Bradford, PA. -- The University of Pittsburgh at Bradford men's soccer team heads into the 2024 season with a young competitive roster, looking to improve on their 2-12-2 mark last season.

In 2023, The Panthers struggled to keep their opponents quiet early, as they often found themselves trailing early. The Panthers were able to pick up two wins and two draws, with both victories coming against AMCC opponents. Devin Stowe led the Panthers with 6 goals and 2 assists, including converting 3 of 3 from the penalty spot. Defender/Midfielder Will Smith was a free-kick specialist for Pitt-Bradford, scoring 5 times from free kicks. Senior Spencer Sklar added 3 goals, while freshman Bailee Verdill scored three and Brady Hathaway added one. The Panthers split time at goalkeeper between seniors Jared Scarlett and Evan Schmidt. Schmidt was in goal for both Panther wins, posting a 3.29 GAA and a .742 save percentage. Scarlett was in net for one draw and led the team with 80 saves.

This season, the Panthers will have to rely on youth as their roster of 33 players contains 19 freshmen and 9 sophomores. Bailee Verdill and Brady Hathaway will lead the offense, while Will Smith will provide a stabilizing force to the midfield. The Panthers will split time in the net between four freshman keepers, and will likely see many first-year athletes in the starting XI.

"We are really excited for the start of the year," said head coach Nate Whitehurst. "We have a young team, but they are hungry to prove themselves and are ready to make their mark on the program."

The Panthers start their season on Sunday, September 1st when they travel to Keystone. They will open their home schedule on Saturday, September 7th when they host Thiel. They will begin conference play on September 28th, and celebrate senior day on October 26th.

In the annual AMCC Preseason Coaches Poll, the Panthers were predicted to finish in a tie for 7th with La Roche.