No. 8 Pitt men’s soccer team tops Boston College 1-0

The eighth-ranked Pitt men’s soccer team bounced back from its first defeat of the spring on Saturday and dealt Boston College a 1-0 loss at Ambrose Urbanic Field. The victory improved the Panthers’ record to 9-2 and kept them a perfect 3-0 at home and 5-1 against conference opponents this season.

The game was decided less than three minutes after the opening kick, as Pitt midfielder Jasper Löeffelsend centered a ball at the top of the box for Pitt forward Veljko Petkovic, and Petkovic buried a shot in the back of the net. The goal was Petkovic’s sixth of the season, and the assist was Löeffelsend’s seventh.

Pitt’s 1-0 lead would stand at the half, and the team would hold a 9-5 lead in shots. Boston College would tighten up the contest in the second half, matching Pitt in shots, with four. But none of the Eagles’ attempts would get by Pitt goalkeeper Nico Campuzano, who came up with four saves on the night and posted his second clean sheet in the last three games. As a result, the Panthers notched a 1-0 win.

While the victory was earned in quick and decisive fashion, it was the second time this spring Pitt narrowly edged a winless team coming off a year of inactivity, as both Boston College and Duquesne did not play in 2020. The one time Pitt faced a more seasoned opponent this spring was on March 5 in Chapel Hill. And in that game, North Carolina confidently dealt Pitt a lopsided 3-0 defeat.

Given the track record the Panthers have established this spring, it appears they may have lost a step since the fall, when they routinely bullied opponents with their potent offense. Back then, the team was averaging 2.9 goals per game. Over the three games played this spring, that average has dipped to 0.7.

Pitt will get a chance to rediscover its form on Friday, when the team heads down to Durham to take on Duke. Pitt beat Duke 2-1 in Raleigh last November in the first round of the ACC tournament, ending its fall season. Since then, Duke has struggled, winning just one of its four spring games. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. ET.