Pitt men’s soccer draws 1-1 with Syracuse

The Pitt men’s soccer team traveled to SU Soccer Stadium in Syracuse, New York, on Friday night to take on Syracuse, and although the Panthers fell behind early, they were able to fight back and secure a 1-1 draw.

Syracuse midfielder Hilli Goldhar opened the scoring in the 18th minute, slotting in a goal after Syracuse forward Massimo Ferrin set him up with a well-placed cross. However, Pitt forward Edward Kizza was able to maneuver around several Orange defenders and feed Pitt midfielder Veljko Petkovic, who slammed a shot past Syracuse goalkeeper Christian Miesch in the 36th minute to even the score.

While the end of the first half marked the end of the scoring in this game, it did not signify the end of the action, as Pitt reeled off 10 shots after the first half and Syracuse had nine in the same span. In addition, Syracuse forward Luther Archimede was forced to leave the game after being shown a red card in the 51st minute, as was Petkovic in the 95th minute.

In goal for Pitt was Arie Ammann, who had recorded clean sheets in his previous two outings. While he could not replicate those flawless efforts, he did log nine saves, nearly doubling his season total to 20. But despite his efforts and Pitt having a man advantage for about 44 minutes, the team was unable to pull ahead and instead settled for a draw.

”We earned a very difficult point on the road tonight at Syracuse,” Pitt head coach Jay Vidovich said after the game. “I’m proud of the resiliency we demonstrated when down a goal. Our goal was an intelligent and skillful play starting with Valentin [Noel] and [Edward] Kizza connecting, and Kizza providing the final pass to Veljko [Petkovic]."

"My disappointment is that after dictating the game and going up a man, we were unable to finish on several of the quality opportunities that we created," Vidovich added. "This match showed us the work that we need to do to become a stronger team.”

With the draw, Pitt’s overall record now sits at 3-3-2. The team is also 1-1-1 in the ACC and ranks third in the Coastal Division despite having the worst overall record in the conference. At 3-2-4, Syracuse has the second worst overall record in the ACC but ranks fourth in the Atlantic Division with a 0-1-2 conference record.

Pitt will return home on Monday to face Denver at Ambrose Urbanic Field. Denver hasn’t finished a campaign with a losing record since 2011, but the Pioneers will bring a 1-5-2 record into the matchup. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. ET.