*Due to today being Labor Day and the debacle on Saturday, the weekly recap was pushed back to today.
Pitt has other sports that win games! Which is great because it doesn't look like football is going to win a whole lot this year.
Men's Soccer: (1-0-2)
8/26: 1-0 W vs. Howard (at Duquesne)
9/1: 1-1 T vs. St. Francis (PA)
Pitt finished up the Duquesne Invitational last weekend with a 1-0 win against Howard. The Panthers dominated the Bison, outshooting them 23-10, including 16-5 in the second half. The lone goal came in the 41st minute, when tournament co-MVP Nick Wysong delivered a nice pass to sophomore Ryan Myers, who settled the pass and scored. Pitt ultimately finished second at the invitational on goal differential.
Pitt then returned home for the home opener against St. Francis. The game saw several lightning delays due to storms moving through the area on Saturday. Despite keeping the ball in their opponent's side of the field for most of the game, Pitt went into halftime down 1-0 after SFU scored in the 37th minute. Things looked even bleaker when Pitt went down to 10 men after freshman Nick Wysong got a red card in the 54th minute. But the Panthers fought back and scored in the 72nd minute off of a bad save from the SFU goalkeeper. Junior Nico Wrobel was there to put the ball in the back of the net and level the match. The game remained tied after overtime and Pitt settled for it's second draw of the season.
Women's Soccer: (4-3-0)
8/31: 1-0 (OT) L vs. Miami (FL) (at WVU)
9/2: 3-0 L vs Penn State (at WVU)
The Lady Panthers continue to keep things close and interesting. They began last weekend with a game against crosstown rival Duquesne. Pitt for the most part dominated the Dukes, outshooting Duquesne 18-8 and having an edge in corner kicks 11-3. The Panthers also opened up the scoring in the 26th minute off a header from Morgan Sharick. Freshman Roosa Arvas, who was big for Pitt all game, crossed the ball off of a corner kick. Yet the Dukes fought back just a minute later, tying things up and Pitt went into halftime 1-1. But in the second half, Arvas came up big by scoring in the 58th minute from 20 yards out to break the deadlock. Pitt added an insurance goal in the 87th minute from Alex Charlebois. Arvas had the assist.
Pitt then traveled down I-79 to Morgantown for the WVU 90 Minute Classic. First on the docket was a game against future ACC rival Miami. The Canes were ranked in the preseason top 25, so it was a big game for Pitt. Statistically, Pitt was dominated by the Canes, being outshot 22-7, including 10-4 on target, while losing the battle in corner kicks 9-3. The Panthers though had several chances, including a penalty kick in the 52nd minute that bounced off the crossbar. The game went into overtime where Pitt again had a shot off of a header from Sharick. But the Canes goalie made a great save. Miami would then go on to score in the 100th minute after a Canes corner kick.
Pitt ended the weekend on Sunday with a game against #3 Penn State in their second game at WVU. Despite matching the Nittany Lions on shots and corner kicks, PSU was able to convert on their opportunities. Penn State opened the scoring in the 8th minute and then again in the 43rd minute. Pitt couldn't come back from a 2-0 hole going into halftime and PSU ultimately won 3-0. The Panthers fought hard though against a national title contender though and even outshot PSU in the second half 6-3. They just couldn't convert against a talented team.
Women's Volleyball (4-2)
8/31: 3-0 W vs. Coastal Carolina
The volleyball came home to play in the Panther Invitational over the weekend. Pitt opened up with a game against Coastal Carolina. CCU kept things close in the first set, with neither team getting further than 6 points ahead of the other. After getting within 2 at 19-17, Pitt went on a 6-3 run to close out the first set 25-20. The second set was more comfortable for Pitt, as they raced out to a 7-0 lead and led by as many as 14 as Pitt cruised to a 25-11 second set. The third set was more like the first with Pitt and CCU tied often throughout the set. At 23-23, CCU had a serving error followed by a hitting error and Pitt took the 3rd set and the win.
The second game came against Howard, where Pitt won comfortably 25-12, 25-11, 25-20. The first set saw the Bison take an early 5-3 lead. But Pitt fought back as the Panthers went on a 22-7 run to cruise to a first set win. The second set was another dominating performance by Pitt, as the Panthers never trailed and led by as many as 14. The second set saw Howard give Pitt several free points that contributed to their easy set win. The third set, however, was much more competitive. Both sides kept it close throughout and Howard led late at 18-16. After a Pitt timeout, the Panthers went on a 4-0 run and didn't look back, winning 25-20.
The final game against the Butler Bulldogs was much more competitive than Pitt's first two matches of the invitational. The first set was similar to what Pitt had been doing in their first two games. The Panthers raced out to a 10-4 lead and kept a comfortable lead throughout the first set, eventually winning 25-17. The second set showed Pitt's toughness. After trailing for most of the set, including a late 5 point deficit at 23-18, Pitt closed with a furious 6-1 rally to tie things at 24 a piece. Pitt then got the next 2 points to take the second set. The third set saw 16 ties and 6 lead changes as both sides kept things close. Pitt had 3 set point opportunities but couldn't capitalize until a kill from Alexa Campbell gave Pitt a 28-26 win and the tournament title.
Cross Country:
The men's and women's cross country team opened up their seasons at the Duquesne Duals over the weekend, where both sides finished second at the meet. Two male Panthers and 3 female Panthers finished in the top 10 as the men's team beat Carnegie Mellon, St. Vincent, Youngstown State, and Robert Morris, but lost to Duquesne while the lady Panthers beat Youngstown State, Carnegie Mellon, Robert Morris but lost to Duquesne as well.
This week in Pitt Athletics (September 3rd - September 8th)
Football:
9/6 @ Cincinnati
Volleyball:
9/4: @ Cleveland State
9/7: vs. Sam Houston State (Sugar Bowl Classic)
9/8: @ Tulane (Sugar Bowl Classic)
9/8: vs. Mississippi State (Sugar Bowl Classic)
Men's Soccer:
9/7: vs. IPFW
Women's Soccer:
9/7: @ Liberty
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