Men’s soccer beats cross-town Dukes

It took exactly a month, but the Pitt men’s soccer team finally recorded its second victory… It took exactly a month, but the Pitt men’s soccer team finally recorded its second victory of the season Wednesday night.

After suffering through six losses and a draw, the Panthers played an impressive match throughout in beating cross-town rival Duquesne 3-1.

The win upped Pitt’s overall record to 2-10-2.

The total team effort led to three players notching the first goals of their careers. Freshmen Justin Boehm and Connor Malone along with senior Shawn Wildman scored for the Panthers.

Eric Barnes started in goal for Pitt, tallying eight saves for the match.

It was a refreshing result for the Panthers, who have been plagued by slow starts and inconsistent offensive production all season. The effect was magnified in recent matches, after falling behind on bad goals against West Virginia and Seton Hall.

“Duquesne’s a good team,” coach Joe Luxbacher said. “Our guys played pretty well. The main thing is we got some goals.

“We played 90 minutes of consistent soccer.”

Pitt got on the board first with a goal in the 20th minute by a Boehm header past Duquesne goalkeeper Chris Torres. It was set up by a cross from by Matt Baker.

It was the first time Pitt scored the initial goal of a match since Sept. 7 against Wright State. The Panthers lost that day, but nothing was stopping the Pitt offense against the Dukes.

Pitt kept Duquesne off the board and increased its lead before the end of the first half. Ryan Brode, who leads the team in assists, directed a corner kick toward the net, and Malone was there to head it in for a 2-0 halftime lead.

The Panthers’ defense refused to be left out, limiting Duquesne to two shots on goal in the half.

Pitt continued to play a complete game by starting the second half strong.

In the 62nd minute, Wildman tallied the third and final goal for the home side with a strong 25-yard shot over the Dukes’ goalie Torres. E. J. McCormick recorded an assist on the score.

The 3-0 deficit forced Duquesne to replace Torres with backup keeper Patrick Finnegan, but the damage was done.

Pitt’s defense finally dented in the 72nd minute with a goal by Duquesne forward Matthew Groves to cut the lead to 3-1.

That was all the Dukes could manage, and the Pitt defense recovered after the goal and tightened their coverage to seal the victory.

Barnes’ eight saves were crucial for Pitt’s success, with three of them coming in the first 10 minutes. He also stopped two Duquesne shots in the first 10 minutes of the second half, halting any momentum the opponent hoped to gain.

While the Dukes outshot the Panthers 11-8, including 7-3 in the second half, Pitt made its attempts count while Duquesne inherited a former problem of Pitt’s, failing to convert on its chances.

“The guys have got to feel good,” Luxbacher said. “We got over the hump, but it’s just one game. We’ve got to be ready for Providence.”

Pitt returns to Big East action at Founders Field Sunday at noon against Providence for Senior Recognition and Alumni Day. Pitt looks for its first conference win Sunday.