Altoona, Pa. -- The University of Pittsburgh at Bradford men's soccer team picked up an important win at Penn State Altoona on Saturday afternoon. Coming off of two losses in a row to teams near the top of the AMCC standings, the 2-0 victory helps the Panthers solidify their playoff chances as it will give them the head to head tiebreaker over the Lions.
The first half of actions saw neither team score a goal, while both created many chances. Penn State Altoona was able to take 9 shots in the half, and saw 3 of them saved by Derrick Brock.The Panthers put 5 of 6 shots in the half on goal, but all five were saved by the Lion goalkeeper, Tanner Yaw.
Pitt-Bradford was able to break the deadlock in the 74th minute of action. The Panthers took a long throw in that was collected and shot on goal by Ugwunna Amadi. Amadi's shot defelcted off Scott Compson and found the goal for the first of the game. The Lions lost a player n the 78th minute after a second yellow card, and the Panthers were able to take advantage of the man advantage. Pearson Liddell was sent behind the defense on a pass from Compson in the midfield. Liddell collected the ball and fired from 12 yards out to double the advantage and put the game away for Pitt-Bradford.
Brock made 7 saves in the game to record the shutout. He is the third different Panther keeper to record a shutout this season. Chase Rider led the Panthers with 3 shots while Amadi and TJ Magro recorded 2 shots each.
The win moves Pitt-Bradford's record to 8-6 overall with a 4-3 record in AMCC play. With three games to play, they are currently in 5th place. Their next match will be another road trip that has important playoff implications for the Panthers. They will travel to Buffalo, NY to take on D'Youville College at 5:00 PM on Wednesday. The Spartans hold a 3-4 conference record and are currently in 6th place.