No. 1 Pitt Drops Tight Battle to Cal

Friday, October 11

Pittsburgh, PA

7 PM

Pitt

10-2-0, 4-1-0

Cal

4-5-2, 1-3-2

California

Pittsburgh

No. 1 Pitt Drops Tight Battle to Cal

10/11/2024 10:38:00 PM | Men's Soccer

Box Score

PITTSBURGH – In the first ever meeting between the two sides, the No. 1-ranked Pitt men's soccer team dropped a 1-0 decision to Cal Friday evening at Ambrose Urbanic Field.

The loss marked the Panthers' (10-2-0, 4-1-0 ACC) first in ACC play and their first overall since Sept. 1. Of note, coming into Friday's contest, Pitt owned a seven match winning streak – tied for the longest in program history.

Despite Friday's result, the Panthers dominated much of the contest, controlling possession 73 percent and outshooting the Golden Bears (4-5-2, 1-3-2 ACC), 18-4. Pitt also earned 12 corners, compared to just one for Cal.

After failing to take advantage of several near scoring opportunities early, Pitt faced a 1-0 deficit as the Golden Bears capitalized off a bad touch in the final third.

The Panthers dominated the remainder of the contest but were unable to equalize. Pitt's best opportunity came in the 80th minute as junior forward Eben McIntyre was taken down inside the box, resulting in a penalty kick.

Senior forward Luis Sahmkow stepped to the spot and blasted a shot toward the right post that was saved by Cal's keeper. The Panthers continued to test the Golden Bears' back line but failed to equalize, dropping their first match in nearly six weeks.

Despite Friday's loss, Pitt is tied for first place in the ACC with just three league matches remaining.

ACC Standings (Top Five)

Place	Team	Points	ACC Record	Overall Record
1	Pitt	12	4-1	10-2
2	Stanford	12	3-0-3	8-1-3
3	North Carolina	10	3-1-1	7-1-4
4	Clemson	9	3-2	6-2-2
5	Duke	8	2-1-2	5-2-3
	SMU	8	2-1-2	6-1-5

How It Happened

Pitt immediately questioned Cal's back line, firing three shots within the first two minutes of action.
- Miguel Bertran fired a strike from about six yards out at the 1:46 mark, but his shot was saved by Cal's keeper.
The Panthers began to control possession over the ensuing 15 minutes of play.
At the 20:03 mark, Cal's striker forced a bad Pitt touch in the final third, resulting in an easy go-ahead goal.
The Panthers dominated possession for the remainder of the first half, attempting three shots and limiting Cal to zero.
Pitt faced a 1-0 halftime deficit.
- In the opening frame, the Panthers outshot the Golden Bears 7-2 and controlled possession 79 percent.
Like much of the first half, Pitt dominated early coming out of the break, attempting five shots over the first 15 minutes.
Cal began to drop its midfielders back in the second half, crowding the final third.
Pitt continued to create scoring opportunities, but failed to capitalize down the stretch.
At the 79:40 mark, McIntyre made a brilliant run, forcing Cal's keeper to take him down inside the box.
- Sahmkow was unable to capitalize on the penalty kick.
The Panthers continued to attack, but the Golden Bears' defense refused to relinquish the equalizer.
Cal held on to defeat top-ranked Pitt, 1-0.