Women’s soccer: Panthers keep postseason hopes alive

The Pitt women’s soccer team needed to win at least one game this weekend to remain in… The Pitt women’s soccer team needed to win at least one game this weekend to remain in contention for a berth in the Big East tournament.

Luckily, they did.

The Panthers fell 1-0 to Georgetown on Friday, but with their backs against the wall against Villanova on Sunday, they capitalized on the scoring opportunities they’ve struggled to take advantage of all season, defeating the Wildcats 3-0.

The top-five teams in the American and National divisions each advance to the Big East tournament. Right now, the Panthers are in last place, three points behind St. John’s and four points behind Syracuse.

Pitt will have a chance to make up ground this weekend as the team ends its regular season against Providence on Oct. 22 and Connecticut on Oct. 24 at Founder’s Field. Pitt head coach Sue-Moy Chin said the Panthers need to win both games and need several other teams to lose in order to earn a berth in the tournament.

Chin said Pitt needs to be strong in the back, the way the team played over the weekend, in order to earn the victories. It’s important for the Panthers to keep the opposing team in front of them, she said.

“We just need to finish our chances. If we can get an early start the way we did against Villanova, that will be big for us,” Chin said. “We’re looking for a fast start and to keep our good composure. The girls know what we have to do, so it’s going to be all-out play.”

Georgetown 1, Pitt 0

The Panthers registered only one shot on goal as Georgetown held them scoreless and picked up the victory with a goal in the first half.

In the 37th minute, Kailey Blain scored her first goal of the season, which ended up being the game winner for the Hoyas. After a Pitt turnover, Blain took an off-balance shot, shooting the ball past Pitt goalkeeper Morie Kephart into the top-left corner of the net.

The Hoyas held the Panthers without a shot in the first half while registering six of their own.

“I thought we were a little tentative in the first half,” Chin said. “We gave them a little too much time and space on the ball.”

In the second half, however, Pitt increased its intensity on the offensive end, shooting the ball nine times to Georgetown’s three. Chin said the Panthers did a better job of pressing the Hoyas on the ball and on the attack, especially off turnovers.

“We were very aggressive at the goal and created scoring opportunities in the second half,” Chin said. “I wish we would have played that way in the first, because I think the outcome would have been different.”

Hayley Neal had the only shot on goal for Pitt in the game. In the 51st minute, she fired a shot at Georgetown goalkeeper Jackie DesJardin, but DesJardin stopped the ball in the center of the box.

DesJardin earned her sixth shutout of the season. Kephart made one save and allowed one goal.

Liz Carroll led the Panthers with four shots, all in the second half. Katelyn Ruhe attempted two shots. Blain led Georgetown with three shots, including two on goal.

Pitt’s Ashley Cuba said the Panthers played well on Friday but just couldn’t pull out the victory.

Pitt 3, Villanova 0

The Panthers came out firing against Villanova, scoring twice in the first half as they defeated the Wildcats 3-0.

Three minutes into the game, Neal put the Panthers ahead. Following a Carroll corner kick, Morgan Sharick gathered the ball and took a shot, but Villanova goalkeeper Jami Kranich made the save. Neal collected the ball and after her first shot was knocked away, she scored on her own rebound into the near-side corner.

“We started out very strong against Villanova,” Chin said. “We were able to get that early goal, which was huge, and then we continued to put pressure on and got another goal.”

Klarissa Ames added to the Pitt lead in the 16th minute when she gathered a rebound from Neal and fired a shot into the left corner of the net.

Cuba scored the third and final goal for Pitt in the second half, off a pass from Abby Baldys. Cuba cut past the near side defender and shot the ball past Kranich into the right corner.

“Sunday, it just all came together for us,” Cuba said. “It was really important to get a win this weekend, because if we win these next few games, we’ll still have a shot at the Big East tournament.”

The Panthers had several other chances to score, including a Christina Nicassio shot that hit off the crossbar just minutes after Pitt’s first goal. After the first half, Pitt out-shot Villanova 12-5.

Pitt ended the game with a 21-9 shot advantage, including an 8-4 shots-on-goal advantage. The Panthers also led in corner kicks, 6-2.

Kephart made four saves and recorded her fourth shutout of the season and ninth of her career. Cuba scored her sixth goal of the season and the 13th of her career. She’s now fourth on Pitt’s all-time scoring list in just her sophomore season.

Chin said the win was crucial to keeping Pitt’s Big East tournament hopes alive.

The Panthers will head into their last regular season games hoping to play like they did on Sunday, Cuba said.

“We just want to keep our heads up and keep going, because we want to keep advancing.”