Men’s soccer falls in overtime to Virginia Tech

The ball boys and girls, responsible for drying the game balls, were of utmost importance… The ball boys and girls, responsible for drying the game balls, were of utmost importance Wednesday night at Founder’s Field, as the men’s soccer team hosted Big East foe Virginia Tech despite the onslaught of rain.

The weather was so foul, the team used their nonconference field to play the game in order to save from wear and tear on its primary field.

The Hokies emerged the victor in overtime, 2-1. With the loss, Pitt fell to 2-4-1 in conference play and 7-5-1 overall, while Virginia Tech evened their conference record to 3-3-0 and 8-5-1 overall.

Pitt uncharacteristically started the game aggressively, and with 31 minutes and 17 seconds left in the first half, the Panthers put up one of their earliest goals of the season.

Freshman forward Keeyan Young made a strong pass to senior midfielder Bryan Hopper who slid the goal through the lower left corner.

Young had a strong first half, seeming to be all over the field. The wet weather caused much slipping and sliding during the game, resulting in driving problems for both teams.

Virginia Tech head coach Oliver Weiss made his presence felt as he approached the field, being very vocal to his players and the referees. This wasn’t enough to rally the Hokies, who only made three shots all half.

The Hokies best chance of scoring came from a drive by freshman midfielder Peer Rogge, which was thwarted by the play of senior Josh Whitham.

Big East co-offensive player of the week, sophomore forward Ken Jonmaire, had a good look at the goal, but his kick was deflected off the right goal post.

Pitt matched Virginia Tech in shots with kicks from Hopper, sophomore forward Jeff Krause and senior defender Toure Weaver. Pitt also out-fouled the Hokies, 8-4.

With five minutes remaining, sophomore midfielder Marco Carrizales drove down the field and passed off to Hopper. The ball was then deflected to Weaver, who then made a head shot toward the goal, but it was stopped.

The first half concluded with Pitt leading 1-0.

“We have got to win these games,” Whitham said about a productive opening half. “We are not out of it yet.”

The Panthers charged the field and seemed fired up to play, but as the rain fell harder, shot clock problems stopped the game for a few minutes, angering Weiss.

Five minutes into the half, the Hokie goal was left unattended, however, a driving Carrizales could not capitalize on the opportunity to score. This seemed to be the standard for the Panthers in the half, as Pitt had three good shots, but could not score.

“Things just aren’t clicking right now,” Whitham said. “Some days you get [goals], some days you don’t. The way our luck’s been, we just can’t score when we need it.”

Virginia Tech evened the score with 39:25 left on the clock.

Junior defender Lasse Mertins laced a goal in the lower left part of the net, past a diving Pitt goalkeeper, Justin Gaul. Leading the Big East in saves with 71, Gaul completed four on the night.

As the rain stopped, Pitt began to retaliate. Senior midfielder John Occhiuto drove down field but missed high.

Young made a solid pass to Carrizales, whose kick was deflected by the Hokie defense and one play later, Occhiuto passed off to Carrizales, who missed scoring again.

Carrizales, who has been battling injuries, had another scoring chance. With 16 minutes left, he dribbled between two Hokies and had a strong scoring attempt.

Pitt continued to control the tempo of the game despite the Hokies’ six shots at the goal. The Panthers were lucky as Virginia Tech midfielder Charlie Howe lost his footing and missed an open shot attempt to end regulation.

The battle for the “golden goal” began as the players took the field for overtime. Pitt is no stranger to such situations, having played three other overtime games this year.

However, the Panthers let their guard down as sophomore forward Bailey Allman slipped the winning goal past Gaul off of a pass from Jonmaire.

Halftime gave the young fans in attendance a time to show off their soccer skills. Five future soccer stars competed in a Halftime Kids’ Contest where they spun the ball around their head and dribbled toward the goal. Each contestant came away with a Pitt 2002-2003 women’s basketball poster.

The Panthers now take to the road as they are set to battle conference opponents Boston College and Rutgers. These will be crucial matches for the Panthers, because they’re looking to gain ground in the Big East standings.

“I think we play better on the road,” Young said. “We concentrate more on the game and are more pumped to play away.”