Football, volleyball continue strong start to seasons

Many of Pitt’s varsity teams were in action over the weekend. Here’s a recap of their performances. 

Football fell behind early to Florida International University, which scored 16 straight points in the first quarter. But Pitt (3-0) responded with a scoring run of its own, registering 24 unanswered points before winning 42-15. James Conner ran for 177 yards, which helped him break Tony Dorsett’s 1973 record for most rushing yards in three games to open a season (487) with 544.

Men’s soccer traveled to Chapel Hill, N.C., on Friday to face No. 3 University of North Carolina in its ACC opener, keeping the game scoreless until right before halftime, when the Tar Heels scored to take the lead.

The hosts added two more goals in the second half, and Pitt (2-2) lost 3-0.  

Women’s soccer played sluggishly Friday night against Virginia Commonwealth University in its last non-conference match before beginning ACC play. VCU dominated on offense for the first half and, after scoring on a corner kick in the 22nd minute, established a lead it would hold. Pitt (4-4) launched a prolonged attack over the last 25 minutes of the game, but the Rams preserved the 1-0 shutout. For the game, Pitt was outshot 15-7.

Softball began its fall season Saturday with a two-game sweep of Division II Slippery Rock: 6-5 and 13-0.  

Cross country’s men’s and women’s teams finished fifth out of 11 and fourth out of 10, respectively, at the Harry Groves Spiked Shoe Invitational hosted by Penn State. The women’s event was a 6K, and Dee Dee Adams led the way for the Pitt women with a time of 21:50, good for 15th place. 

Cullen Davis, a senior, paced the men with a time of 26:27, finishing 14th in their 5.2-mile event. 

A portion of the women’s team competed at the Father Bede Invitational 5K, also on Saturday, in Loretto, Pa. The team finished second out of three schools, including Saint Francis University and Robert Morris University, with three runners in the top 10: freshman Anja Weiler took sixth (20:33.7), sophomore Karli O’Neill, seventh (20:40.5) and sophomore Abby Peters picked up eighth (20:54.7). 

Volleyball opened its home schedule with a sweep of its four-team tournament at the Fitzgerald Field House. It started Friday night, when the Panthers defeated Duquesne in straight sets. Pitt (8-1) didn’t lose a set all weekend and bested Norfolk State and Niagara University on Saturday.