Hamburg, N.Y. -- The University of Pittsburgh at Bradford lacrosse team played its first-ever AMCC contest on Saturday afternoon, defeating Hilbert 7-6 on the road.
Pitt-Bradford got off to a strong start, keeping the hosts off the board for the majority of the first period. They opened the scoring at 11:36, using the man advantage to take the lead. After a substitution penalty on the Hawks, Billy Tigar passed to Ben Byers on the left side of the attacking zone. Byers collected the feed and bounced a shot past the defense and into the goal. It was his 23rd of the year. With 6:51 remaining in the quarter, Tigar took possession behind the net and sprinted towards the crease. He maneuvered around the defense and released a leaping shot into the far side to put Pitt-Bradford up two. The goal was his 9th. The Panthers held the hosts scoreless until the final seconds of the quarter when the Hawks scored twice in 17 seconds to even the game.
In the second quarter, the starting goalkeepers dueled for over 11 minutes, keeping the game tied. Evan Stack made 5 saves in that span. Pitt-Bradford went back in front with 3:31 to go in the half. Tigar received a pass at midfield and sprinted into the offensive zone. He found Joshua Held open in the middle of the field, who caught the pass and fired into the goal for his ninth of the season. Two minutes later, Tigar doubled the lead. Byers found Tigar with a pass on the back side of the zone who was able to find the goal from a sharp angle to send the game to the break with Pitt-Bradford ahead 4-2.
After 5 minutes of play in the third, Byers extended the Panthers lead with a solo effort. He collected a ground ball 3o yards from the goal and beat three Hilbert defenders on the run. He found space in front of the crease and released a low shot into the goal. It brought his season total to 24. After another long scoring drought, the hosts cut into the lead, scoring a goal with 1:19 on the clock.
Hilbert carried the momentum into the fourth and was aided by an illegal stick penalty to score with the man advantage after 22 seconds. A minute later, Reid Kristufek restored the two-goal lead. He received a pass from David De La Teja behind the net and sprinted to the front. The midfielder released a backhand shot as he passed the goal and beat the goalie for his first of the game.
The Hawks scored with just over 10 minutes remaining on the clock, putting the hosts down 6-5, but Kristufek found another answer. With 5:21 on the clock, he cut to the goal from the top of the zone and was picked out by Byers. He caught the pass in traffic, turned, and fired a shot to the goalie's left to put Pitt-Bradford up 7-5. The momentum would not last long, as the hosts came right back and scored 48 seconds later to set up a thrilling finish.
Hilbert took control of the ball after the faceoff and went on the attack looking for the tying goal. Evan Stack made one save before Alex Arno was sent to the penalty area for a slash. The Hawks took three shots with the man advantage, missing the net twice before Stack came up with a caught save on a long-distance shot, which ended the penalty time. The Panthers could not hold onto possession and Hilbert had one final chance, but their shot rang off the crossbar and was retrieved by the Panthers with 30 seconds to go. They turned the ball over one final time, but Hilbert could not get into the offensive zone to take advantage, bringing the game to an end.
Ben Byers (24 goals) and Billy Tigar (10 goals) both scored 2 goals and added 2 assists. Byers took 12 shots, with 8 on target, while Tigar put 3 of 5 on net. Reid Kristufek also scored two goals, both coming in the second half. He has 12 on the year. Joshua Held (9) added a goal, while David De La Teja had an assist. Defensively, Alex Arno and Nick Hause both had 3 ground balls and 2 created turnovers. Evan Stack (3-2) made 15 saves on 21 shots in the win.
The win moves the Panthers to 4-5 on the year, and 1-0 in AMCC play. They will be back in action on Saturday, April 12th, when they host Alfred State in another crucial AMCC matchup. The game is scheduled for a 1:00 p.m. start at Rathburn Family Field.
