Soccer stops Big East winless skid

Behind the strong offensive play of Kristina Francois, the Pitt women’s soccer team notched… Behind the strong offensive play of Kristina Francois, the Pitt women’s soccer team notched its second Big East win of the season last weekend.

Francois provided an assist and the game-winning goal in a 2-1 victory over Georgetown. The Panthers, however, suffered a 1-0 shutout loss to Villanova on Sunday, dropping their record to 3-9-3 overall and 2-5-2 in the Big East.

Pitt 2, Georgetown 1

Pitt fell behind early when Georgetown’s Shara McNeill dribbled past Panther defenders on a breakaway and tipped the ball past Pitt goalkeeper Jamie Pelusi at the 13-minute mark.

That lone goal was all Pelusi would allow, though, as she registered 14 saves in the game.

“Jamie had some big saves in the game to keep us in it,” Pitt head coach Sue-Moy Chin said, “but overall, it was a great team effort.”

The Panthers waited until the second half before they picked up their play and produced some offense.

Jennifer Kritch evened the game at one goal apiece in the 78th minute. She found the back of the net from inside the six-yard box from a pass off the foot of Francois.

Francois hit the game-winner about seven minutes later as she found herself in front of the net after making a few moves for a clear shot.

“We started out a little slow, giving them too much space, but made some adjustments and got much better pressure in the second half,” Chin said. “This is a very important win for us.”

Villanova 1, Pitt 0

The Wildcats remained undefeated in Big East play at 5-0-3 with the win over the Panthers. They had Nikki Mabery to thank for it.

Mabery scored the lone goal for Villanova at the six-minute mark when she finished a cross that beat Pelusi.

Villanova’s offense played a cross in front of the net, creating a scramble for the ball. Mabery fought her way through, came up with the ball, gathered her feet and put the Wildcats up 1-0.

“The goal came off a cross and one of their players was able to poke the ball in,” Chin said, “but in my mind, Jamie was fouled on the play. It’s hard to lose a game on a goal like that.”

Despite the loss, Pelusi kept the Panthers close the entire game by not allowing another goal, recording five saves in the process.

“It was a really tough game and the field conditions made it tough to play,” Chin said. “The field was sloppy and made it tough to control the ball, but I thought both teams fought hard. I think we fought really hard in the second half but came up short.”

Pitt returns to action this weekend, finishing up its Big East schedule with away games at Providence and Connecticut on Friday and Sunday, respectively. The Big East Tournament Quarterfinals will take place the following weekend.