Rugby, lacrosse fall on the road

Men’s Rugby

In Division I pool play last weekend, the Panthers were blown away 75-5… Men’s Rugby

In Division I pool play last weekend, the Panthers were blown away 75-5 against Northern Iowa in Columbus, Ohio. Despite the disheartening loss, the Panthers’ playoff hopes are still alive.

In two weeks, Pitt will face off against Slippery Rock in the first round of the Allegheny Rugby Union playoffs. Depending on the outcome of a league game between Franciscan and California (Pa.), the Panthers could host their first round matchup or travel to Slippery Rock.

This weekend, Pitt will travel to West Lafayette, Ind., to take on the Purdue Boilermakers for a tough test to tune up for the playoffs. Purdue, along with Northern Iowa, is not a club team, but rather a varsity Division I squad.

Women’s Lacrosse

On Saturday morning, the Panthers traveled to Robert Morris’ Island Sports Center on Neville Island to participate in a three-game, round robin tournament.

The Panthers went winless in the three games, but head coach Gary Neft didn’t seem too concerned. Neft felt this way because the fall season in lacrosse is comparable to spring football – their primary season is in the spring.

Neft was pleased with his players’ performance against three varsity programs. The Panthers’ first two games were against Division I opponents Duquesne and Robert Morris, while their third game of the day was against Division III Allegheny.

“The intent of the fall season is to see everyone play, so when we get to spring we know what’s going on.” Neft said. “I thought we did incredible. For playing against three varsity programs and us being a club team, I was very pleased with our performance.”

The Panthers started their morning by facing one of the top women’s lacrosse teams in the country. Duquesne, who Neft feels will be in the top 20 this year, beat the Panthers 6-0.

“To give up only six goals to a fully funded Division I program and to play them so competitively, I couldn’t be happier,” Neft said.

The Panthers finally got on the board in their second game of the day against Robert Morris. Despite three goals, the Panthers couldn’t muster enough offense to beat the Colonials in a 5-3 loss. Aly Grenert, Katie Wheeler and Siobhan Huggins scored for the Panthers in the loss.

The Panthers closed out the weekend with a tough loss to Allegheny in a game closer than the final score indicated. In a 5-2 loss, Pitt played solid defense against a very strong offensive attack by the Gators. Britt Malchano and Jill Ciotta each scored a goal for Pitt, but Allegheny proved to be too much in the end.

The Panthers will be back in action in 10 days when they travel to Mercyhurst for another day-long tournament. Neft said the team is expecting to play three or four games that weekend as they continue to prepare for the spring season.

Dave Thomas is a senior staff writer for the Pitt News. He will be working on a weekly club sports report. If you participate in a club sport and would like to be covered, please have a club representative e-mail him at dthomas7224@yahoo.com.