Bradford, PA -- The University of Pittsburgh at Bradford women's lacrosse team played its first-ever game on Saturday afternoon, hosting Geneva at Rathburn Family Field. The Panthers scored the first eight goals of the game en route to a 15-2 win in their debut contest.
It did not take the Panthers long to get on the board, as they scored just under 50 seconds into their existence. Christina Abel picked up a ground ball and beat a defender on the left flank. She dropped a pass off to Olivia Garcia in front of the net, who placed a shot past the goalie for the first goal in program history.
The Panthers doubled their lead nearly six minutes later. Freshman Addison Molampy picked up a ground ball in the attacking zone, beat the defense with pace, and beat the goalie one-on-one for her first collegiate goal. Molampy turned provider on the next goal for Pitt-Bradford. After stopping a free position shot, the Panthers countered. Molampy found Christina Abel streaking through the middle of the defense, who caught the pass and quickly shot to the goalie's left for her first goal of the season. With just over two minutes left in the quarter, and a player in the penalty box, Samantha Burke scored the Panthers' fourth. She picked up a ground ball in the defensive end and went on a long run through the Geneva defense. She sprinted past 4 defenders before firing a shot past the goalkeeper for her first.
Pitt-Bradford continued to find offensive success in the second quarter, scoring its fifth after just 45 seconds. Malompy moved the ball into the offensive zone and passed to Aryanna Hatch on the right wing. Hatch juked past a defender and ripped a shot into the top corner for her first of the season. Down a player once again, the Panthers added to their lead with 12:38 on the clock. Molampy controlled possession again and found Molly Wampler sprinting in front of goal. Wampler collected the pass and bounced a shot into the goal for her first.
After a Geneva timeout and a turnover, Wampler scored her second of the game. She picked up an errant pass and quickly turned it into an attack, beating the goalie low and left to double her tally. Half a minute later, Pitt-Bradford pushed its lead to 8. Burke found Isabella Edwards open in front of the goal, and the attacker fired a high shot into the goal for her first of the season. The visitors were able to pull one back with a Panther in the box. With the player advantage, the Golden Tornadoes beat goalkeeper Lily Thuman for the first time with a close-range shot.
After the break, the Panthers struggled to regain their offensive momentum and allowed the visitors to score again after 7 mintues of action. Pitt-Bradford got back on the board with 4 minutes left in the third. Burke picked up a bounced pass from Makartnee Mortimer and sprinted through the defense. She found space in front of the goal and fired past the keeper for her second of the game. 34 seconds later, Burke picked up another assist. She found Edwards open 10 yards from the goal. The sophomore attacker caught the pass and released a shot in one motion, putting it in the top corner for her second of the game.
Despite an 8-goal lead, the Panthers continued to push forward in the final quarter, scoring 5 more times. With 10 mintues remaining, Molampy passed to Wampler in the scoring area. Wampler caught the pass in traffic, turned, and bounced a shot into the goal for her third of the game. Minutes later, the Panthers were on the board again, this time through one of their captains, Haley Carlo. The midfielder received a pass in traffic, turned through the defense, and ripped a high shot past the keeper for her first of the year.
With six minutes on the clock, Molampy picked up a loose ball at the top of the offensive zone. She dodged through the defense, finding enough space for a shot, where she placed one into the top corner for her second of the game. A minute later, Carlo doubled her tally. After a pass from Abel was knocked down in the attacking area, Carlo picked it up and released a low, backhand shot into the corner to put the Panthers ahead 14-2. In the final minutes, Garcia finished the game as she started it, scoring her 2nd. She picked up a loose ball next to the goal and worked her way through the defense until she was able to bounce a low shot into the left corner.
The Panthers used a balanced attack in the win as 8 different players scored, with six scoring multiple times. Molly Wampler led the way with 3 goals. Addison Molampy, Samantha Burke, Isabella Edwards, Olivia Garcia, and Haley Carlo all scored twice in the win. Molampy added 3 assists, while Burke finished with 2. Christina Abel scored once and recorded two assists, while Aryanna Hatch also got off the mark with a goal. Lily Thuman had a strong debut in goal, making 8 saves and picking up numerous ground balls outside the crease.
The Panthers start their season 1-0 after the win. They will be off until next weekend, when they travel to the eastern part of the state for two games in a row. They will play Cedar Crest Friday night, before taking on Wilkes the next day.
