Soccer qualifies for Big East Tourney

The Pitt women’s soccer team was on the road this weekend to take on the Providence Friars and… The Pitt women’s soccer team was on the road this weekend to take on the Providence Friars and Connecticut Huskies in their last games of the 2005 regular season. The Panthers were victorious in the first game against the Friars 1-0, but were defeated by the 2004 Big East Champion Huskies by the same margin in the second game.

Despite the loss, the Panthers qualified for the Big East tournament, meaning that they will see their first postseason competition since 1998, when they lost to Syracuse 2-0 in the Big East quarterfinals.

“I am very excited for the girls,” head coach Sue-Moy Chin said. “They have worked extremely hard for this and it’s great that they finally get to experience postseason play.”

The tournament bracket has Pitt slated to travel to Rutgers to take on the Scarlet Knights in the opening quarterfinal game. The date and time of the game have not yet been determined.

Pitt 1, Providence 0

The Panthers, desperately seeking the kind of momentum that could boost team confidence heading into the Big East Tournament, bounced back from their loss to Villanova by defeating the Friars on Friday. The victory improved the Panthers to 3-5-2 in the Big East and 4-9-3 overall. The Friars dropped to 1-7-2, 4-10-2.

In a game highlighted by the play of both defenses, Corina Sebesta’s lone goal made all the difference. Sebesta scored in the 72nd minute of play after freshman Erica Wright blasted a shot toward the Providence goal.

Friar goalkeeper Laura Elfers made the initial save on Wright’s kick, but she was unable to prevent Sebesta from gathering the rebound and scoring on a shot placed in the lower left-hand corner of the net.

The Panthers collected a total of 17 shots in the game. The Friars recorded 11 shots, but really only had one great scoring opportunity in the game. The window came in the 64th minute when Ashley Amaral fired a shot past Panther goalkeeper Jamie Pelusi. However, she was denied a goal when the ball ricocheted off the post.

“We played 90 minutes of really good soccer today,” Chin said. “Corina, Jamie and the rest of the girls really stepped it up. It was a great overall team effort.”

The victory also had greater implications, Chin explained.

“This was a much needed win, because without it we would not have made it into the postseason.”

Connecticut 1, Pitt 0

The Panthers were defeated by the defending champs of the Big East on Sunday afternoon in their regular-season finale. With the win, the Huskies (10-1-0, 14-3-1) clinched the Big East division title.

Connecticut senior Kristi Lefebvre scored the game-winning goal for the Huskies at the 26-minute mark. The goal was assisted by Kim Noivadhana and Meghan Schnur. Pitt senior goalkeeper Jamie Pelusi, the current Big East leader in saves, recorded eight saves on the day.

“We always seem to play them [UConn] tight,” Chin said. “We lost to them last year 1-0 also and both games went back and forth. Playing tough against a team of this caliber gives us confidence.”

With the 2005 regular season now complete, the Panthers will wipe their record clean and start anew in the Big East Tournament. The upcoming game is Chin’s first appearance coaching the Panthers in postseason competition.

“I am excited, but right now we are trying to prepare the girls mentally for the Rutgers game,” Chin said.

The Panthers last played the Scarlet Knights on Oct. 2, a game they lost 6-2 at Founders Field. But rather than being discouraged by the loss, Chin believes her squad is hungrier as a result of the lopsided defeat.

“That loss has really motivated the girls to get back at them in the rematch.”