After rough start, Panthers end Big East losing streak

The Pitt women’s soccer team entered last weekend hoping to put a halt to its two-game losing… The Pitt women’s soccer team entered last weekend hoping to put a halt to its two-game losing streak. It didn’t happen right away, but after a disappointing 2-1 loss at the hands of Connecticut Friday evening, the Panthers found a way to crawl to a 2-1 overtime victory against Providence on Sunday afternoon to snap the streak at three. Connecticut 2, Pitt 1 On a cold night at Founders Field, the Pitt women’s soccer team opened the first half with intensity and outright control. Closing the match was a different story. ‘It was a tale of two halves,’ said Pitt coach Sue-Moy Chin. Midfield freshman Katelyn Ruhe nearly earned Pitt a 1-0 lead in the game’s eighth minute but was denied by Connecticut goalkeeper Stephanie Labbe, who finished the match with two saves. But Pitt took a 1-0 lead just moments later. Senior midfielder Jennifer Kritch sent a ball near the box on a corner-kick opportunity, and sophomore forward Liz Carroll, battling for position, headed the ball past the goalkeeper in the 10th minute. The goal was Carroll’s fourth of the year. Things were working in Pitt’s favor until Connecticut’s senior forward Elizabeth Eng put on a dribbling clinic in the match’s 30th minute. Eng maneuvered around three Pitt defenders and sent a strike toward goalkeeper Morie Kephart. Kephart dove, but the rebound landed on the foot of senior midfielder Brittany Tegeler. Tegeler shot the ball into an empty net and tied the game at 1-1, which was how the first half ended. It was all Connecticut in the second half, as it dominated every statistical category. ‘We just didn’t show up in the second half,’ said Chin. ‘That was the first time we’ve been outworked.’ Connecticut outshot Pitt 10-3 in the half and 14-7 for the game. It also won the corner-kick battle 4-0 in the half and 5-3 for the game. In the 52nd minute, Tegeler gave the Huskies the go-ahead goal. The midfielder controlled a pass from freshman defender Courtney Wilkinson and shot the ball past Kephart and into the lower-right corner. Pitt 2, Providence 1 Pitt knew that one solid half would not suffice. But it turned out two wouldn’t either, as the Panthers needed extra minutes to claw their way to a 2-1 overtime victory over Providence on Sunday. Pitt jumped on Providence from the match’s earliest minutes. The Panthers managed to outshoot the Friars, 6-2. ‘We controlled the first half,’ said Chin. Junior forward Ashley Habbel controlled a pass from Carroll and struck the ball to the upper-right corner from just inside the box in the 23rd minute. The half closed with Pitt leading, 1-0. Despite having the momentum, Pitt had to withstand a second-half offensive onslaught, a task that has proven difficult for Pitt throughout the season. Providence tilted Founders Field in the second-half and brought the play to Pitt, scoring a goal in the 56th minute to tie the game, 1-1, on a Victoria Neff breakaway goal. ‘We came out flat [in the second half] again,’ said Chin. ‘We can’t keep doing that.’ The difference this time was Pitt’s resilience. After weathering Providence’s attack, Pitt got back to basics. ‘Slowly, we got back into it. Got the rhythm back and carried it into overtime,’ said Chin. In the 95th minute, freshman midfielder Katelyn Ruhe sealed the deal with a shot from 20 yards out into the top-right corner. ‘It was a great finish,’ said Chin. Pitt controlled the statistical categories, as it outshot Providence 12-6 and had eight corner kicks to Providence’s four. The overtime victory improved Pitt’s record to 5-10-0 on the year and 2-5-0 in the Big East. Pitt is slated to square off against Villanova on Friday night.