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Pitt men drop opener, 1-0, to No. 25 Colgate

From University of Pittsburgh Athletic Department / Matt Keenan 

Pittsburgh men’s soccer team dropped a 1-0 decision to No. 25 Colgate Monday night in its season opener at Ambrose Urbanic Field.

The match was tightly contested throughout, with the Panthers and Raiders drawing similar numbers in the box score. Pitt closed the game holding slight edges in shots (11-7), shots on goal (6-2) and corners (6-3).

“It was a good starting point,” said head coach Jay Vidovich. “I think it was a great test for our guys coming in against a team that has experience playing in the NCAA Tournament and winning championships. So, it was a great exercise there. I think the guys stepped up to it. It was a tight first half and in the second half I think we had our chances to finish the game and win the game and unfortunately we didn’t. So, the guys learned what it’s all about. We had a lot of young guys out there. So, it gave us a taste of the game and what it’s all about.”

The first half of the match saw a defensive stalemate between the two teams, with neither squad yielding a shot until the 17th minute. After 45 minutes in the books, the Raiders headed into the second half with just a 3-2 advantage in shots.

Action picked up in the second period, with both teams looking to increase the tempo. After a long back-and-forth, Colgate’s Freddy Jonsson broke the game open after netting a shot from the left side of the box, giving the Raiders a 1-0 lead that they’d never relinquish. The Panthers broke out a furry of late shots hoping to even the score, but ultimately couldn’t find goal before the closing seconds.

Individually, sophomore Edward Kizza led the team with five shots (four on goal), while sophomore Alexander Dexter and redshirt freshman Fiorre Mane added two shots a piece. Senior Robby Dambrot and sophomore Jose Luis Sena Arbona also contributed one shot each for the Panthers.

Up next, Pitt will travel to Delaware to face the Blue Hens Monday, Aug. 27 at 7 p.m. at Stuart & Suzanne Grant Stadium.

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