Bradford, Pa. -- The University of Pittsburgh at Bradford men's soccer team returned home on Saturday afternoon, Hosting Penn State-Altoona in their conference finale. Needing a win to guarantee a spot in the AMCC Tournament, the Panthers lost the match 2-0 after a pair of second-half goals.
Prior to the game, the Panthers took a few moments to recognize their lone senior, Gladwin Timothy. Timothy has now played 48 games in his career, scoring 3 times on 6 shots on goal from the wing.
The Panthers grabbed control early, starting the game with a long chunk of time in the attacking zone. Kyle Carlsen took the game's first shot, firing wide after 5 minutes of action. The Panthers seemed to take the lead in the 38th minute. Levent Van Helden took a shot after a corner kick was defended, and his effort was parried to the side by the Lions' keeper. Bailey Verdill was the first to the ball and curled a shot into the side netting, but his effort was called off as the ball had just slid over the end line for a corner kick before his shot. Troy Van Sickle was able to keep the game scoreless on the other end, making 7 saves in the first half.
After the break, the visitors went on the attack, barely missing the target in the 47th before taking advantage of a Panther error in the 51st to take the lead. The Panthers turned the ball over in the midfield but seemed to regain possession on a long ball tracking back to the goal. A Panther defender tried to turn with the ball instead of clearing it away. A Penn State attacker stole the ball away and then chipped a shot over the keeper for the opening goal.
Bailee Verdill and Brady Hathaway both forced saves in the Lion goal throughout the half, but the Panthers could not find the equalizer. While pressing forward looking for the game-tying goal, the Panthers were hit with a quick counter-attack with just under five minutes to go. A turnover, followed by a well-measured through ball sent an attacker behind the defense, who gathered the pass and fired past Van Sickle, doubling the deficit.
The Panthers tallied 17 shots in the game, with 7 on target, but could not find the net. Brady Hathaway led the way with 3 shots on goal, while Bailee Verdill added 2. Kyle Carlsen and Will Smith both had 4 shots in the game. Troy Van Sickle played all 90, making 9 saves in the loss.
The loss drops the Panthers to 3-12-1 on the season with a 2-5-1 mark in AMCC play. They were not able to clinch a spot in the AMCC Tournament and now will rely on other results to qualify for postseason play. Pitt-Bradford will host Bryant and Stratton-Buffalo in their regular season finale on Monday at 7:00 p.m.
