Bradford, Pa. -- The University of Pittsburgh at Bradford opened their home slate on Saturday with a matchup against Thiel. The Panthers were even at the half but ultimately lost the match 3-1 to the Tomcats.
The Panthers went on the attack right out of the gate, as Bailee Verdill found space in the 18-yard box but his left-footed shot was off target. Verdill put another on target five minutes later, however, it was the Tomcats who would go on to open the scoring. In the 17th minute, Thiel took advantage of a Panther turnover after a restart finding room in the box. The Panthers' defense was able to block the Tomcats' first effort, but it rebounded right back to the Thiel shooter, who sent a second shot into the net.
Following the restart, the Panthers began looking for an equalizer, as they had two efforts miss the net just after the goal. In the 27th, they were able to tie the match at one. Will Smith was able to win a loose ball around the circle and then looked up to find Verdill streaking to the goal. His pass was perfectly weighted and Verdill was able to send a one-time shot past the oncoming goalkeeper. The goal was the first of the season for Verdill and the Panthers.
The Tomcats had an excellent chance to retake the lead in the 37th. After a restart, the Panthers struggled to handle a free kick and while chasing the Tomcat attack back, fouled a forward in the box, giving the visitors a penalty kick. Freshman goalkeeper Christopher House chose correctly and dove to his side to save the penalty kick and keep the game tied at one.
In the second half, The Panthers had an early effort towards goal, but it was the Tomcats who struck first in the 55th minute. Following a Pitt-Bradford foul outside the box, Thiel sent a low shot through traffic that found the bottom corner for the go-ahead goal. Pitt-Bradford had a chance to tie the game fifteen minutes later. Brady Hathaway settled a long clearance and was able to dribble through the Thiel defense. He was one-on-one with the keeper, but his shot to the right corner was saved.
The Panthers' deficit was doubled in the 79th. A turnover at midfield led to a quick transition and a fast break, House attempted to sprint out of his net to stop the break, but he was beat to the ball and a one-time shot flew past him and rolled into the goal.
Verdill had two chances to score in the final 7 minutes. The first attempt fell to the Panther forward after a long pass from Smith was missed by the Thiel defense. Verdill sprinted to the ball but his attempted volley was blocked by the Tomcat keeper who closed the gap quickly and didn't leave space for a touch and shot. Two minutes later Levent van Helden rolled a pass behind the defense for Verdill, he once again reached the pass, but did not have space and his one-time effort was blocked again.
In the final seconds, van Helden found space along the right flank and sent a pass back to Moises Ochoa-Castellon, who sent his shot into the middle of the goal where it was caught, bringing the match to an end.
Bailee Verdill scored the lone goal for the Panthers. He totaled 6 shots in the game and put 4 on target. Will Smith assisted the Panther goal. Brady Hathaway had 3 shots and put one on goal. Christopher House made 5 saves, including one on a penalty kick.
The Panthers fall to 0-2 on the season. They will be back on the road for their midweek matchup, as they will take on Alfred on Wednesday afternoon. Kickoff is scheduled for 4:00 p.m.
