Men’s soccer loses close game to Seton Hall, 1-0

The Pitt men’s soccer team lost another tight game Saturday afternoon at Founders Field…. The Pitt men’s soccer team lost another tight game Saturday afternoon at Founders Field. Despite seven saves from goalkeeper Justin Gaul, Pitt dropped the match to Seton Hall 1-0.

With the defeat, Pitt drops to 10th in the Big East with a 2-3-1 conference record and 7-4-1 record overall. Seton Hall moved into fourth place in the conference with a 4-3-0 record and a 7-4-2 overall record.

Both teams were coming off big games as Pitt defeated Notre Dame while Seton Hall upended Penn State. However, the momentum was not enough for the Panthers, who failed to score for the third time this season.

“Everyone is trying to get into the tournament,” head coach Joe Luxbacher said. “The Pirates are a good, solid team. Every game counts.”

The tempo of the first half was controlled by Seton Hall who outshot the Panthers 6-4. Freshman midfielder Michael Zotti led the Pirate attack from the kickoff. Pitt’s Nate Montgomery blocked a kick by Zotti to thwart an early Seton Hall scoring drive.

The Panthers dodged another shot minutes later, when a Vincent Scerbo header just missed the goal high and away.

Midway through the opening half, Pitt struck back. Senior John Occhuito fired a kick towards the goal, but missed. Freshman Jeff Krause and senior Josh Whitham also made strong scoring attempts for the Panthers’ offense.

Seton Hall regained control again as freshman Tom Dziamba snuck a shot past Gaul to open the 31st minute of play. The goal was Dziamba’s first in his career, as he dribbled down the right side of the field through two Pitt defenders to score.

The first half concluded with some roughness, as Seton Hall’s Ryan Witt pushed Pitt freshman Keeyan Young in a scuffle under the Pirate goal. Seconds later, sophomore Marco Carrizales also felt the heat of the Pirate aggression as he was forced to the ground.

In the second half, the Panthers became the aggressor.

Young began the assault as he drove to the goal, but missed scoring, as his shot went wide right. Twenty-three minutes in, Pitt senior Brian Hopper also got off a shot, narrowly missing the net.

Luxbacher relied on his bench more in this game, calling on sophomores Billy Brush and Matt Sherrill as substitutes. Both made immediate impact on the field.

“Our guys needed to get refreshed,” Luxbacher said about his decision to go to the bench.

Brush began the onslaught on offense, which lasted for the remainder of the match. Occhuito and Carrizales went straight towards the goal, but their kicks were deflected by Seton Hall’s defense.

With six minutes remaining the Panthers knew they had to score.

Senior Miles Dowiak made a strong pass to Montgomery, who headed the ball towards the goal. But the scoring attempt was blocked by Pirates’ goalie, Alex McDonald, who had five saves on the game.

Minutes later, a Krause shot, which was the Panthers’ best look at the goal, was deflected by a Seton Hall defender.

“We created great chances to score in the second half,” a frustrated Luxbacher said. “We have been working on finishing scoring plays everyday. I don’t understand why we aren’t scoring goals.”

Pitt outshot Seton Hall five to four in the second half, but the offensive surge was not enough for the Panthers to come out on top. In the final minute of play, Seton Hall regained control of the game.

Saturday also marked the Panthers Soccer Student Spectacular. Transportation was provided and eight die-hard fans showed up for the event.

The Panthers return to action tonight at Founders Field when they will take on Virginia Tech, which is 11th in the Big East.