Eagles end Pitt women’s soccer season, win 3-2 in double overtime

The Pitt women’s soccer team suffered a tough double overtime loss, 3-2, against Boston College Thursday night at Ambrose Urbanic Field, finishing the season on a eight-game losing streak.

The Panthers (3-12-3 overall, 0-9-1 ACC) fell to the Eagles (10-8-1 overall, 4-5-1 ACC), ending their season like last year — with an overtime loss to a conference team.

“We had some chances to win it, both in regulation and overtime, but we have to put away those chances,” head coach Greg Miller said. “We just came up a little short.”

Pitt’s redshirt junior forward Taylor Pryce nearly got the Panthers on the board in the seventh minute when she faced a one-on-one with Eagles’ redshirt junior goalkeeper Alexis Bryant, but Bryant deflected the shot attempt to keep the game scoreless.

In the eighth minute, Pitt redshirt freshman goalkeeper Amaia Pena blocked a shot from the Eagles’ first year Sam Coffey, but sophomore Jenna Bike beat Pitt’s defenders to the ball to cash in on the second-chance opportunity, giving Boston College a 1-0 lead.

Bike went down with an injury one minute later, and she did not return for the Eagles during the remainder of the contest.

Pitt junior Mikayla Schmidt got past the goalkeeper in the 10th minute, but failed to get the Panthers on the board when a BC defender made a foot save in the empty net.

The Panthers evened the score in the 32nd minute. Junior forward Sarah Krause took advantage of a BC defensive miscue and found herself with a clean one-on-one chance. She fired a shot that deflected off Bryant’s hands and into the net, tying the game 1-1.

Pitt’s failure to clear the ball hurt them again in the 41st minute. After a deflected Eagles’ free kick, redshirt senior Lauren Berman found herself all alone to score from point-blank range. The score ticked up, the Eagles now up 2-1.

“Those little moments where you don’t check the runner, they got two easy goals,” Krause said.

At halftime the Eagles doubled the Panthers in shots, 10-5, and shots on goal, 6-3. Krause, Schmidt and Pryce led Pitt’s offensive effort, each registering one shot on goal.

The second half started slow, but in the 67th minute Pitt redshirt junior Ashley Moreira and first year Kendall Higgs both earned yellow cards for overly physical plays — the Panthers would earn five as a team by the end of the night.

The Panthers’ situation looked bleak as the clock ticked up. With six minutes to go, they had yet to register a shot in the half. The game remained 2-1 thanks to three more saves from Pena.

But first-year midfielder Vildan Kardesler tied the game when she blasted a perfectly-placed shot over the head of the goalie that banged off the crossbar and into the net. The Eagles and Panthers were tied, 2-2.

Pena saved two more shots to maintain the tie, and the teams went into overtime with two goals apiece.

At the end of regulation, the Panthers had 11 fouls to the Eagles’ six, and eight shots to the Eagles’ 18. Pena saved nine shots to Bryant’s three.

Pryce put two shots on goal while BC’s Lauren Berman attempted three for the Eagles, but the score remained tied after the first ten-minute overtime period.

The game-winner came five minutes into the second overtime period when BC first-year Sam Coffey lofted a corner kick to the far side of the box. First-year teammate Gianna Mitchell was the first to get a head on the ball, and the shot trickled past the legs of Pryce, who was providing backup defense for the goalie.

While the Panthers finished their season with disappointing results, they have key returning players who could foster improvement.

The team brings back Pryce, who led the Panthers in goals and assists, along with second- and third-leading point-scorers Krause and Kardesler. Of the 12 players to register a point this year for Pitt, 11 were underclassmen.

“We’re returning a lot of really good players, so hopefully we build on top of this year to do better next year,” Krause said.