Alfred, NY -- The University of Pittsburgh at Bradford women's lacrosse team finished its historic inaugural season on Saturday, playing in the AMCC Tournament Championship Game. The Panthers struggled to keep up with the top-seeded Alfred State Pioneers, ultimately falling 16-3.

The Panthers killed off an early penalty to keep the game scoreless through the first five minutes, but after 6 minutes of play, allowed the hosts to score on their first shot on goal. The Panthers took the next two shots on goal as Christina Abel had a shot blocked and then a free position attempt saved, but the Pioneers maintained the momentum after the missed opportunities, doubling their lead at the 5:42 mark. The hosts were not done in the opening quarter, as they tacked on a third goal with just under two minutes left in the period and then beat the clock to score their fourth with 5 seconds remaining.

Pitt-Bradford finally got on the board to begin the second period. After a Pioneer penalty, Samantha Burke converted a free position shot to put the Panthers down three. The Panthers looked to cut further into the lead, as they drew another penalty seconds after the restart, but after the Panthers failed to convert the man-advantage into a goal, the Pioneers scored again to restore the four-goal lead. Lily Thuman made a pair of saves in the Pitt-Bradford goal as the teams stayed in a stalemate for the next 10 minutes. With two minutes remaining in the half, the Panthers gave the hosts a free position attempt, which the Pioneers converted to send the game to halftime, leading 6-1.

Alfred State held onto the momentum after the break and added a pair of goals within 3 and a half minutes of the restart. With 6:22 remaining in the third, Pitt-Bradford got back on the board. Burke moved the ball around the crease from the right wing. She passed to Aryanna Hatch from behind the goal, who quickly flicked a pass to Abel in the middle of the defense. Abel caught the pass and bounced a shot underneath the Alfred State keeper to cut the lead to 6. The Pioneers regained momentum after killing off a penalty, scoring three goals in the last 3:05 of the quarter, putting the Panthers down 11-2 heading into the final quarter. 

After the Pioneers started the 4th with a goal, the Panthers added one more to their tally with 7:16 remaining. Zennette Zigler possessed the ball at the top of the zone. She probed the defense until darting into the middle of the zone and releasing a backhanded shot into the goal. Alfred State shut down the game from there, scoring 4 more times in the final 6:30 to put the final score at 16-3.

Christina Abel, Samantha Burke, and Zennette Zigler all scored goals for the Panthers. Aryanna Hatch picked up an assist. Lily Thuman made 8 saves in the loss.

After the game, Christina Abel, Addison Molampy, and Makartnee Mortimer were named to the All-Tournament Team.

The Panthers finish their inaugural season 10-7, with a postseason win and a trip to the conference title game.