Men’s soccer draws over weekend, now scoreless in three straight

Over the weekend, Pitt might have had flashbacks to last week when, for the second straight time, the team ended regulation in a scoreless tie. But, last time out, Pitt’s opponent, Howard, ended the game with a late goal.

This time, the Panthers tied Virginia Tech in a scoreless game in Blacksburg, Va., as the Panthers gained their second point in ACC play.

The point total is already an improvement over last year’s campaign, but the Panthers are still looking for their first win as a member of the ACC, and they came excruciatingly close multiple times in the game.

The Panthers (3-7-4, 0-4-2 ACC) and the Hokies (7-5-1, 2-3-1 ACC) played an even first half offensively. Pitt finished with eight shots, while Virginia Tech had six.

Pitt’s play was similar to its performance in the first half against Howard only a few days prior. While the Hokies are a superior opponent and very formidable on defense, the Panthers broke through several times, getting three shots on goal and testing the Hokies freshman goalkeeper Ben Lundgaard frequently.

The Panthers began the second half on a tear, registering five of the first six shots. However, Lundgaard stifled them again. Having made five saves in the first 70 minutes of the game, both sides knew that the goalkeeper was keeping the Hokies in the game.

Ultimately, neither team could break through, and the game ended scoreless.

This is the fourth game out of five in which Pitt couldn’t score a goal, with several of these games also going into extra time. Despite dominating the play style and shot chart, the Panthers haven’t been converting in the final third of the pitch, which has contributed to their inability to turn their opportunities into goals the last few games.

While the game went into extra time, there was little expectation that either team would separate itself from the other.

Pitt goalkeeper Dan Lynd came up with several big saves in overtime to keep the game scoreless. The play opened up in the overtime sessions, forcing Lynd to come up big time and time again.

The draw brings Pitt’s record to 3-7-4. While it is an improvement on last season’s record, the Panthers still expected more from this year’s campaign. While Pitt’s defense has performed well lately, the offense just has not been able to create good enough high-percentage chances to put one in the back of the net.

Pitt’s next game is its last non-conference matchup of the year, coming at home against High Point on Tuesday at 7 p.m.