Pitt draws with mighty UConn

Pitt 2, Connecticut 2 Tuesday night’s game against Connecticut might have been the most… Pitt 2, Connecticut 2 Tuesday night’s game against Connecticut might have been the most disappointing tie for the men’s soccer team in recent memory. If before kickoff the Panthers were told they would tie the No. 15-ranked Huskies, there probably wouldn’t have been much disappointment among the team to get one point from the contest. The reaction may have changed, however, if the team knew it was 13 seconds away from getting two points. The Panthers took a 1-0 advantage in the 25th minute when junior midfielder Mike McDade put the ball in the net on an indirect kick from 25 yards out. Redshirt freshman defender Sam Luffy and senior forward E.J. McCormick provided the assists on the play. Pitt held on to the lead until early in the second half, when Connecticut sophomore midfielder Joe Boa found the lower left corner of the net on a pass from midfielder Tony Cascio. The last three minutes of the game saw as much scoring as the first 87. With just more than two minutes remaining in the contest, McCormick registered his second assist of the night when he crossed the ball to the middle of the penalty box and sophomore midfielder Ian Farnsworth one-timed the ball into the back of the goal. Just as it looked like the Panthers would pull off a huge upset over the Huskies, Connecticut freshman Toni Stahl launched a 30-yard strike that found the lower left corner of the goal with 13 seconds left in the contest. The assist was provided by Cascio, his second of the game. Both teams did not score in two overtime periods, and the game ended in a 2-2 tie. Even though Pitt was outshot 19-11 in the game, it registered two more shots on goal than the Huskies. The tie moved Pitt’s record to 7-6-3 overall, and 3-5-2 in Big East play. ‘The last goal was devastating,’ said Pitt coach Joe Luxbacher. ‘It wasn’t a fluke though. Toni Stahl is a great player and he hit a great shot from 30 yards out.’ Even with the tie, the team is still in good position to make the Big East tournament. The team will play its final game of the season Nov. 1 against Providence and will lock up a postseason berth with a win. Coach Luxbacher cited a newfound confidence in his team as one of the factors that allowed them to play so well against an excellent Connecticut squad. ‘This team is playing with confidence,’ said Luxbacher. ‘In order to win, we have to believe, and these players believed we could win this game. I did too.’ While there were mixed emotions from the players and coaches after the game, Luxbacher said his team must focus on its last game of the season against Providence. ‘The team’s mentality right now is that we have to go to Providence and win,’ said Luxbacher. ‘With a win we could possibly get a home playoff game, and we’d much rather play at home.’ If the Panthers fail to beat the Friars, their postseason hopes will hinge on a Seton Hall loss or tie against Connecticut.