Penalty kick ties WVU

Pitt men’s soccer coach Joe Luxbacher expected a battle when his Panthers visited West Virginia… Pitt men’s soccer coach Joe Luxbacher expected a battle when his Panthers visited West Virginia on Wednesday. He got one. On a rainy night in Morgantown, W. Va., the Pitt men’s soccer team finished with a 1-1 tie against its rival at Dick Dlesk Soccer Stadium. Mountaineer senior Alex Yost scored his first goal of the season and the only point of the game for West Virginia. Yost put the Mountaineers ahead in the 38th minute off of a pass from Paul Paradise. The Panthers didn’t put a point on the scoreboard until the 84th minute, when junior Mike McDade scored on a penalty kick. Luxbacher was proud of his team’s effort while coming from behind. ‘Our guys came back,’ said Luxbacher. ‘We were down 1-0. They kept fighting and finally made a tying goal. Their goalkeeper made a couple of huge saves, or we would have won the game.’ Although Pitt was outshot, 20-10, in the match, it had six more shots on goal than West Virginia. The Panthers fired eight of their 10 shots in the second period, but only McDade’s penalty kick got by West Virginia goalkeeper Zach Johnson. Johnson tallied eight saves in the game. ‘We ended up getting a point out of the game,’ said Luxbacher. ‘You’d like to get a win, but getting a point at West Virginia is not a bad result.’ The Mountaineers just came off a 1-0 upset over nationally ranked Connecticut. Wednesday’s game became the fifth overtime match for the Panthers this season and the fourth that went into double overtime. Pitt stands at 2-1-2 in overtime games. ‘If there is one aspect of the game we’re still trying to improve on, it’s scoring more goals,’ said Luxbacher. Despite good defense and effort, the Panthers continue to struggle offensively. The Panthers have fallen three times in 1-0 games and played to scoreless ties twice. ‘You have to score goals to win, and that’s what we want to do,’ said Luxbacher. ‘We’re always trying to play good soccer.’ The tie moved Pitt’s overall record to 6-4-2, 2-3-1 in Big East play, while West Virginia is now 3-4-4 overall and 2-1-3 in the Big East. Pitt trails in the all-time series 31-9-4. The Panthers will try to spur their offense on Saturday, when they take on No. 14 Notre Dame in South Bend. The Fighting Irish beat Michigan State, 3-0, on Wednesday. Kickoff is at 7 p.m.