New Wilmington, Pa. -- The University of Pittsburgh at Bradford men's soccer team earned their first victory of the season as they defeated the Thiel Tomcats 2-1 on Saturday afternoon.

The Panthers took control early, as they were able to force two saves in the first 5 minutes of play. Scott Compson and Evan Baldwin were both able to put shots on goal that were stopped by the Thiel goalkeeper. The Panthers were able to take the lead in the 12th minute on a solo effort from Spencer Sklar. Sklar took possession of the ball on the left wing and was able to dribble past a defender in a one-on-one situation. Once beyond the defense, Sklar slotted a low shot into the goal to open the scoring. The unassisted goal was Sklar's 2nd of the season.

The Tomcats fought back after the goal, as they maintained possession for the majority of the remainder of the 1st half, forcing Panther goalkeeper Jared Scarlett into 9 first-half saves. Compson, Garner McMaster, and Lysandre Chaabi were all able to put shots on goal in the half but were unable to beat the keeper, sending the game to the break with the Panthers up 1-0.

In the second half, the Panthers were able to get back on the front foot as Sklar forced two more saves from the Tomcat goalkeeper. In the 57th minute, the Panthers were able to take advantage of a Thiel error to double their advantage. The tomcats were unable to clear the ball off of a corner kick when Austin Hogan was able to run onto the ball and shoot past the defense for the second goal of the game. It was the second of the season for Hogan.

Scarlett and the Panther defense were able to hold off the Thiel attack for the first 25 minutes of the half but allowed the Tomcats to score in the 73rd minute to cut their lead in half. After the goal, Scarlett was able to withstand a steady barrage of Thiel shots, making 8 saves in the final 15 minutes of play to preserve the win. 

Spencer Sklar and Austin Hogan each scored unassisted goals for the Panthers, bringing their season tallies to 2 goals. Sklar led the Panthers with 4 shots, putting 3 on goal. Midfielder Lysandre Chaabi put three attempts on target, while striker Scott Compson finished with 2 shots on goal. Jared Scarlett put in a herculean effort in the Panther goal, making 21 total saves on the way to his first career victory.

The Panthers move to 1-1 on the season with the win over Thiel. They will have just over 24 hours to recuperate, as they will be right back in action tomorrow as they take on Westminster for their 3rd game in 4 days. Kickoff is slated for 6:00 p.m.