Bradford, PA -- The University of Pittsburgh at Bradford men's soccer team hosted Pitt-Greensburg under the lights on Saturday night, falling to the Bobcats 2-1 in a midseason AMCC matchup.
The Panthers focused on maintaining their defensive shape early in the contest, allowing Pitt-Greensburg to maintain early possession in their own half. They were able to effectively threaten the Bobcat end, finding opportunities to pressure the ball carrier, turn them over, and quickly counter. They took three of the first four shots of the game, as Bailee Verdill had two chances blocked, and Alex Stockton sent a header over the target. Unfortunately for the Panthers, the Bobcats were finally able to break through after a pair of free kicks in the 36th minute. The Panthers could not clear and maintain possession on the free kicks, and the Bobcats were able to break to the end line on the left flank, send a low cross into the six-yard box, and score with a one-time finish. The goal came on the first shot on goal of the game. In the final minute of the half, the Bobcats managed another shot on goal, but House made the save to keep the deficit at one.
The Panthers pushed their defensive foundation higher up the field to start the 2nd half, but neither team managed to push possession into the final third for the first 15 minutes of the period. After the hour mark, the Panthers had a quick trio of shots. Defenders Cole Holland and Tyler Levely had shots from well outside the 18 that missed the mark wide, while Kyle Carlsen had a shot saved. The Panthers continued to look for the equalizer as the half progressed, with Verdill putting a shot on target and Carlsen missing on a free kick.
In the 79th minute, the Bobcats were able to break the Panther line and double their lead. After a throw-in on the right flank, a Bobcat attacker whipped a shot to the far post that House was able to parry away, but the rebound was picked up by another Pitt-Greensburg player, who quickly shot into the open goal.
With just over 3 minutes left on the clock, the Panthers broke through, cutting the deficit in half. Alex Stockton intercepted a pass near midfield and sent a long ball toward the edge of the box. His long pass evaded the Bobcat defense and striker Brady Hathaway, but was collected by Bailee Verdill. The junior attacker controlled the pass, cut onto his right foot, and fired to the near post, beating the keeper for his 6th goal of the season. The Panthers pushed for the equalizer in the final three minutes, but Daniel Hartman, Holland, and Zhennan Sun all had shots that missed the target.
Bailee Verdill scored Pitt-Bradford's lone goal, his team-leading 6th of the season. He led the team with 4 shots, including two on goal. Alex Stockton assisted on the goal and also had one shot. Kyle Carlsen and Cole Holland each took two shots, with Carlsen putting one on goal. Christopher House made 2 saves in the loss.
Pitt-Bradford falls to 4-7-1 on the season with a 0-3 record in AMCC play with the loss. They will have a midweek bye before returning to Action on Saturday with a crucial road match at Penn State-Altoona. Kickoff is slated for 4:00 p.m.
