Men’s soccer: Pitt keeps it close against No. 4 UConn, loses 2-1

It wasn’t too long ago that the Pitt men’s soccer team was undefeated and aspiring to accomplish big things. But in the time since then, the Big East season has gone horribly wrong for the Panthers.

Following a 2-1 defeat to the University of Connecticut Huskies, Pitt is now 0-7 in Big East play, with only one game left in the season.

The night started out promising for the struggling Panthers, who held a 1-0 lead going into halftime, something that only one other team has been able to do all year against the No. 4-ranked Huskies.

The lone Panthers goal came in the last second of the 34th minute. Freshman Nick Wysong sent a cross through the box that UConn goalie Andre Blake deflected right to Pitt senior Andy Clifford. Clifford then sent the ball into the back of the net, giving Pitt a one-goal lead.

Wysong said the goal was a matter of positioning and that Clifford scoring in his last home game was special.

“Cliff was in the right spot at the right time, and it was great to see a senior score on senior day,” Wysong said.

Unfortunately, the Panthers did not hold the lead past halftime.

Just about 12 minutes after the break, the Huskies (13-1-1, 5-1-1) tied the game with a simple exchange.

After receiving a nice long pass from Max Wasserman, senior midfielder Carlos Alvarez sent a blistering shot in from 35 yards out that left Pitt freshman goalie Dan Lynd helpless to stop it.

“That first goal was a rip, so there really was nothing I could do about that one,” Lynd said after the game.

Following the Huskies’ first goal, the Panthers (6-8-2, 0-7-0) had a golden opportunity to retake the lead.

After receiving the ball off a deflection, sophomore midfielder Matt Walbert took control of the ball and made a run toward the net.

But he shot just wide, missing the net by a mere foot.

Following the near equalizer, UConn scored the game-winning goal on a nice play by Alvarez.

Alvarez, who scored both of the UConn goals, secured a nice through ball pass from Adria Beso, and then eluded Lynd to send the ball into the net for the gaame winner.

“I’m not really sure what happened on that second goal, but I heard someone say it was a missed assignment. I know we didn’t get the win, but I’m really happy with the way we played,” Lynd said after the game.

Pitt head coach Joe Luxbacher, despite the end result, praised the performance of his team’s backline, led by junior co-captain Alex Harrison.

“We had a plan and we stuck to it tonight. We knew that they would most likely control the ball more than we would, but we also knew that we needed to take advantage of some chances. We had three or four really good chances, including the one that [Matt] Walbert should have scored. But it’s still a loss and we’re certainly not happy with that,” Luxbacher said after the game.

The set of missed chances really did cost the Panthers, who could’ve very easily beaten UConn and, in doing so, would have created a bright spot for the seniors from this tough season.

After the game, Luxbacher spoke to his team’s effort in the circumstances.

“We played a full 90 minutes tonight, but we certainly missed some guys. We don’t like to make excuses for these losses, but when you’re playing top-ten teams every game, those games become a lot easier if you’re at full strength. This year, we’ve missed key guys at key points,” he said.

The Panthers’ final game is away at Villanova on Saturday. Kickoff is scheduled for noon.