Bradford, PA -- The University of Pittsburgh at Bradford men's soccer team celebrated Senior Day with a bang on Saturday afternoon, defeating Carlow 6-0.
Before the game, the Panthers honored three graduating team members. Quinton Hepner played for the Panthers for 3 seasons, and has been a student assistant coach for the 2025 campaign. Heoner had played 43 games for the Panthers, starting 27, with most of them coming along the Panthers' defensive line. He registered 1 shot last season. Garner McMaster has been a member of the Panthers for 4 seasons. He has played in 37 games, with 25 starts as an outside back. He registered 3 shots in his career, with one finishing on target. Will Smith was the final Panther senior to be recognized. Smith has played in 60 games with 51 starts, most of them in the Panther defense or midfield. For his career, he has tallied 7 goals and 6 assists, with 48 shots.
The Panthers maintained possession early, but struggled to move into the final third and create chances. Brady Hathaway took a pair of shots earlybut both were stopped by the Carlow goalkeeper. In the 24th minute, Kyle Carlsen received a pass 25 yards from the goal and was fouled by a Celtic defender. Carlsen took charge of the resulting free kick and bent it around the wall, into the bottom corner for the opening goal. The tally was his first of the season. Seven minutes later, Cole Holland made a dribbling run into the final third and was brought down with a tackle outside the 18. Carlsen stepped up again, but his dipping shot rang off the crossbar. Bailee Verdill won the free ball with a header, sending a shot towards the far post for a goal. It was his 8th of the season. Carlsen was credited with an assist.
The Panthers continued to press their opponents, and in the 38th, tacked on a third goal. Daniel Hartman received a pass in the midfield and found Hathaway streaking down the right wing. The junior attacker whipped in a one-time cross for Verdill, who chipped a shot over the oncoming keeper for his second of the game. The goal brought Verdill's tally to 9 on the season. Hathaway and Hartman each earned credit for an assist on the goal.
Two minutes after the restart, Yihao Xu had a chance to add to the lead, as Verdill found him with a long through ball, but the sophomore winger's shot just missed the target wide. 5 minutes later, Xu received another chance and was able to convert. Zhennan Sun hit a pass through the Carlow defense for Verdill, who was able to attack the goal on the fast break. While he had an opportunity to record a hat-trick, Verdill Unselfishly slid a pass across the mouth of the goal for Xu, who shot into the open net for the 4th Panther goal. It was his 3rd of the season. Six minutes later, Xu doubled his tally. Sun played conductor once again, sliding a pass out of the midfield behind the Celtics' defense for Xu. The winger beat the defender to the ball and calmly slid a shot into the far corner.
In the 69th minute, the Panthers wrapped up he scoring with their 6th goal of the contest. Will Smith received a pass in the defensive third, shrugged off a Carlow attacker, and curled a long pass down the right flank for Brady Hillman. The sophomore attacker collected the pass, took two touches, and hit a shot into the side netting for his first collegiate goal.
The Panthers' 6 goals are the most they have scored in a game since the 2021-22 campaign. Bailee Verdill scored twice on 4 shots. He also had an assist and now has 9 goals on the season. Yihao Xu finished with 2 goals on 3 shots, bringing his total to 4 this season. Kyle Carlsen scored a goal on a free kick and also had an assist. Brady Hillman scored his first career goal on his only shot. Brady Hathaway, Daniel Hartman, and Will Smith all had assists in the win. Chris House made 3 saves to register his 5th shutout of the season, a program record.
The win moves the Panthers to 6-8-1 on the season, with a 2-4 mark in AMCC play. They will be back in action at home on Wednesday, as they will host Hilbert in a match that will be crucial in the final AMCC standings. Kickoff is set for 7:00 p.m.
