Women’s soccer rebounds with wins

For the Pitt women’s soccer team, a trip back to Founders Field was the perfect remedy for… For the Pitt women’s soccer team, a trip back to Founders Field was the perfect remedy for two straight road losses.

The Panthers (4-2) beat Xavier at home on Friday night and notched their first road victory of the year Sunday at Kent State.

“We showed a lot of mental toughness and grit, especially after [losing] two on the road the previous weekend,” Pitt head coach Sue-Moy Chin said.

For its first two games outside of Pittsburgh this year, Pitt lost at Georgia State and Auburn.

“Getting wins on the road is difficult, so we wanted to make sure that we were playing well and continued playing with the effort we had on Friday,” Chin said.

After giving up the first goal in both contests, the Panthers won both games by a score of 2-1.

“It shows a lot about the character, heart and desire of a relatively young team,” Chin said of the team’s ability to comeback and win in both contests.

With only seven seconds remaining in the game against Kent State, sophomore Jenna Greenfield connected from 12 yards out on the left side for the game winner, and her first career goal.

“It was a great goal,” Chin said. “It happened really fast.”

Pitt is home again this Friday against West Virginia and then on Sunday when it faces off against Ohio.

Pitt 2, Xavier 1

Carlyanne Wenzel of Xavier (1-5) scored the game’s first goal in the 33rd minute when she blasted a goal past Pitt goalkeeper Alison Finch.

“We didn’t challenge the shot, and it went in to put us down 1-0,” Chin said, adding she thought the team “regrouped really well.”

The lead lasted all of 47 seconds as the Panthers tied the game at one.

Sophomore Ashley Habbel scored from 15 yards out after receiving the ball on a pass in front of the net from freshman Sam Regney. It was Habbel’s third goal of the season.

Some great goaltending by Finch kept the game knotted up at one.

The sophomore blocked a free kick attempt by Xavier’s Jillian Chuck, but when one of her teammates tried to score off the rebound, Finch made a diving stop to end the threat.

Seventeen minutes into the second period Pitt scored the deciding goal.

Freshman Kat Weiler passed the ball to Habbel, who crashed into a Xavier defenseman. Right before the collision, Habbel headed the ball to sophomore Katie Caslin, who was able to score on the open net, sealing Pitt’s victory.

It was Caslin’s first goal of the year.

Pitt 2, Kent State 1

Kent State (1-4) created another deficit for Pitt to overcome, this one produced in the game’s first minute.

“It was a great victory for the team,” Chin said.

Kent State’s Kimberly Dimitroff headed the ball into the net from 10 yards out 24 seconds into the game.

Things were quiet for Pitt on the offensive side of the ball for a majority of the match.

Going into the half, Kent State led by one, and the score stayed that way until there were seven minutes left.

Junior Jennifer Kritch tied the game for the Panthers on an unassisted goal from 20 yards out, knocking the ball off Kent States’ right post – her second goal of the season.

Kritch was also behind the game-winning goal. She assisted Greenfield’s goal with only seven seconds remaining in the game. The goal came from 12 yards out on the left side.

“You hit a couple of goal posts, the goalie makes a few good saves, and you hit another post,” Chin said of the team’s missed opportunities early in the game.