Pitt women’s soccer team opens season with 3-0 shutout of Tulsa

The Pitt women’s soccer team traveled to Neal Patterson Stadium in Stillwater, Oklahoma, on Thursday to take part in the Cowgirl Soccer Invitational, and the team came away with a 3-0 win over Tulsa in its season-opening match.

Pitt opened the scoring 17 minutes into the game, as former Mars Area High School standout Ellie Coffield netted a goal on the first shot of her collegiate career to put the Panthers up 1-0 over the Golden Hurricane.

Just three minutes later, Pitt star Amanda West tacked on an additional goal to give Pitt a 2-0 advantage. The goal was the first of West's season and the 24th of her career, and it gave West the Pitt program record for career goals.

The Panthers would take that 2-0 lead into halftime, along with a 9-3 advantage in shots and a 3-0 lead in corners. Those two advantages would persist throughout the game, as Pitt reeled off 10 shots to Tulsa’s three in the final 45 minutes and drew four corners to the opposition’s one.

Pitt’s aggressive approach would pay off once more in the form of a second-half goal by Leah Pais in the 85th minute. The play was set up by former North Allegheny High School star Sarah Schupansky, giving her the first point of her Pitt career and providing the team with a 3-0 lead.

The team would hold on for the 3-0 win, improving its record on the season to 1-0 and extending its 2021 winning streak to three games, with wins over Duquesne and Kentucky coming in March. With the win in the books, Pitt will face No. 16 Oklahoma State on its home field on Sunday at noon ET.