Women’s soccer splits series in Sunshine State

The Pitt women’s soccer team kicked off its season over the weekend with two games in… The Pitt women’s soccer team kicked off its season over the weekend with two games in Florida. Pitt (1-1) dropped game one, 3-1, to the Central Florida Golden Knights on Saturday but then rebounded on Monday to beat the Jacksonville Dolphins, 5-1.

The victory was Sue-Moy Chin’s first as the Panthers’ head coach. Senior Emily Tipton led Pitt during the trip, with two goals.

Central Florida 3, Pitt 1

Netta Agredano chipped the ball in from the far left around the 11-minute mark in the first half to give Pitt an early lead, but a defensive mistake, a headed goal and a penalty kick placed the Panthers behind the eight ball.

Agredano scored off a slot pass by Sara Gutting, then the Golden Knights came from behind to win with goals from three players.

“The first game should’ve been 1-1,” Tipton said.

Tipton said that Central Florida’s Courtney Baines tied the game on a defensive breakdown, and that the penalty kick, which produced the third goal, was the result of another lapse.

Following Baines’ goal, the teams were deadlocked at one for over twenty minutes until the Golden Knights went ahead on a goal by Shannon Wing at the 69-minute mark. She headed the ball past Jamie Pelusi from a corner kick by Courtney Haarhues.

Central Florida’s final goal came on a penalty kick by Patty MacDowell. Panthers goalie Jamie Pelusi stopped six of the nine shots she faced, while Golden Knights goalie Julie Snaman stopped one shot.

Chin said that none of goals that Pelusi allowed were her fault. Aside from a short lull in play after a strong start, Chin was satisfied with the way the Panthers looked in the first game, especially the way they continued to fight when the Golden Knights went ahead.

After Wing put the Panthers behind, Chin said she was happy to see how the team continued pushing to tie the score.

“I wish we could play them again,” Tipton said. “We played well for the first game. Even though we lost, it didn’t get our hopes down.”

Pitt 5, Jacksonville 1

In Monday’s game, Pitt played confidently against the Dolphins and erased the aftertaste of Saturday’s game. The Panthers attempted 11 shots on the net in the first half and were up 3-0 by the 12-minute mark. They sustained the effort through 90 minutes to gain a split on the trip.

Chin said the team was more organized in its victory.

“They held the ball better,” she said. “They were more intense. There was more defensive pressure and turnovers created.”

In the opener, Tipton shot from the left corner off of a rebound from a shot by Gutting. She put in her second goal less than three minutes later after a shot by Gutting deflected off of a Jacksonville defender.

“Emily had good timing and good positioning,” Chin said.

Gutting assisted on both goals, and Agredano also picked up an assist on the first.

Jennifer DeLaHoz notched the third goal at the 12-minute mark, carrying the ball to the goal after a pass from Erin Hills.

Gutting, assisted by Kristina Francois, and Carli Brill finished Pitt’s scoring with goals in the final ten minutes.

Pelusi stopped seven of eight shots in the win. The Dolphins tallied their only goal when Ranveig Aas-Hanssen made an unassisted goal inside the penalty box late in the first half.

According to Tipton, the Panthers followed the scouting report given to them by the coaches.

“We went in knowing to pressure their [defensive] backs,” she said. “We knew their goalie was their weakest player.”

Chin said the traveling experience was a good opportunity for the freshman on the team to spend time with upperclassmen and for the veterans to get to know newcomers.

The Panthers compete again this Saturday, at Founders Field, against Maryland-Baltimore County.