Pitt
7-2-1, 1-1-0
North Carolina
9-1-0, 2-0-0
Panthers Drop Hard Fought Battle to No. 8 North Carolina, 1-0
9/19/2024 9:38:00 PM | Women's Soccer
PITTSBURGH – Pitt controlled the action for a large portion of the contest and out shot the eighth-ranked North Carolina Tar Heels, 15-9, but was unable to find the back of the net in a 1-0 loss Thursday night at Ambrose Urbanic Field. The Panthers moved to 7-2-1 overall and 1-1-0 in ACC play, while the Tar Heels are now 9-1-0 overall and 2-0-0 in league play.
Pitt saw the first significant scoring opportunity of the match 16 minutes into play as Lola Abraham flicked the ball over a North Carolina defender and sent a cross through the box from the right corner. Sarah Schupansky's sliding shot was blocked out for a corner and Ellie Coffield's header off the corner was also blocked and cleared by the Tar Heel defense.
Deborah Abiodun put Pitt's first shot on net in the 20th minute getting a foot on a strong cross by Lucia Wells and forcing a diving stop by North Carolina keeper Clare Gagne.
North Carolina broke open the deadlock in the 26th minute as Bella Gaetino sent a long ball over the Pitt defense that Kate Faasse was able to run under and beat goalie Ellie Breech with a shot into the right side of the goal.
The stats were even in the opening 45 minutes of play with North Carolina holding a slight 6-5 edge in shots with both teams managing just one attempt on goal. The teams were also even with three corners each as the opening half was tightly contested with neither team seizing control of the action.
Pitt came out in the second half with the better run of play. The Panthers had a pair of dangerous opportunities with 37 minutes remaining as Keera Melenhorst received a pass near the top of the box, brought the ball down to her right foot and forced a diving save near the left post. Gagne came up big on the ensuing corner with a stabbing kick save off a Coffield header from five yards out on the right side of the box.
The Panthers continued to seek the equalizer with another opportunity coming with just over 15 minutes remaining. After Samaiah Phiri earned a free kick from just outside the top of the box, Coffield's ensuing strike sailed just high of the mark.
North Carolina packed in its defense and Gagne came up with a couple more saves down the stretch to secure the narrow victory despite being outshot 15-9 on the night, including a 5-1 deficit in shots on goal. Gagne managed five saves in net for the Tar Heels while the defense blocked several strikes from the Panthers.
BIG CROWD FOR PUPS AT THE PITCH
Pitt had an official attendance of 1,490 for the contest with a lot of four-legged friends also on hand for its Pups at the Pitch promotion. The crowd was the second largest in program history at Ambrose Urbanic Field, topped only by a matchup with North Carolina during the 2021 season.
UP NEXT
Pitt returns to action with a two-game road trip to California to play ACC newcomers Cal (Thursday, Sept. 26) and Stanford (Sunday, Sept. 29).
Team Stats
Kate Faasse (7)
Assisted By: Bella Gaetino
GOAL by UNC Faasse, Kate Assist by Gaetino, Bella.
25:05
