Cresson, Pa. -- The 6th-seeded University of Pittsburgh at Bradford men's soccer team had its 2024-25 season come to an end on Saturday as the Panthers fell 4-0 to 3rd-seeded Mount Aloysius.

The Panthers were on the defensive right from the opening whistle as the hosts quickly maintained possession in the Pitt-Bradford end and were caught offside twice in the first few moments. The Panthers fell behind shortly after, allowing the Mounties to take the lead in the 4th minute. After a quick throw-in, a long shot from the corner of the 18-yard box dipped late and slipped under the post, into the side netting for the first goal.

Pitt-Bradford won a pair of corners after the restart, but the hosts quickly regained possession and took the next 3 shots, hitting the woodwork twice. The Mounties doubled the Panthers had a shot blocked following a free kick, but could not hold momentum and allowed the Mounties to double their advantage in the 29th minute. Chris House was able to make a save on a shot to the far post, however, a Mount Aloysius attacker beat the Panthers to a rebound and then slid a pass to the far post where a teammate fired a shot into the net.

In the 32nd minute, the Panthers nearly cut the lead in half, using a high press to turn the Mounties over in the offensive third. As Mount Aloysius was passing the ball along the back line, Reiss Gaines pounced on a poor touch by a Mountie center-back and attacked the goal. Gaines slid a shot under the keeper, however, a Mount Aloysius defender was able to clear the deflected shot off the line and then blocked a second effort from Brady Hathaway for a corner.

Pitt-Bradford was not able to build on the momentum, however, as a challenge on the edge of their box resulted in a Mount Aloysius penalty kick in the 35th minute. House was able to stop the initial effort, but the rebound went right back to the shooter who scored the hosts's third goal. The uphill battle for the Panthers did not get easier in the 42nd minute after a Panther defender was sent off for a challenge, putting Pitt-Bradford down to 10 men.

In the second half, the Panthers battled early, as House made 6 saves in the first 18 minutes to keep the deficit at 3. The defense could not keep the hosts off the board completely in the second half, as a turnover in the defensive end led to a breakaway goal in the 65th.

The Panthers were only able to muster 2 shots in the 2nd half, both from Bailee Verdill. In the 60th minute, he stole the ball off of a loose touch in the midfield and took a long shot that missed the target. After the Mountie's 4th goal, the Panthers worked one final scoring opportunity. Kyle Carlsen controlled the ball in the midfield and dribbled past two Mountie defenders. He played a through-ball to Verdill who took a shot in the box but missed the target.

The Panthers took 7 shots in the game, putting one on target. Reiss Gaines had 2 of the shots and put the only effort on target. Bailee Verdill also had two shots, both missing the net. Gladwin Timothy, Brady Hathaway, and Alex Stockton all had shots in the game as well. Chris House made 10 saves in the Pitt-Bradford goal, including one on a penalty kick. 

The Panthers finish their season with a 4-13-1 record. They returned to postseason play for the first time in 3 seasons and equalled their win total over the past two seasons.