Hiram, OH -- The University of Pittsburgh at Bradford men's soccer team hit the road this weekend to take on Hiram. The Panthers fell behind the Terriers early and then allowed three late goals to fall 6-0.
The hosts opened the score on their first attack, beating the Panther defense with a long ball and then firing a shot into the goal after 6 minutes of play. A few minutes later, Kyle Carlsen put a free-kick shot on goal, but saw his effort caught by the Hiram keeper. It was the Panthers' only threat to score before Hiram doubled their advantage in the 27th. In the final 20 minutes, the Panthers managed three shots, but were not able to put any on target and were trailing 2-0 heading into the halftime break.
After the restart, Christopher House made an early save, but could not repeat the save minutes later as the Terriers took advantage of another longball and fired past House to push their lead to 3. The Panthers had some offensive success after the third goal, but could not get on the score sheet. Carlsen had another free kick saved, and then the Panthers had their best chance to score in the 62nd. Bailee Verdill found space on the right flank and pulled a pass back to Brady Hathaway near the spot. Hathaway took a one-time shot but missed high after trying to put his effort over the oncoming defender, resulting in a goal kick.
The Panthers allowed three more goals in the final quarter of an hour. A 77th-minute foul in the box gave the hosts a penalty kick, which was converted for the 4th goal of the contest. Hiram added a 5th goal in the 83rd and then closed the scoring with another in the 88th. In the final minutes, Will Smith and Reiss Gaines each had shots on goal that were stopped by the Hiram keeper.
Bailee Verdill led the Panthers with 3 shots, but could not put any on target. Kyle Carlsen had a pair of shots on goal, while Will Smith and Reiss Gaines each had one. Alex Stockton (2), Brady Hathaway, and Zhennan Sun also had shots that missed the target. Chris House played all 90 minutes in the Panther goal, making 2 saves.
The loss drops Pitt-Bradford to 3-4-1 on the season. They will be back in action on Wednesday, when they travel to Penn State-Beaver for a final tuneup before AMCC play begins next weekend. Kickoff is set for 3:00 p.m. in Monaca, PA.
