Women’s Soccer: D’Agostino, Sharick lead Pitt to 1-0 victory over Toledo

Pitt women’s soccer (4-1-1) defeated Toledo 1-0 on Friday evening in the final nonconference contest of the season for the Panthers, highlighted by goalie Nicole D’Agostino’s fourth shutout of the season. 

After the draw at Robert Morris, head coach Greg Miller was critical of the team’s shot selection. Yet Pitt sent eight shots toward the Toledo net in the first 10 minutes and shot a total of 21 times on Friday. The only goal of the match was tallied by senior defender Morgan Sharick.

“I don’t think our shot selection was particularly great again tonight, because we had only two on goal, especially in the first half when we were taking a lot of shots from distance,” Miller said after the game. “It’s great to get the shot opportunities, but we have to be better at giving ourselves a chance to get a shot on goal.”

Despite the numerous shot attempts, the Panthers did not have many great opportunities throughout the opening 20 minutes. And as the half wore on, they continued to dictate play without scoring. 

The game looked like it was going to go into the half tied, until senior Katie Lippert sent a ball deep into the Rockets’ defensive zone, leading to a clearance to the side and a Pitt corner kick. 

Sophomore midfielder Roosa Arvas launched a perfect ball into the box on the ensuing corner kick — a pass that Sharick was able to head into the back of the net. It marked Sharick’s first goal of the season and the fifth time that the defender has scored off a corner kick in the last two seasons. 

“I finally timed one right, and it went in. I couldn’t tell you how excited I was, it was a tiring first half, and we certainly needed the goal,” Sharick said. 

The Panthers were able to head into halftime with a slim 1-0 lead while outshooting Toledo, 9-1, and absolutely dominating possession in the first 45 minutes of play. 

Coming out of the break, the Panthers continued their strong play. 

Just two minutes into the half, Alyssa Meier advanced past the Toledo backline and sent a scorching shot toward Toledo goalie Sam Tiongson, who was able to just barely save the blast. 

Following Meier’s chance, the Panthers continued to surge. 

The team almost scored a second goal when freshman Siobhan McDonough sent a shot just left in the 55th minute. 

Following the two chances, the Panthers continued to dominate without any major scoring. The two teams would continue to battle late into the second half before either team would look to score. 

Toward the end of the match the Panthers started to get a little tight in the backline, nearly costing the team the lead. 

With just a few seconds left on the clock, Rachel MacLeod, Toledo’s leading scorer, received a flick over the top past Sharick and the Pitt defense. 

As MacLeod continued to race toward the goal, Sharick was able to catch up with the streaking Rockets player and block a shot that MacLeod rifled toward the net. The ball deflected out of play for a corner kick, but time ran out on the Rockets, and Pitt was able to hold on for a 1-0 victory. 

“The chance was my fault, because I didn’t drop back quick enough,” Sharick said. “So at that point, I knew I needed to clean up my mistake, so I said, ‘There’s no way the girl is getting a shot off.’”

The victory was the fourth of the season for the Panthers and the fourth shutout for Pitt goalie D’Agostino through the first six games. The shutout lowered D’Agostino’s goals-against average to .50, and the redshirt junior has posted a save percentage of .885. 

“So far over our first six games, from Duquesne until Toledo, we have improved greatly,” she said. “We’re keeping the ball and moving faster. Now all we need to do is just put together a full 90 minutes.”