in the half. The hosts controlled a headed clearance by the Panthers and then beat Chris House to the near post with a shot back across the box.
In the second half, the hosts maintained momentum, forcing House into two saves in the first 15 minutes of the period. In the 60th minute, the Panthers picked up a man advantage as the hosts had a player sent off with a straight red card. The Panthers took over the momentum, getting off a pair of shots and winning a corner over the next four minutes, but could not put an effort on target.
The contest turned into a stalemate, as neither team was able to push possession into the attacking third and attempt a shot. With five minutes to go, Pitt-Bradford made a final push to get on the board. Sun had a volleyed effort blocked, and then Will Smith put a long free kick on goal, but his effort was caught by the keeper.
Chris House made 3 saves for the Panthers in the loss. Pitt-Bradford managed 6 shots in the contest. Zhennan Sun and Zander Parsons each had two, while Cole Holland and Will Smith had one each. Smith put the only shot on target.
The loss drops the Panthers to 0-1-1. They will be back in action on Wednesday, when they travel to Greenville to take on Thiel. Kickoff is slated for 7:00 p.m.
