The Panthers tallied their second loss (4-0-2, 0-0 ACC) on Sunday afternoon, losing 2-0 against Santa Clara (2-3, 0-0 ACC) at Ambrose Urbanic Field.
Pitt dropped its defense in the first half, allowing the Broncos to walk all over them. It wasn’t until the second half that Pitt decided to show up and show out, but it couldn’t capitalize on their scoring opportunities.
Objectively, Santa Clara was technically the better team. The Broncos are regularly featured in the NCAA College Cup and were the 2020 national champions. But if the past three years in Pitt’s program have proven anything, it’s that the team competes at that caliber now— but the Panthers didn’t showcase that in the first half.
“Overall, looking back at the game, I thought we were quite good in the second half,” head coach Ben Waldrum said. “We just didn’t convert our chances, and they converted theirs.”
The Broncos ended the first half with five shots, four on goal and two in the net. Meanwhile, the Panthers failed to generate a single shot in the first half.
Senior forward Margaret Wilde shifted the Panthers’ momentum in the second period. Although Pitt started this game looking shaky, unassertive and unconfident, Wilde’s consecutive drives on offense gave the Panthers the spark they needed to start competing in the match.
Wilde picked up two of Pitt’s five shots in the second half. Despite Wilde’s hustle, the Panthers failed to follow through on any scoring opportunities, no matter how many times Wilde got the ball in the box.
“We had zero shots in the first half,” Wilde said. “I was like, I need to at least get something on this … We just have to get the shots off. So I figured, why not just rip it?”
The Panthers even had an open net opportunity in the 74th minute. This was their best chance yet to put a point on the board, but they still failed to find the back of the net.
Pitt’s defensive line in the first half looked frazzled, too. They struggled to clear the ball, leaving the way for two Bronco goals in the first half. Pitt’s defense looked more confident in the second, and where the back line lacked, Pitt goalkeeper Abby Reisz picked up the slack. The goalkeeper picked up three saves in this matchup.
Bronco forward Kennedy Schoennauer was a problem for the Panthers. The junior tallied two shots on goal and scored one in the 17th minute, maneuvering through a sea of blue. No matter what the Panthers did, once Shoennauer had the ball, the Panthers’ defense turned into a sieve.
Despite the loss, the Panthers’ performance in the second half offers the team some hope for improvement as the season picks up.
“It’s just growing pains,” Waldrum said. “So I take it this way — the positive is the fight back. And I know one thing — we’re a group that works their tails off, and they fight for everything. So I know we’ve got something there. We just have to start putting our chances away.”
The Panthers continue their six-game homestead this Thursday against Cincinnati at 7 p.m.
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