Bradford, PA. -- The University of Pittsburgh at Bradford women's soccer team continued their hot run of form on Saturday afternoon, picking up their third win in a row with a 5-0 victory over Thiel.
The contest got off to a slow start, as both teams looked to take control. The Panthers eventually maintained the majority of possession and carved out a few chances, but only put one effort on net in the half. Mya King and Gianna Gomez each had a pair of shots that missed the goal, while Gardner missed one wide and after receiving a king pass inside the 18, could not pick out a corner, sending a shot to the goalkeeper. The visitors had an early shot that missed the net and then put one soft shot on target in the 44th minute that was easily saved by Mackenzie Harmon.
After the break, it did not take the Panthers long to break the ice. In the 49th minute, King received a pass from Avery Yard and went on the attack, she slalomed through the Thiel defense and sent a low shot back through a defender's leg, finding the net for the opener. It was her AMCC-leading 7th of the year.
A quarter of an hour later, the Panthers doubled their lead. After Avery Benzel collected a Pitt-Bradford corner kick on the far side, she was able to beat the Thiel defense to the end line and find room for a cross. her effort found Lauren Donnelly inside the six, who was able to control the pass and send a shot into the net for her 2nd of the year.
After Maddison Coe was forced into a save in the 65th minute, and the Panthers had three efforts saved, Pitt-Bradford was able to break the game open in the final 8 minutes of play. In the 83rd minute, Gianna Gomez extended the lead to three. King received a throw-in and then beat a pair of Tomcat defenders on the dribble. She cut a pass back to the penalty spot, where Gomez met it with a one-time shot into the left corner.
In the 89th, Gomez doubled her tally on the day with the Panthers' 4th. Off of a King corner, Gomez nodded a header into the far side netting for her 4th of the season. In the final seconds of the game, King collected a long clearance from Makartnee Mortimer, dribbled past the last Thiel defender, and slid a shot into the net for her 2nd of the game and 8th of the season.
Mya King was a force in the contest for the Panthers, putting 6 of 10 shots on goal while scoring twice and adding a pair of assists. Gianna Gomez also scored twice on 4 shots. Lauren Donnelly scored the 5th Pitt-Bradford goal on an assist from Avery Benzel. Maddison Coe was the beneficiary of the Panther's second-half explosion, as she earned the win after taking over in net at the half. She made two saves. Mackenzie Harmon made one in the scoreless first half.
The win pushes the Panthers' record to 3-1-1 on the season. They will look to continue their winning streak next Saturday when they head to the Scranton area to take on Keystone. Kickoff is set for 1:00 p.m.
