Men’s soccer getting closer

Wins have been hard to come by for the Pitt men’s soccer team this season.

But even… Wins have been hard to come by for the Pitt men’s soccer team this season.

But even without a victory this weekend it came a lot closer to breaking that trend.

Facing two nationally ranked opponents, the Panthers managed to gain one point by tying, 1-1, with then No. 16 South Florida, before losing a heart-wrenching match to No. 17 DePaul, 1-0, in double overtime.

Pitt’s record fell to 1-7-2 overall.

The defense and goalkeeping in particular shined in the two games, but the lack of a successful offensive attack ultimately limited Pitt to one goal. That came from sophomore midfielder Mike McDade against USF.

It was another weekend filled with overtime clashes for Pitt.

“In sudden death, one play decides the match,” coach Joe Luxbacher said. “You want to win, but it was a good result.”

Luxbacher decided to split the goalkeeping duties between Eric Barnes and Jordan Marks. Barnes guarded the net against South Florida, while Marks nearly tallied a shutout against the Blue Demons.

Even with the stellar defensive play, Luxbacher says, Pitt must raise its offensive tenacity to get over the hump and beat the good teams it has come so close to beating.

“You’ve got to be able to score goals. You would like to shut everybody out but that’s just not gonna happen.” Luxbacher said.

The Panthers’ next match is this Saturday against another top team in the country, the Connecticut Huskies.

Pitt 1, USF 1

The Panthers had a rough start to their match last Friday at Founders Field.

South Florida got on the board first with a 39th minute goal by Jordan Seabrook. The goal was set up by a beautiful pass from Andre Mittoo.

Pitt was outplayed throughout the first half, and was out-shot, 11-3. Thankfully for Pitt, the strong overall defensive play kept the deficit to one.

Chances were still difficult to come by, but a little help from the Bulls was all Pitt needed to score the equalizer.

McDade finished for his first goal of the season on a penalty kick in the 77th minute after South Florida was called for a handball in the box. It was the second goal of McDade’s career.

Neither side could put the match away in regulation, and overtime seemed no different. In the 108th minute, Ryan Brode nearly scored the game-winner for Pitt, but a great save by USF goalie Diego Restrepo kept the game tied at one.

Brode’s chance turned out to be the last good one, leading to the tie.

Barnes had a great day in net, saving seven Bulls attempts. South Florida ended with 20 shots, illustrating Pitt’s outstanding defensive performance, even though it ended the day with only eight shots.

“We’re playing solid against everybody,” Luxbacher said.

DePaul 1, Pitt 0

With Marks starting at goalkeeper for Sunday’s battle against DePaul, the Panthers showed early that they were up to the challenge of playing a second straight nationally ranked squad.

The defense once again stepped up, and the first half was an all-out scrum. No goals were scored and DePaul mustered four shots to Pitt’s two. Neither side gained an advantage.

The second half clearly belonged to the feisty Panthers. Midfielder E. J. McCormick had two great chances early in the half, but missed just wide on both of them. Matt Baker followed with another near goal in the 63rd minute, but was denied by DePaul goalie Brian Visser.

Minutes earlier, the Blue Demons almost went ahead on an apparent goal by Peter Sterbenz, but he was called for a foul on the attempt. The goal was negated, and the scoreless tie pressed on.

Marks stopped several shots throughout the second half, some in dazzling fashion, but the Pitt offensive side outshot DePaul, 8-4.

What happened next ultimately doomed the Panthers.

McDade set up Matt Langton for what could have been the winner. But his shot soared over the top of an open net, setting the stage for a second overtime event for the weekend.

The first overtime came and went quietly, but Pitt’s hopes for salvaging another point on the weekend were crushed with less than two minutes left in the second.

Alex Mangan headed a ball off of a corner kick past Marks to notch the goal and the victory in dramatic fashion.

Although Luxbacher says progress is definitely being made, the Panthers need to find a way to finish off their opponents offensively.

“We gotta find a way to manufacture some goals. We have to find someone to put it in,” Luxbacher said.

“It was a very, very tough loss, we had the chance to win in regulation. It’s frustrating and disappointing, but it’s not like we’re getting dominated.”