Erie, PA -- The University of Pittsburgh at Bradford men's soccer team traveled to Erie on Tuesday night for an AMCC tilt at Penn State-Behrend. The Panthers allowed a pair of early goals and were unable to recover, ultimately falling 6-2.
The Panthers got off to another difficult start, as they allowed the opening goal after just 75 seconds of play. The Lions earned a corner kick in the opening minute and then won the resulting header, sending the shot into the goal. Three minutes later, the Panthers provided the Lions with another dangerous set piece, fouling a Lion attacker just outside the box. The hosts once again won the header at the back post, sending another hard shot into the net, doubling their advantage. In the 12th minute, the Lions scored their third goal in as many shots. The Panthers were slow reacting to a midfielder in space, who whipped a shot off the far post and into the goal. The Lions continued to attack after the third goal, but the Panthers were able to settle in and keep the deficit at three. Christopher House made a pair of saves, while the Panthers also caught the Lions offside 3 times. Brady Hathaway took the Panthers' first shot in the 25th, missing the net, while Kyle Carlsen had a free kick deflect off the wall and force a save.
After the break, the Panthers kept the Lions from attacking and were given a lifeline after 10 minutes of play. After a corner kick, Yihao Xu was fouled in the box while trying to collect a loose ball. Xu stepped up for the resulting penalty kick and beat the keeper to cut the lead to 2. The goal was his 2nd of the season. Unfortunately, the Panthers could not hold onto the momentum, as 2 minutes later, House was beaten by a curling shot that found the top corner for the hosts' 4th goal.
The Lions tacked on another goal in the 73rd after Pitt-Bradford failed to stop a long dribbling run into the box and then pushed the lead to 5 on a one-time finish after the Panthers failed to clear a long throw. Pitt-Bradford was able to pull one back a minute later. Kyle Carlsen beat a defender on the right flank and found Zhennan Sun in the middle of the field with a pass. Sun slipped a ball to Hathaway, who ripped a shot from 25 yards out into the net for the Panthers' second goal. It was his 6th goal of the season.
Brady Hathaway led the Panthers with 2 shots, scoring 1 goal. It was assisted by Zhennan Sun. Yihao Xu drew a penalty and converted the spot kick for his 2nd goal of the season. Kyle Carlsen also put a shot on target for the Panthers. Christopher House made 4 saves in the loss.
The Panthers fall to 5-8-1 on the season with a 1-4-0 record in AMCC play. They will be back in action on Saturday, when they host Carlow on Senior Day. Kickoff is slated for approximately 4:15 at Rathburn Family Field.
