Bradford, Pa. -- The University of Pittsburgh at Bradford team opened up their 2021 campaign on Wednesday afternoon with a 1-1 draw against Alfred University.
The visiting Saxons were able to put the Panthers under pressure early on, controlling the majority of possession and forcing goalkeeper Sihle Sizani into two early saves while winning 4 corner kicks. Things began to turn for the Panthers in the 16th minute, when a clash near the corner led to Spencer Sklar being cautioned, while Alfred's Seamus Doyle was sent off, giving the Panthers a man advantage with 75 minutes to go in regulation.
Pitt-Bradford was able to control more of the possession following the incident, however, it was the Saxons who came closest to opening the scoring. Noam Sokolovsky ripped a shot from 30 yards away from goal that beat Sizani but crashed off the crossbar to keep the game scoreless heading into halftime.
After the break, Alfred was able to build momentum and open the scoring. A slick passing move saw Gavin Harrison slip behind the defense and the keeper to easily put the opener in the back of the net with 32 minutes to go. The Saxon momentum only lasted a few moments, as The Panthers responded immediately. Directly following the restart, Scott Compson fired a long shot from the halfway line after the start. The shot caught up in the wind and beat the unsuspecting keeper to even the score at 1. Brent Kennedy picked up the assist after putting the ball in play.
Following the two quick goals, the two teams battled hard, each carving out multiple chances. The Panthers nearly took the lead in the 79th minute, as the ball found its way to Compson just outside the six-yard box. Compson blasted a right-footed shot that was parried away by substitute Alfred goalkeeper Daniel Koenig. The Saxons took a chance of their own just over a minute later, as it was Sizani who made another big save to keep the game scoreless.
In the extra frames, the Panthers controlled the majority of the possession and had multiple chances to score the golden goal. The best opportunity came in the 96th minute. The Panthers had possession just on the edge of the 18-yard box and dropped a pass back to Jan Winnewisser at the top of the semi-circle. Winnewisser connected on a one-time shot that looked to be curling into the top right corner, only to be pushed away by Koening on a full-extension save.
The Panthers' opening goal was the 4th of Compson's career. He finished the game with 5 shots, putting 3 on target. Kennedy had 3 shots in the game to go along with his assist. Winnewisser took 3 shots, and put two on target. Sizani had 11 saves for the Panthers in the contest.
Pitt-Bradford will be back in action over the weekend when they travel away from home for a pair of contests. They will take on Chatham on Saturday Sept. 4th at 12:00 p.m., and follow that game up with a trip to Bethany the next day, starting at 2:30.
