Pitt lacrosse knocks off Duquesne in season opener for second straight year

With an almost entirely new lineup taking the field for Pitt lacrosse on Saturday afternoon, the Panthers showed some early parallels to last year’s inaugural team, defeating cross-town rival Duquesne 16-10 in their sophomore season opener. 

Wasting no time, the Panthers showed off their offensive potential early, dominating the Dukes 7-2 behind two goals from transfer senior attacker Camdyn O’Donnell. Sophomore attacker Sydney Naylor got in on the action as well, also netting a pair of goals in the first. As a team, the Panthers outshot the Dukes 11-4 in the opening period.

Pitt again outplayed its opponent in the second period, scoring five consecutive goals and leading by as many as nine after O’Donnell completed her hat trick. The Panthers went into halftime with a commanding 12-4 lead.

Following the break, Duquesne took advantage of lackluster offense from their opponents, and scored three unanswered in the third quarter. The Dukes recorded 13 shots to Pitt’s four and brought the deficit back to 12-7.

Despite Duquesne’s surge of momentum, the Panthers wouldn’t relinquish their lead, and scored back-to-back goals midway through the final period and extended their lead to six. The sides traded pairs of goals down the stretch, and the Panthers sealed an emphatic 16-10 season opening victory.

O’Donnell and Naylor led Pitt with three goals apiece. The Panthers outshot the Dukes 37-30 and graduate student Hannah Van Middelem made 11 saves in her season debut. 

The Panthers look to continue their winning start to the season on Thursday at Binghamton. Gametime is at 1 p.m.