Bradford, Pa. -- The University of Pittsburgh at Bradford men's lacrosse team brought its inaugural regular season to a close on Wednesday Night, defeating LaRoche 19-8 to clinch the 2nd seed in the AMCC Championship Tournament next week.
Pitt-Bradford seemed to underestimate the visiting Redhawks, who entered the contest 1-10 on the year. They struggled to control possession early and found themselves trailing by 3 after LaRoche scored 3 times in the opening five minutes. After the third, Head Coach Scotty Gwyn called a timeout, looking to change the momentum. The break saw immediate success as the Panthers went directly on the offensive, and after Reid Kristufek fired a shot off the post, Evan Hawley picked up the rebound and fired a shot into the goal to put Pitt-Bradford on the board. Unfortunately, the Panthers were not able to build on the goal in the opening period, as they hit the post two more times and trailed 3-1 a the end of the first quarter.
LaRoche got out to a lightning-quick start in the second period as well, scoring two more times in just 40 seconds to extend their lead to 5-1. After the second, Julian Florez forced a turnover and quickly transitioned into attack. The ball moved around the offensive zone to Ben Byers, who juked past two La Roche defenders, tiptoed along the crease, and shot past the goalie to start the Panther comeback. Two minutes later, Billy Tigar found Kristufek open in the middle of the zone. The midfielder ripped a shot into the top left corner of the goal to cut the deficit to one. LaRoche responded off the face off, scoring just 17 seconds after the draw, but the Panthers locked down defensively after the goal, leading to 13 straight Panther goals.
Pitt-Bradford's offense controlled possession for the next 3 minutes of play, taking the next 10 shots. They broke through on the 11th consecutive effort on Byer's second of the day. Byers took a pass from Kristufek at the top of the zone and placed a bouncing shot under the goalkeeper to bring the Panthers back to within two. Over the next 70 seconds, Tigar scored two quick goals to tie the game at 6. After a restart, Tigar carried the ball from behind the net, split a pair of Redhawk defenders with a spin, and fired a shot past the goalie. Moments later, Florez forced another turnover at midfield and quickly sprung into attack, he sprinted to goal with an odd-man rush and lofted a pass to Tigar on the left flank. The sophomore attacker caught the pass and shot the ball in one motion, beating the goalie high to tie the game at 6.
Two minutes later, Florez gave the Panthers their first lead with a solo effort following a quick restart. He took a pass in the Pitt-Bradford defensive half and flew through the La Roche defense, finding space alone in front of the goal. He calmly placed a shot under the goalie to put Pitt-Bradford ahead 7-6. Kristufek doubled the lead with a bounced shot from 15 yards out with just under three minutes on the clock, and Byers closed the half with his third of the game, 13 seconds before the break.
Byers picked up right where he finished after the restart, scoring two more goals in the first 5 minutes of the third. With 12:09 on the clock, he collected a rebound off a shot that hit the post, spun past a defender, and beat the goalie from a sharp angle for Pitt-Bradford's 10th goal of the game. Just under two minutes later, Byers collected a ground ball after a long clearance by Evan Stack. He found space down the right flank, outran his defender, and beat the goalie for the 5th time to the far side. Tigar added to his tally with 9:14 left in the third. After Kristufek drove towards the goal and drew an extra La Roche defender, he laid a pass off to Tigar wide open in front of the goal. Tigar collected and ripped a shot to the goalie's left to give Pitt-Bradford a 12-6 lead. Howley scored his second of the game off a restart following a missed shot at 8:25, and then assisted David De La Teja minutes later to extend the lead to 8. Tigar finished the third with his second goal of the quarter. He picked up a loose ball just five yards from goal and calmly deposited a shot past the goalie to put Pitt-Bradford ahead 15-6 heading to the 4th.
Tigar added his 5th of the game after 3 minutes of play in the final period. Byers attacked the front of the net from the left flank and drew in a second defender. He laid a pass off to Tigar, who ripped a low shot into the goal. La Roche broke the scoreless streak with 7:18 remaining, scoring a long-distance goal to cut the deficit back into single digits. Kristufek finished his hat-trick with a goal from a few yards out. He found a space in the zone defense and, after catching a pass from de La Teja, turned and fired into the goal. La Roche scored their final goal with three minutes remaining in the game, but Pitt-Bradford had the last say, scoring two final times in the closing minute. Tigar pushed the lead back into double digits with a left-handed shot from the middle of the zone, his 6th of the game. Not to be outdone, Byers closed the game by scoring his 6th of the contest with seconds remaining on the clock. Alex Arno forced a late turnover and went on the attack; his pass to an attacker was mishandled in front of the goal, but Byers collected the groundball and put a backhand shot into the goal to finish the game.
In their final regular season game, the Panthers scored a season high 19 goals. They were led by Billy Tigar and Ben Byers, who scored six goals each. Tigar added two assists, while Byers finished with one. Reid Kristufek scored 3 times and added a pair of assists from the midfield. Evan Hawley finished with two goals and an assist, while David De La Teja and Julian Florez both had a goal and an assist in the win. Evan Stack made 9 saves for his 4th win of the year.
Pitt-Bradford finishes the regular season with a 5-7 record and a 2-1 mark in AMCC play. They have secured the #2 seed in the AMCC Championship Tournament. They will host #3 Hilbert in the semifinal round on Wednesday, April 30th. The contest is scheduled to begin at 6:00 p.m.
