Men’s soccer blown out, still earns bid to Big East tourney

Pitt men’s soccer played its last regular season game against Providence on Saturday. But for… Pitt men’s soccer played its last regular season game against Providence on Saturday. But for the first time since 2006, the Panthers earned a bid into the Big East tournament ‘- extending their season by at least another day. The Panthers lost, 3-0, to Providence. But with a Seton Hall loss to Connecticut, the team was able to slip into the tournament, awaiting what looks to be a first round matchup against Louisville. In a game that looked completely one-sided from the score, Pitt coach Joe Luxbacher said he still thought his squad should have won. ‘We should have been ahead in this game,’ he said. ‘We missed on a [great opportunity] when one hit the crossbar. It was a funny game today because we played hard and played well, [but] gave up three goals.’ While Providence controlled the first half of play, out-shooting Pitt 8-3, the Panthers bounced back. The game ended even as far as shots went, 12-12. But even with the Pitt resurgence, the Panthers weren’t able to stop the Friars from making a couple of huge plays. The game remained scoreless until the 76th minute when Providence forward Alex Redding put the ball in the goal from five yards out. It took just 16 more seconds for Providence’s Andrew Sousa to score on a header, putting the game out of reach for Pitt. Then, in the 88th minute, Providence put a final exclamation point on the game when Timothy Ritter’s shot deflected off Pitt’s goalie and ended in the back of the net. The loss moved Pitt’s record to 7-7-3 overall and 3-6-2 in the Big East. The Friars improved their record to 8-6-3 and 5-5-1 in Big East play. Even though the loss is disappointing, Pitt earned a bid into the postseason. Luxbacher stressed the team’s need to focus and stay tough. ‘The team is disappointed [about the loss to Providence], and they should be,’ said Luxbacher. ‘But this team should be confident. ‘Every game is a new game. We played poorly this year, and we rebounded from those games. I think we can do it again.’ The team will play its first tournament game on Wednesday.