Pitt women’s soccer team hands Miami 2-0 loss

The Pitt women’s soccer team took on Miami at Cobb Stadium in Coral Gables, Florida, on Sunday afternoon, and during the trip to South Florida, the Panthers pulled out of a two-game skid and posted a 2-0 win over the Hurricanes.

The action was slow to unfold, as the first 45 minutes came and went without either side scoring a goal. However, Pitt was the aggressor in the early action, as it logged 10 shots to Miami’s five in the first half. And while that didn’t pay off immediately, the Panthers continued to attack the Hurricanes goal and broke through early in the second half.

Pitt forward Amanda West put the Panthers on the board in the 51st minute, after Pitt midfielder Ellie Coffield intercepted a pass and found West in the box. West then placed a shot inside the far post and converted for her sixth goal of the season. That goal was not only the first of the game, but also Pitt’s first since its 2-0 shutout of Towson on Sept. 12.

Twenty-three minutes later, Pitt forward Leah Pais would double the Panthers’ lead, as she collected a West shot that was not cleanly saved by Miami goalkeeper Melissa Dagenais and scored on a putback from several yards out to make the score 2-0. The Hurricanes would not respond in the remaining 16 minutes, and the Panthers would escape with their first ACC win of the 2021 season.

With the win, Pitt improved to 8-3 on the season and 1-2 against ACC competition. Unfortunately, the Panthers are set to face tougher opposition over the next few weeks and will have to step their game up to log similar results against the likes of top-five teams like Duke and North Carolina and a Virginia Tech team that received votes in the latest United Soccer Coaches poll.

With that said, Pitt will ease its way into that tough stretch with home matchups against Virginia Tech and No. 4 North Carolina before hitting the road to play No. 2 Duke. The Virginia Tech matchup is set for Saturday at Ambrose Urbanic Field. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. ET.