Panthers split conference matches

The Pitt women’s soccer team entered last weekend’ with hopes of putting a halt to its… The Pitt women’s soccer team entered last weekend’ with hopes of putting a halt to its three-game losing streak. It didn’t happen right away, but after a disappointing 1-0 loss at the hand of Syracuse University Thursday evening, the Panthers found a way to crawl to victory against St. Johns Sunday afternoon and snap its losing streak at four games. Syracuse 1, Pitt 0 Despite outshooting Syracuse, 8-7, for the game, Pitt couldn’t stave off a 73rd-minute tally by Syracuse’s Taylor Chamberlain, which proved to be the game-winner. Chamberlain’s goal was assisted by Amanda Morris. The loss was disappointing to Pitt coach Sue-Moy Chin, who is in her sixth year at Pitt, but she thought the effort was there. ‘We played well and really did a lot of great things,’ said Chin. ‘But we just came up short.’ Pitt 1, St. John’s 0 It’s said that great knowledge is obtained in victory and defeat. St. John’s had the privilege of learning from the latter, as Pitt ended its losing streak by defeating the Red Storm, 1-0, on a muggy afternoon at Founders Field Sunday. Pitt’s objective coming into the game was to start strong. And that’s exactly what the Panthers did. ‘Last year we started slow against St. John’s, and that hurt us,’ said Chin. ‘We knew we couldn’t come out slow, because they have a good team.’ The best evidence of the fast start came early in the first half, when Pitt sophomore midfielder Laura Berbert nearly gave the Panthers a 1-0 lead, drilling the ball off the crossbar. But that opportunity set the tone for the remainder of the half, as Pitt tilted Founders Field with constant play in St. John’s territory. ‘We wanted to improve on our concentration,’ said Chin. The focus on smart play paid dividends for Pitt, as it took control of every statistical category. Pitt outshot St. John’s 13-9 overall and also held an 8-2 advantage in corner kicks. But despite Pitt’s ability to outwork St. John’s, the Red Storm did show a few strong first-half chances of its own, blasting six shots toward Pitt’s goalkeeper, Morie Kephart. ‘We were a little disjointed [on defense], but were able to adjust at halftime,’ said Chin. Pitt did adjust, limiting St. John’s to only three second-half shots. In the game’s 54th minute, sophomore forward Liz Carroll rushed to collect a loose ball and hit a laser shot into the upper left corner from 25 yards out. ‘It was just a great finish by Liz,’ said Chin. The elated Panthers celebrated the tally, but kept their composure for the remainder of the half and methodically played to victory. But even though the team is happy with the win, Chin said she remains focused on the big picture. ‘We need to limit defensive mistakes and be better around the frame of the goal,’ said Chin. ‘We need to keep that in mind for next week, but we take with us confidence after the win.’