Pitt women’s soccer team defeats NJIT 5-0

The Pitt women’s soccer team hosted NJIT at Ambrose Urbanic Field on Sunday afternoon, and the result was a dominant 5-0 victory over the visiting Highlanders.

Ellie Coffield opened up the scoring for Pitt in the 17th minute, with a one-timer off an Amanda West pass across the goal mouth. The goal was the former WPIAL star’s first at Ambrose Urbanic Field and her second of the season, and it increased her point total for the year to six in four games.

The second goal came off the foot of Anna Bout after Leah Pais found her in the box with a well-placed pass. Bout then tapped a shot to the left of NJIT goalkeeper Molly Saylor and found the back of the net to give Pitt a 2-0 advantage in the 40th minute.

In the second half, Amanda West would improve Pitt’s lead to 3-0 in the 56th minute, driving from midfield to the top of the box and banking a shot in off the crossbar. With her goal on Sunday, West extended her current scoring streak to four games and increased her career total to 27 goals.

Six minutes later, Landy Mertz would score the Panthers’ fourth goal of the game after shedding a few defenders with a give and go with Sarah Schupansky and then placing a shot to the left of Saylor. The goal was the Upper St. Clair native's first of the season as well as the seventh of her collegiate career.

Krystyna Rytel would put the finishing touches on the win in the 83rd minute, when she scored her first goal of the season and the second of her career on a free kick. From well beyond the box, Rytel sent a shot over the outstretched hands of the NJIT goalkeeper, and it ricocheted off the crossbar and into the goal.

The 5-0 win was Pitt’s third shutout in four games, with the others coming against Tulsa and Cleveland State. It was also the team’s fourth win of the 2021 season, and it improved the Panthers’ record to a perfect 4-0.

With the win in the books, Pitt will shift its focus to St. Joseph’s, a 0-3-1 team out of the Atlantic 10 that it will face later this week in Philadelphia. That game will kick off from Sweeney Field at 7 p.m. ET on Thursday.