Pittsburgh, PA -- The University of Pittsburgh at Bradford women's lacrosse team played its first AMCC game on Friday, as they traveled to Pittsburgh to take on La Roche. The Panthers fell behind the defending conference champions 4-1 in the first, but rallied to score 6 unanswered and win the game 7-4.
The Panthers were able to open the scoring in their AMCC debut, as Olivia Garcia took advantage of a LaRoche yellow card and a free position shot to put the Panthers in front. The lead did not last long, as LaRoche scored three straight goals from free-position shots. They tied the game at 9:25, and then 40 seconds later went in front. At 6:56, they doubled their advantage, and then after a few minutes of exchanging possessions, the hosts scored from open play to push their lead to 4-1.
In the second quarter, the Panthers maintained the early share of possession, taking two shots in the opening moments. They got back on the board with 9:14 remaining in the quarter when Addison Molampy scored an unassisted goal. Within two minutes of the Molampy goal, two Redhawks were sent to the penalty area, giving Pitt-Bradford a two-player advantage. They used the extra players to their benefit, scoring with 6:40 left in the half to cut the lead to one. Samantha Burke tallied the goal off an assist from Makartnee Mortimer.
After the break, Pitt-Bradford needed 3 and a half minutes to even the score. They just missed two early advantages as Burke shot wide and Molampy hit the post, but Zennette Zigler was able to tie the game at 4 after converting a free-position shot with a low effort that bounced into the goal. The hosts looked to move back into the lead after the equalizer, but Lily Thuman was able to make two saves to keep the game tied. With just under 8 minutes left in the quarter, Molampy scored her second of the game to put Pitt-Bradford back in front. Burke held the ball behind the La Roche goal and found Molampy open on the back side of the defense. The freshman attacker caught the pass, dodged a defender, and placed a shot into the top corner.
Thuman made another save to begin the final quarter, and then the Panthers went on the attack. Garcia had a shot saved, and Molampy missed an attempt wide of the net before Christina Abel scored an unassisted goal to double the lead. She had another shot saved minutes later, but the Panthers eventually found another goal as Molampy scored with 6:15 remaining to complete her hat trick. The Panthers survived a few late penalties, but worked to keep LaRoche from finding space for a shot. In the final minute, the Panthers held possession of the ball and forced one save before the final buzzer.
Addison Molampy led the Panthers with 3 goals on 6 shots. She also picked up 2 ground balls. Samantha Burke scored one goal, assisted another, and picked up 5 ground balls in the win. Christina Abel, Olivia Garcia, and Zennette Zigler all scored one goal for the Panthers. Luly Thuman made 7 saves in the Panther goal, while Makartnee Mortmier chipped in defensively with 8 caused turnovers and 8 ground balls.
The win moves Pitt-Bradford to 7-5 on the season with a 1-0 mark in AMCC play. They will return to action on Tuesday, April 7th, when they host Mount Aloysius in more AMCC action. Opening draw is slated for 6:00 p.m.
