Greenville, PA -- The University of Pittsburgh at Bradford men's soccer team picked up its first win of the season on Wednesday night, defeating Thiel 1-0 in Greenville.

The Panthers started off on the front foot, as Brady Hathaway and Yihao Xu each had a shot in the opening minutes. The hosts grabbed the momentum and took three of the next four shots in the game, but could not test Christopher House in the Panther goal. Pitt-Bradford had four more shots in the first half, putting two of them on target, but could not find the net. House made two stops on the other side of the field.

After halftime, Pitt-Bradford was able to break the ice, taking the lead in the 50th minute. Yihao Xu took possession of a pass and beat the fullback on the end line. As he approached the goal, he was taken down by a defender, giving Pitt-Bradford a penalty kick. After drawing the spot kick, Xu stepped up and blasted a shot past the keeper. It was Xu's first career goal. Minutes later, the Panthers had a chance to add to their lead as Bailee Verdill drew a free kick in a dangerous area. Unfortunately, the Panthers could not take advantage as Zander Parsons' shot missed the target.

After a Hathaway shot missed the target in the 59th, the hosts looked to tie the game following a corner kick, but two shots were off target, and House stopped another. Parsons had another chance in the 71st, but his one-time shot from outside the 18 floated over the bar for a goal kick.

In the 75th minute, the Panthers' defense gifted the Tomcats a chance to even the score. After failing to clear a free kick, a Panther defender fouled a Thiel attacker in the box while trying to block a shot. The action resulted in another penalty, this time for the hosts. House came up huge in the Panther goal, diving to his left to stop the penalty and keep Pitt-Bradford in front. He made three more stops in the final 10 minutes to preserve the victory.

Yihao Xu scored the only goal of the game, converting his first collegiate penalty kick. He totaled 3 shots, putting them all on target. Zander Parsons led the Panthers with 4 shots, while only one forced a save. Brady Hathaway had 3 efforts, one on target. Daniel Hartman, Brady Hillman, and Zhennan Sun also had shots in the victory. Chris House recorded his first career win and shutout in the game. He made 7 saves. 

The Panthers are now 1-1-1 on the season. They will be back in action this weekend, when they travel to Houghton for another non-conference tilt. Kickoff is slated for 2:00 p.m. on Saturday.