Bradford, PA -- The University of Pittsburgh at Bradford men's soccer team hosted Hilbert in a crucial Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference matchup on Wednesday, with the winning team likely clinching a berth in the AMCC Championship Tournament. The Panthers used an 85th-minute goal to defeat the Hawks and secure their place in the postseason.
The Panthers went on the attack early, winning a pair of early free kicks, which resulted in shots. Alex Stockton headed the first set piece toward goal but saw his effort blocked, while Yihao Xu opened up some space on the left flank and had a shot collected by the keeper. The visitors took the next two shots of the game, but missed the target with each.
The teams exchanged possession in the midfield for the next 15 minutes until the Panthers turned the screws and created four chances. Zhennan Sun had a left-footed shot stopped in the middle of the goal in the 29th, and then a minute later, the Panthes opened the scoring. After a throw-in on the left flank, Kyle Carlsen whipped a cross into the box. His pass just evaded the head of his midfield partner, Daniel Hartman, but it bounced inside the six and deflected off a Hilbert defender into the goal. The Panthers had two more chances to add to the lead in the next three minutes, but Brady Hathaway's volley sailed high and wide, while Bailee Verdill's shot from the right flank hit the outside of the net.
The Panthers lost their momentum in the 38th, as the Hawks took advantage of a loose pass in the middle of the field and a slip in the rain to even the score. The Panthers attempted to switch fields at the halfway line, but the pass was intercepted, allowing Hilbert to counter. The Hawk attacker dribbled down the field and then, after a Panther defender slipped in his backpedal, found space in the box and fired a shot into the far corner, leveling the score in the 38th. The goal switched momentum to the visitors, and they nearly took the lead with 98 seconds left in the half. After a few throw-ins, a Hibert attacker gathered a loose ball at the top of the box and curled a shot to the far post. Pitt-Bradford keeper Christopher House lunged to his left and made a diving save, palming the rebound out of play for a corner to keep the game tied at 1 heading into the break.
Hilbert maintained early possession of the ball in the second half and threatened to take the lead after five minutes, but a Hawk attacker's shot to the near post was into the side netting for a goal kick. In the 56th minute, Verdill beat his defender on the right flank and slid a pass toward the penalty spot for Hathaway, but the striker's one-time shot drifted wide of the net for a goal kick. A few minutes later, Sun found some space near the top of the 18, but his shot missed the net high.
Needing a goal to secure their spot in the postseason, the Panthers nearly found one in the 72nd. Sun was pulled back by a Hilbert defender approximately 30 yards from the goal, giving Pitt-Bradford a direct free kick. Carlsen stepped up and delivered a curling shot towards the left corner. Despite beating the keeper, his effort hit the crossbar, deflecting down and being errantly cleared by Hilbert. Verdill volleyed a shot to the far post, but a Hilbert defender was still back on the line after the free kick, and headed it off the line and out of play for a corner. The Hawks nearly took the lead with 12 minutes to go, as a corner kick was headed to the far post. Fortunately for the Panthers, the shot hit the post, and House was able to react first and gather the loose ball to end the threat. 5 minutes later, the sophomore keeper saved a shot in the middle of the net to keep the score tied and set up a thrilling finish.
With six minutes remaining, the Panthers moved the ball down the right flank through Conner Rudsell and Verdill, looking for a winner. Verdill cut back inside and found Sun in the middle of the pitch. Sun continued to rotate the ball to Hathaway, who passed it to Holden Kelly on the left wing. The freshman sent the ball back to Hathaway, who took one touch and ripped a curled effort into the side netting on the far side to put the Panthers in front. The goal was his 6th of the season. In the final 5 minutes, the Panthers endured one final push from the Hawks. They House made one more save on a headed shot, and then with just 4 seconds remaining, Carlsen headed away a free kick to secure the victory.
Brady Hathaway scored his 6th goal of the season in the win and his second game-winner. He led the Panthers with 4 shots. Bailee Verdill, Kyle Carlsen, and Zhennan Sun all had two shots, while Conner Rudsell and Yihao Xu each had shots on goal. Christopher House made 4 saves in the victory.
The Panthers are now 7-8-1 on the season with a 3-4 record in conference play. They have accumulated 9 points in the standings and cannot be caught by the three teams below them in the standings. They have secured their spot in the AMCC Championship Tournament, with their final seeding and first-round matchup still to be determined. They will bring their regular season to a close on Saturday, when they host Mount Aloysius. Kickoff is set for approximately 3:30 at Rathburn Family Field.
