Pitt upends St. Francis

The Pitt men’s soccer team defeated St. Francis in Loretto, Pa., Wednesday night, thanks to… The Pitt men’s soccer team defeated St. Francis in Loretto, Pa., Wednesday night, thanks to two goals by Panther midfielder Marco Carrizales. With the win, Pitt improved to an impressive 6-2-0 on the season while St. Francis fell to 3-5-0.

Carrizales notched the first goal 52 minutes into the game during the second half, after a scoreless first half, putting the Panthers ahead 1-0.

St. Francis was quick to answer, however, tying the game on Omari Aldridge’s breakaway goal a minute after the Panthers’.

But the Panthers were able to bounce back with another goal 15 seconds later, this time on a rebound by the sophomore Carrizales, giving Pitt a permanent lead.

Pitt scored again five minutes later, this time off a pass from Keeyan Young to Bryan Hopper, securing the Panthers’ 3-1 victory.

Hopper’s goal ended a scoring frenzy by both teams that included four goals scored in the short span of eight minutes.

The goals scored by Carrizales were his fifth and sixth of the season, keeping him as the Panthers’ scoring leader, while the goal by Hopper was his first of the season.

This is also the third time so far this year Carrizales knocked home the game-winning goal, accounting for half of the Panthers’ victories.

Pitt dominated St. Francis, attempting twice as many shots on goal, 14-7.

Pitt’s offense kept St. Francis on its toes, forcing them to make nine saves during the course of the game, while the Pitt defense kept the pressure off goalkeeper Justin Gaul, who only had to make three saves. The Panthers also ended the game with six corner kicks and held St. Francis to only four.

The Panthers have a short time to rest as before they face their next opponent Saturday in New York, where they will battle the St. John’s Red Storm in Big East Conference play at 7 p.m.