Women’s Soccer: Winning streak snapped as Pitt drops weekend pair

The Pitt women’s soccer team entered the West Virginia University 90 Minute Classic coming …

Pitt challenged its opposition, but came up short.

Bobby Mizia, Senior Staff Photographer

The Pitt women’s soccer team entered the West Virginia University 90 Minute Classic coming  off its best start in three seasons. But a couple of close defeats at the hands of quality opponents shocked the Panthers this weekend.

Going into the tournament, the team knew the sort of talent it would face, according to head coach Greg Miller.

“Our schedule was not easy, but a bit easier [earlier in the season], and our objective was to get as many wins as possible,” Miller said. “These last two games were a lot tougher.”

Pitt (4-3) entered the tournament having already won twice as many games this season as they did all of last season, averaging 1.8 goals per game and conceding an average of 1.0 per game. Both of these statistics show a vast improvement from last season’s performance, in which the team scored an average of .74 goals per game and gave up 2.42. But the Panthers were shut out twice in a 1-0 overtime loss to the University of Miami, and a 3-0 defeat at the hands of the tournament champions, No. 3 Penn State.

Miami 1, Pitt 0

The Hurricanes opened the season ranked in the top 25 teams in the country, but started the season slowly and began the WVU tournament with a record of 2-2. Both teams had several excellent scoring chances that were stifled by superb performances from both teams’ goalkeepers, who kept the score at 0-0 through regulation.

Miller praised redshirt sophomore keeper Nicole D’Agostino — who tied a career- and season-high record with 9 saves in the game — and her teammates for adjusting after a rough start.

“[We] started shaky, and Nicole had to make some big-time saves in the first 5-10 minutes to bail us out,” Miller said. “Then we settled down and started to play and create chances.”

The chances continued throughout the 30-minute overtime period. Pitt’s Morgan Sharick, a junior defender who leads the team with three goals this season, nearly put the game away just five minutes into extra time when she redirected a corner kick with a header. The shot, which has become a specialty for the Panthers and Sharick this season (all three of her goals have been scored this way), was accidentally blocked by a Pitt player.

Sharick’s ability on both sides of the ball made her a weapon in both games of the tournament.

“Morgan had a very good weekend,” Miller said. “There was a lot of pressure put on our back line, and she did a great job organizing and keeping everything contained. She is also a huge threat on set pieces because of her ability in the air.”

Miami scored five minutes after Pitt’s botched chance off a shot from outside the penalty area: the result of a poor clearance from a Hurricane corner kick.

“We didn’t get enough pressure [on the initial ball in]. The goalie was screened a little bit, and she threw it at the net,” Miller said. “And that was that.”

Penn State 3, Pitt 0

Coming into the tournament as one of the best teams in the nation, the Nittany Lions — despite a gutsy performance by Pitt — showed how much ability they have. Penn State struck early, taking a 1-0 lead just eight minutes into the game and a 2-0 lead three minutes before the half.

“We were playing a much more talented team, a [probable] Final Four team, in my opinion,” Miller said. “We had to make some tactical adjustments to try and compete with them.”

Pitt then fell into a 3-0 hole early in the second half. Despite outshooting the Nittany Lions 6-3 in the second frame, the Panthers were unable to break through for a goal.

“[PSU] started to take their foot off the gas pedal, pulling some players and not playing as aggressively,” Miller said. “We kept up the pressure and had some great chances. If we would have converted, it would have made the game very interesting, but we just weren’t able to capitalize.”

Both teams registered 10 shots on the day, with Penn State putting 6 on goal and the Panthers putting 4.

Miller remains unfazed following the losses and insists that the team’s goals have not changed.

“We set up the nonconference schedule like this for a reason,” he said. “It shows us where we are. We need to tweak a bit, but I think we are just about ready for our conference opener next week against Marquette.”

The Panthers face Marquette Sept. 13 at 7 p.m. at Ambrose Urbanic Field.