Pitt men’s soccer defeats Cornell, proceeds to Round of 16

On Sunday night, No. 2 seed Pitt mens’ soccer (13-5-0) defeated Cornell (13-4-2) 1-0 in the second round of the NCAA tournament —  its first ever meeting with the Ivy League opponent. The Panthers achieved the win short handed, as the referees issued junior defender Jackson Gilman a red card at the end of the first half.

Even amidst the frigid weather, the Panthers’ faithful stayed loud and proud in their support of the Panthers and criticisms of the referee. The Big Red’s supporters made their voices heard too, though. From the players to the crowd — a playoff intensity entered the atmosphere.

Historically, the Pittsburgh crowd plays a factor in the NCAA tournament, as the Panthers are now 6-1 at home under head coach Jay Vidovich. And tonight’s match was no different.

The story entering the match became how the Panthers’ elite defence would play against a dynamic Big Red offense. The Panthers’ defense has allowed just .82 goals against per game — the best mark in the ACC. 

“Everyone looked around, everyone knew what their jobs were,” senior midfielder Micheal Sullivan said. “We’re going to go out and execute. And I thought we did that for the next 50 minutes. And I gotta give credit to the rest of the guys.”

Inversely, Cornell leads the Ivy League in goals per game with 2.44, which impressively ranks sixth in the nation. Sophomore forward Alex Harris spearheads the Big Red’s attack with 19 goals, placing second in the NCAA and earning him Ivy League Offensive Player of the Year honors. Harris has already displayed his heroics in the NCAA tournament, scoring twice in the opening round.

Led by junior goalkeeper Cabral Carter, Pitt earned its seventh clean sheet of the season and Carter’s fourth. With five saves, Carter kept Cornell off the scoreboard. The typically lethal Harris recorded three shots — none of which remained on target.

Cornell looked to push the Panthers back early by applying a high press. Just nine minutes in, Pitt was forced into a mistake giving the ball to Cornell in their defensive third. Sophomore forward Alex Harris took his opportunity, slotting the ball past Carter. The referees were quick to chalk the goal off as offside to Pitts’ relief.

40 minutes in, Cornell once again forced Pitt into a mistake as first-year defender Niklas Soerensen gave up the ball on the halfway line. Cornell immediately surged forward with the ball, pulling away from Gilman. Gilman scrambled across and lunged for the ball, taking out the Cornell forward. 

As the last line of defense, the referee didn’t hesitate to brandish a straight red card for Gilman for denial of a goalscoring opportunity. 

“It was definitely not a great tackle, but I think being given a straight red was probably quite harsh, probably a yellow,” Cornell head coach John Smith said on the penalty. 

In the dwindling moments of the opening half, Pitt scored the all-important opening goal. Cornell’s first-year defender Aidan Martin committed a handball just inside the box. Graduate student midfielder Arnau Vilamitjana calmly dispatched the penalty into the bottom left for the 1-0 Pitt lead in the 45th minute. The crucial penalty marked Vilamitjana’s first attempt of his Panthers career, coming up clutch on the big stage.

Cornell’s first big chance of the second period came in the 54th minute as the ball fell kindly for sophomore midfielder Connor Miller, who fired the ball towards goal. After a wicked deflection, the ball rifled straight into the grateful arms of Carter.

Cornell fired a barrage of shots towards Pitts’ goal, holding a numerical advantage. Its biggest opportunity came with 15 minutes to go as first-year midfielder Dominik Kolbl’s acrobatic effort directed the ball towards goal. Sullivan blocked the effort on the line, however, preserving the Panthers’ lead.

“We obviously missed him in the last match … he trained in several different spots,” Vidovich said regarding Sullivan’s importance playing in the back line.

Pitt men’s soccer defends its home pitch next weekend in the third round, against the winner of Kansas City and Missouri State — continuing its quest for a national championship.