New Wilmington, Pa. -- The University of Pittsburgh at Bradford men's soccer team took on Westminster on the road Saturday afternoon. The Panthers were blitzed by the Titans, allowing 3 goals in the first 5 minutes before falling 9-1.

The hosts started their attack right away, putting a shot on goal after 51 seconds that was saved by starting goalkeeper Michael Riedel. However, he could not keep the Titans off the board for long as they scored on their next three attempts. Trailing 3-0 after 5:14, the Panthers got their first shot off in the 9th minute on a Conner Rudsell effort. They held possession for a few minutes, taking three of the next four shots with Bailee Verdill, Kyle Carlsen, and Alex Stockton all missing the net. 

Westminster regained control, pushing their lead to 4 with a goal in the 25th minute. In the 34th, Pitt-Bradford pushed back, getting on the board through Kyle Carlsen. After taking possession in his own half, Brady Hathaway dribbled into the opponent's end and found Reiss Gaines in space through a tight window. Gaines turned and chipped a pass behind the defense for Carlsen. Carlsen collected the pass and chipped a shot to the far post for his second goal of the season.

Pitt-Bradford could not hold onto the momentum for long, as they allowed Westminster to restore the 4-goal lead two minutes later. They added another goal in the 39th to take a 6-1 lead into the break.

After the break, the Panthers sent Troy VanSickle into goal, and he was called into action in short order, making a save after 3 minutes. He kept the Titans off the board for 15 minutes until the hosts took advantage of a Panther turnover trying to play out of the back to score their 7th. Westminster added an 8th goal on a counterattack with 10 minutes to go and then closed the scoring in the 89th. 

The Panthers split the game in goal. Michael Riedel started and made 5 saves on 11 shots on goal. Troy Van Sickle played the final 45 and made 2 saves on 5 shots on goal. Kyle Carlsen scored the lone Panther goal in the game. It was his 2nd of the season. He also led the team with 3 shots, putting 2 on target. Levent van Helden also put a shot on target, while Conner Rudsell, Alex Stockton, and Bailee Verdill all had shots in the game.

The Panthers fall to 0-6 on the season. They will be back in action on Wednesday when they host Fredonia under the lights at Rathburn Family Field. Kickoff is scheduled for 7:00 p.m.