Georgetown handles Pitt on senior day

Founders Field played host to Senior Recognition Day on Saturday afternoon, as the Pitt men’s… Founders Field played host to Senior Recognition Day on Saturday afternoon, as the Pitt men’s soccer team prepared to square off against Georgetown University. While the pre-kickoff ceremony was emotional and motivating for Pitt, it wasn’t enough to provide the spark necessary to defeat a strong Hoyas club, as Pitt fell, 1-0, and dropped to 6-6-2 overall and 2-5-1 in Big East. For the first half, it looked like Pitt was ready to graduate to a new game on a new day. Pitt coach Joe Luxbacher said he was surprised with his team’s performance. ‘We practiced well and I thought we were prepared,’ said Luxbacher. ‘But the first half, we just weren’t doing it.’ They weren’t doing much but watching, as Georgetown showed its support for the Second Amendment and the NRA, putting on a shooting exhibition before nearly 300 Pitt loyalists. The No. 25-ranked Hoyas struck early, as Peter Grasso collected a cross from Scott Larrabee in the box and struck the ball to the lower-right corner, giving Georgetown a 1-0 lead. Georgetown would continue its offensive onslaught for the next several minutes, creating myriad scoring chances in flurries and finished the half outshooting Pitt 8-1. There were no ESPN crews at the game, but had there been, Pitt goalkeeper Jordan Marks might have had a performance worthy of a top-10 plays segment. Marks finished the match with 14 saves, most of which came by way of a dive or an extended fingertip. ‘He was exceptional,’ said Luxbacher of Marks. ‘We gave them way too many chances and he kept us in the game. He did everything he could do.’ On the other end of the ball, at every attempt to create offense, Pitt would be suffocated by Georgetown’s stingy defense and couldn’t come through with any goals. ‘We have to create more chances and get some goals,’ said Luxbacher. Pitt did play with intensity, though, trying to limit Georgetown with physical play. Junior forward Chris Wilcox had an encounter with Hoyas’ Mostafa Ebrahimnejad toward the end of the first half after Wilcox tossed a ball at the Hoyas’ midfielder before a throw-in. ‘Every game in the Big East is tough, and we know that,’ said Luxbacher. ‘But we have to focus on what’s important.’ While Pitt’s physicality would not appear on the score sheet, it would set the tone for a different team that showed up in the second half. Despite being outshot 13-3 in the game’s second 45 minutes, Pitt played with more jump and control. ‘We got back to doing what we talked about before the game,’ said Luxbacher. Pitt nearly salvaged a game dominated by its opponent when freshman forward Adam Monteverde found himself parked behind the defense. Monteverde shot the ball against the grain but was stopped by the desperate dive of Georgetown’s goalkeeper. It was the only solid scoring chance of the match for Pitt. Pitt played with a depleted roster, losing defender Connor Malone to injury, and was forced to play certain players out of position. ‘We won’t use it as an excuse, but we’ve got to get healthy,’ said Luxbacher. ‘Injuries have hurt us.’ While the Panthers will hope to get healthy for their next game, their focus will be on their next opponent. ‘We have to prepare for Seton Hall,’ said Luxbacher. ‘We still have three games ahead of us. We just have to get the points.’