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No. 1 Florida State second half goal scoring surge thwarts Pitt’s upset bid, 3-2

Photo courtesy Florida State Athletics

The Pitt Panthers showed up to play when taking on No. 1 Florida State, but came up short in a wide open affair, losing 3-2, in its bid for an upset in a match of teams at the top of the ACC Women’s Soccer standings.

The Panthers took the lead on a Katie Zailski header in the 45th minute, but couldn’t hold on in the second half, as the Noles broke through for three goals in a 10 minute span. Samiah Phiri added a goal in the 81st minute to give Pitt a fighting chance in the final 10 minutes.

With the win, Florida State (12-0-1, 8-0-1 ACC) moves six points ahead of the Panthers, and the rest of the ACC’s next closest contenders, while the Panthers (12-3-1, 5-2-1 ACC) now move into a tie for fourth place with North Carolina.

HOW IT HAPPENED 

Pitt started the match on the front foot, creating more chances than the hosts through much of the first half, holding the edge in shots and corners.

Finally, the Panthers took the lead late in the first half, in the 45th minute, when Katie Zaileski headed in a long free kick from Ashton Gordon for the lead — and for the moment, pulled into a first-place tie with the Seminoles.

The Seminoles continued to do what they have done all season, dominate teams in the second half, though Pitt did come out with a few early shots on target, picking up where they left off when they outshot FSU, 8-3 and had the 3-1 edge in corners in the first half.

FSU got a good look from Onyi Echegini right out of the gate in the 48th minute.

With the pace of the match starting to pick-up and tilt, Florida State would finally break through to create some chances, and put the Panthers on their heels.

FSU finally converted in the 63rd minute as Taylor Huff sent the corner kick to the back post, and Lauren Flynn sent a beautiful header into the net for just her third career goal and her first goal of the season.

FSU kept the momentum as freshman phenom Jordynn Dudley scored her ninth goal of the season just nine minutes scoring in the 72nd minute of play. Dudley received a ball from Beata Olsson and beat her defender in the box and fired a shot into the back of the net.

Just three minutes later, Echegini found the back of the net on her fourth shot of the night as former Panther Leah Pais got the rally going with a ball to Jody Brown who quickly sent it to Echegini for the goal.

Pitt fought back in the 81st minute, when Samiah Phiri was fouled in the box by Flynn, then converted a penalty kick attempt to cut the lead to 3-2.

It was Phiri’s 9th goal on the season.

Despite cutting the lead, the home side held off Pitt, and slammed the door shut on a possible equalizer, limiting Pitt’s chances in the last eight minutes.

In the match, the Panthers held the edge in shots (16-10), saves (1-0) and corners (7-3).

UP NEXT

The Panthers complete their regular season road journey in South Carolina as they face the No. 8 Clemson Tigers on Sunday afternoon. The ACC matchup kicks off at 1 PM and will be aired live on the ACC Network.

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John Krysinsky has covered soccer and other sports for many years for various publications and media outlets. He is also author of 'Miracle on the Mon' -- a book about the Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC, which chronicles the club, particularly the early years of Highmark Stadium with the narrative leading up to and centered around a remarkable match that helped provide a spark for the franchise. John has covered sports for Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, DK Pittsburgh Sports, Pittsburgh Sports Report, has served as color commentator on Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC broadcasts, and worked with OPTA Stats and broadcast teams for US Open Cup and International Champions Cup matches held in the US. Krysinsky also served as the Head Men’s Soccer Coach at his alma mater, Point Park University, where he led the Pioneers to the first-ever winning seasons and playoff berths (1996-98); head coach of North Catholic boys (2007-08), associate head coach of Shady Side Academy boys (2009-2014).

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