Men’s Soccer: Panthers remain undefeated after pair of weekend wins

The Pitt men’s soccer team had quite a weekend.

The Panthers (3-0-2) remain undefeated…

The Panthers celebrate a goal in their 3-1 win over IPFW last Friday. Pitt also defeated Delaware, 1-0, this weekend to win the Pitt/Nike Invitational.

Nick Vu, Staff Photographer

The Pitt men’s soccer team had quite a weekend.

The Panthers (3-0-2) remain undefeated after defeating the Indiana University-Purdue University Fort Wayne Mastodons and the Delaware Blue Hens to clinch the Pitt/Nike Invitational championship.

Junior forward Nico Wrobel led Pitt all weekend, scoring three of the team’s four goals. His contributions were recognized by the Big East when he was named the conference’s Offensive Player of the Week on Tuesday.

“Nico’s like a robot out there,” Pitt head coach Joe Luxbacher said. “Penalty kicks are not easy, but he finds a way to score.”

Pitt 3, IPFW 1

Wrobel scored two penalty kicks on Friday night as the Panthers defeated a tough IPFW team.

In the first half, the Mastodons dictated play, but they didn’t take the lead until the early minutes of the second half, when IPFW defenseman Brent Helton received a pass from teammate Mitch Falkenstern and buried a shot into the back of the net.

The Panthers responded instantly by playing, arguably, their best soccer of the season, scoring three times in a 20-minute span.

Pitt sophomore Cory Werth entered the opponent’s box and was fouled, and Wrobel slotted home the penalty kick to level the score.

Minutes later, Wrobel scored his second goal of the game as the junior forward converted another penalty kick following a hand ball foul against IPFW.

It didn’t take long for the Panthers to strike again.

A rebound following a long throw fell to the feet of Pitt sophomore Michael Tuohy, who poked the ball into the net to ensure the victory for the Panthers.

“It was a great long throw by [sophomore midfielder Matt] Walbert, and [sophomore] Ryan Myers was able to get off a great shot that the keeper saved. But I was in the right place at the right time,” Tuohy said, describing the crucial goal.

Wrobel also described the aggressiveness shown by the team in the second half.

“We came out and went after them,” he said. “We got much more aggressive in the second half and were able to score some goals.”

After a deserved victory, the Panthers and Coach Luxbacher knew they needed to play better soccer if they wanted to beat Delaware in their last game of the weekend tournament.

Pitt 1, Delaware 0 

The Panthers did just that against the Blue Hens, earning Pitt’s second shutout of the season.

The game’s only goal occurred in the 27th minute, when Wrobel scored his third goal of the weekend.

Led by sophomore goalkeeper Lee Johnston, who made the Big East Weekly Honor Roll this week, Pitt kept the Blue Hens off the scoreboard.

Johnston faced 22 shots on Sunday and made nine saves, including a six-minute stretch where Johnston made five saves.

“They were moving the ball around extremely well today, and without Lee, we probably don’t win this kind of game,” Walbert said after the win against Delaware. “He is a freak, and one of the biggest assets we have.”

After posting a .923 save percentage and making 12 saves this weekend, Johnston was named tournament MVP.

“They gave us a really tough time today, but our defense really stepped up,” Johnston said. “Last year, this is the kind of game we would have tied or maybe even lost, but this team is a different team than last year’s squad.”

The Panthers also had a tournament-high four members added to the Pitt/Nike Invitational All-Tournament Team.

With conference play in the challenging Big East approaching, Pill will return to the field against Northern Kentucky this Friday at the Petersen Sports Complex at 7 p.m. for Pitt Pride Night.