Steubenville, Oh. -- The University of Pittsburgh at Bradford men's soccer team was unable to overcome an early deficit as they fell to Muskingum 4-2 on Friday night.
The Panthers struggled to deal with the Muskie attack early on, as they quickly found themselves behind 2-0 in the 11th minute. The Panthers were able to respond after being down 2, as they were able to take the next two shots. Austin Hogan took the first and Scott Compson took another shortly after. Pitt-Bradford's persistence paid off, as they were able to cut the lead in half in the 29th minute. Rodney Walker was able to take control of the ball on the left wing and dribbled into the Muskingum defensive third. He laid the ball off to Devin Stowe, who took a few touches and released a shot from outside the 18. His shot deflected off a Muskie defender and was redirected away from the goalkeeper. It was Stowe's 1st of the year.
The Panthers were unable to hold on to the momentum, as they saw their 2-goal deficit restored less than a minute after their goal. Trailing 3-1, the Panthers were handed a lifeline in the 41st. Using an attack down the right flank, a Pitt-Bradford attacker hit a high arching cross into the box. Walker was able to control the cross and was brought down right afterward, resulting in a penalty. Stowe stepped up and calmly slid the spot kick into the corner for his second goal of the game. The Panthers nearly tied the match in the final minute of the half. Austin Hogan pressured a Muskingum midfielder on the right flank and was able to block an attempted long ball behind the defense. Sahalpreet Singh was able to sprint beyond the line but was unable to get his shot beyond the keeper, sending the match to the break with the Panthers trailing 3-2.
The Panthers were back under offensive attack as the game resumed, with the Muskies taking the first 6 shots of the half, forcing Jared Scarlett into two saves. Despite the pressure, the Panthers came the closest to scoring and tieing the game in the 63rd minute. Lysandre Chaabi was able to take possession of a loose ball in the Muskingum half and released a high chip shot from over 30 yards away. His shot looked to beat the keeper, but hit the corner of the goal frame and bounced away. The Panthers were unable to build any momentum following the Chaabi effort and saw their opponents tack on another goal in the 75th minute.
Devin Stowe scored both goals for the Panthers using only 2 shots. The goals were his first two of the season and the 2nd and 3rd of his career. Chaabi, Hogan, Compson, and Singh all added shots as well. Jared Scarlett made 13 saves in the game.
The Panthers fall to 1-2 with the loss. They will have an opportunity to get back in the win column tomorrow, as they will take on former AMCC member Franciscan at 3:30 p.m.
