Bradford, PA – The University of Pittsburgh at Bradford women's lacrosse team returned home after 8 straight road games on Saturday, as it hosted the Thiel Tomcats at Rathburn Family Field. The Panthers dominated early, scoring double-digit goals before the end of the first half, leading to a 17-6 final score.
Pitt-Bradford did not take long to get on the board, scoring in the first minute of the match. Christina Abel found with Olivia Garcia inside, who beat the keeper high to put the Panthers up 1-0 after 41 seconds. The Panthers maintained their early control and found three more goals before the Tomcats could respond. Samantha Burke scored the first of on an unassisted goal, less than a minute after the opener. A Thiel yellow card opened the floodgates for Pitt-Bradford as they scored two goals with the resulting advantage. Abel scored the third Panther goal, and then Addison Molampy followed suit, both goals following long runs through the defense. The Tomcats clapped back at the 8-minute mark, hitting the back of the net from a free position shot. Pitt-Bradford responded to the goal; however, scoring three more times before the end of the quarter. Garcia and Haley Carlo each scored off of assists from Molampy, before the freshman attacker closed the period with a free position goal with 10 seconds on the clock.
Thiel opened the 2nd quarter with an early goal, but Pitt-Bradford took advantage of another penalty to match the strike. Abel scored her 2nd of the game with 11:38 left in the half to restore the 6-goal edge. Thiel answered with another free position goal, before the teams shared possession without a goal for the next 6 mintues of play. The Panthers would have another strong finish at the end of the second quarter, scoring three more times. Molampy scored with a Tomcat in the box with 4 minutes left on a pass from Garcia. Garcia added another goal of her own with 1:05 left, and then Christina Abel gave the Panthers an 11-1 halftime lead with a free position shot 10 seconds later.
The Panthers continued to roll after the restart, tacking 4 goals onto their lead before the Tomcats could respond. An early yellow card made way for another man-up goal by Abel, with Molmapy assisting. Nearly a minute later, Molampy capitalized on the advantage as well, scoring her own man-up goal off an assist by Aryanna Hatch. Molmapy stayed on a hot streak, finding the next two goals for the Panthers. She scored the first after a long run through the midfield, and then converted a free-position shot for the second. Thiel pulled a goal back in the final minutes of the period to end the third quarter with Pitt-Bradford leading 15-4.
With a Panther in the box to start the quarter, the Tomcats closed the gap to ten a minute into the fourth. 90 seconds later, Hatch responded with a free position shot. Thiel scored one more goal just over a minute later, but the Panthers locked down for the remainder of the game, keeping the visitors off the board. Hatch closed the scoring with her second of the game, converting on an assist from Molampy.
Addison Molampy led the Panthers with 6 goals on 12 shots. She also had 4 assists, 2 draw controls, and 2 caused turnovers. Christina Abel added 4 goals on 9 shots, 1 assist, and 5 draw controls. Olivia Garcia and Aryanna Hatch contributed to the Panther win with 3 and 2 goals, respectively. They each picked up an assist, while Hatch finished with 3 draw controls. Haley Carlo and Samantha Burke also scored in the victory. Lily Thuman guarded the Panther net for the first three quarters and was credited with 4 saves and the win. Brooke George finished the game, making 1 save in the 4th.
This home victory stretches the Panthers' record to 6-3. They will return to action on Saturday, March 28th, when they face Alfred.
