Bradford, Pa. -- The University of Pittsburgh at Bradford men's soccer team opened their season on the road Thursday night. Despite opening the scoring, the Panthers were unable to hold off Alfred, as they lost the contest 4-2.
The Panthers started the game under immense pressure as the Saxons forced goalkeeper Trevor Clark into 6 saves in the first 15 minutes. The Panthers were able to break the pressure in the 21st minute when Spencer Sklar was able to score on the Panthers' first shot on goal of the season to put Pitt-Bradford ahead 1-0. Using a high press, Sklar and Scott Compson were able to steal the ball away from an Alfred Defender. Sklar took the ball and dribbled passed another Saxon, before sliding a shot past an onrushing keeper for his first of the year.
The Panther lead only lasted 8 minutes, as Alfred was able to score on a long curved shot from the left wing that found the upper 90 of the goal to tie things up at 1. They took the lead 4 minutes later. The Panthers' defense was unable to handle a long ball into their own box and fouled a Saxon attacker in the area, resulting in a penalty kick, which was converted.
After halftime, the Panthers looked to tie things up as they had the first two efforts toward goal but were unable to put their shots on target. They would regret their misses as in the 55th minute, Alfred scored the third goal on a shot that deflected off of a Pitt-Bradford defender and into the uncovered corner of the goal.
Pitt-Bradford was able to cut the deficit in half in the 61st minute. Austin Hogan was able to find a hammer home a shot off of a feed from Devin Stowe. Stowe was able to win a header off of a Rodney Walker corner, sending a pass back into the middle of the box where Hogan was able to gather and shoot towards goal. Alfred answered the Hogan tally in the 75th minute, reinstating their two-goal advantage. The Panthers battled over the final 15 minutes of play, but were unable to create any definitive chances, losing the match 4-2.
Spencer Sklar opened the Panthers' season account, scoring his 14th career goal. He paced Pitt-Bradford with 4 shot attempts, putting 2 on target. Austin Hogan scored the second goal of his career as Devin Stowe picked up the assist, his second career helper. Trevor Clark made 10 saves in his Panther debut.
The Panthers (0-1) will be right back in action this weekend as they start their season with a grueling 3 game stretch over 4 days. They head to Westminster, Pa. for the weekend, where they will take on Thiel in a neutral site game on Saturday and their hosts, Westminster, on Sunday. Kickoff for the Thiel game is slated for 12:00 p.m., while they will take on Westminster at 6:00 p.m.
