Pitt Drops Contest to No. 11 Virginia, 2-0
9/28/2018 10:27:00 PM | Men's Soccer
Two Second Half Goals lead to a Virginia Victory
PITTSBURGH – The University of Pittsburgh men's soccer team recorded a 2-0 loss to No. 11 Virginia Friday night at Ambrose Urbanic Field.
The loss drops Pitt to 4-5-0 [1-3-0 ACC] on the season, with all five losses coming at the hands of ranked opponents. The win improves Virginia to 5-0-2 [2-0-1 ACC].
The Panthers and Cavaliers played a very even first half, but two second half goals by Virginia ultimately led to the victory.
"I thought we certainly had a worthy opponent," said head coach Jay Vidovich. "They are very strong and athletic and did everything to capitalize on the match. I'm happy with our guys. Once again, we had three games in six days and pushed on. We created some really quality chances in the first half. We could have scored and it would have been different going into halftime. In the second half, they started to wear us down, and then going a man down and a goal down was a very difficult situation to be in. I think our guys stepped up and fought very hard.
"So, the takeaways are that Pitt is never going to stop fighting. We created very good chances at the end even when we were on our back foot, and if we are healthy and fresher like we were in the first half then we can play with a top team like Virginia."
Pitt opened the match aggressively, recording four shots in the opening 13 minutes of play, including two on goal. But a physical Virginia team eventually matched the Panthers energy. After the first 45 minutes of action, both teams were knotted at five shots and one corner apiece.
In the second half of play, the Cavaliers used two quick goals to break open the match. Virginia's first goal came in the 52nd minute after a Cavalier player scored from the middle of the box. Just over 11 minutes later, Virginia added its second goal following a header off a corner. The Cavaliers defense, which has only allowed one goal on the season, hung tight following their two scores to capture the win.
Senior Javi Perez led the Panthers with three shots in the match. Sophomores Edward Kizza, Marcony Pimentel and Jose Luis Sena Arbona recorded two shots each, with freshman Jackson Walti adding one shot.
Up next, the Panthers will continue their homestand as they take on Columbia Tuesday, Oct. 2 at 7 p.m. at Ambrose Urbanic Field.
#H2P | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram
The loss drops Pitt to 4-5-0 [1-3-0 ACC] on the season, with all five losses coming at the hands of ranked opponents. The win improves Virginia to 5-0-2 [2-0-1 ACC].
The Panthers and Cavaliers played a very even first half, but two second half goals by Virginia ultimately led to the victory.
"I thought we certainly had a worthy opponent," said head coach Jay Vidovich. "They are very strong and athletic and did everything to capitalize on the match. I'm happy with our guys. Once again, we had three games in six days and pushed on. We created some really quality chances in the first half. We could have scored and it would have been different going into halftime. In the second half, they started to wear us down, and then going a man down and a goal down was a very difficult situation to be in. I think our guys stepped up and fought very hard.
"So, the takeaways are that Pitt is never going to stop fighting. We created very good chances at the end even when we were on our back foot, and if we are healthy and fresher like we were in the first half then we can play with a top team like Virginia."
Pitt opened the match aggressively, recording four shots in the opening 13 minutes of play, including two on goal. But a physical Virginia team eventually matched the Panthers energy. After the first 45 minutes of action, both teams were knotted at five shots and one corner apiece.
In the second half of play, the Cavaliers used two quick goals to break open the match. Virginia's first goal came in the 52nd minute after a Cavalier player scored from the middle of the box. Just over 11 minutes later, Virginia added its second goal following a header off a corner. The Cavaliers defense, which has only allowed one goal on the season, hung tight following their two scores to capture the win.
Senior Javi Perez led the Panthers with three shots in the match. Sophomores Edward Kizza, Marcony Pimentel and Jose Luis Sena Arbona recorded two shots each, with freshman Jackson Walti adding one shot.
Up next, the Panthers will continue their homestand as they take on Columbia Tuesday, Oct. 2 at 7 p.m. at Ambrose Urbanic Field.
#H2P | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram
Team Stats
VA
UP
Goals
2
0
Shots
13
10
Shots on Goal
5
4
Saves
4
3
Corners
4
5
Fouls
20
9
Scoring Plays

Cabrel Happi Kamseu (3)
Assisted By: Nathaniel Crofts
shot from middle of the box
51:00

Aboubacar Keita (1)
Assisted By: Joe Bell
header off of corner
62:42
Game Leaders
Players Mentioned
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