Men’s soccer: Panthers lose, still looking for first Big East win

The Pitt men’s soccer team dropped another close contest as it fell 2-0 to the No. 10-ranked Connecticut Huskies Saturday night in Storrs, Conn.

The Panthers (1-11-1 overall, 0-7-1 Big East) were tied 0-0 going into halftime as senior goalkeeper Zack Matthews denied all of the Huskies’ shots on goal — en route to six total saves on the night — to keep Pitt in the game.

But the Huskies (8-2-3, 6-1-1) beat Matthews and took the lead when Mike Pezza corralled the ball off a deflection and fired a shot past the Pitt keeper just 12 minutes into the half to make the score 1-0.

The Huskies added to their lead in the 82nd minute when Kwame Watson-Siriboe tapped the ball in off a corner kick with assists from Carlos Alvarez and Thomas Wharf.

The Panthers had their best chance of the game to score when senior defender Matt Firster’s side volley off a corner kick struck the crossbar to preserve the clean sheet for the Huskies.

Pitt was out-shot 24-6 in the game, but the stats overshadow a strong game against a ranked opponent.

“The game was pretty close, even though the stats may not have read that way,” Pitt senior forward Chris Wilcox said. “We had our chances but couldn’t put it away. Connecticut is a really good team, and we gave a good effort.”

Pitt looks to bounce back and get in the win column as it takes on Cleveland State at home Wednesday at 7 p.m.