Inside The Panthers

No. 1 Pitt Men's Soccer Dismantles Howard, 8-1

No. 1 Pitt Panthers men's soccer dismantled Howard, 8-1, at Ambrose Urbanic Field.

Dominic Campbell

Pitt Men's Soccer Celebrates A Goal
Pitt Men's Soccer Celebrates A Goal / Courtesy of Pitt Athletics

PITTSBURGH -- No. 1 Pitt Panthers men's soccer continues to win, as they took down Howard, 8-1 at Ambrose Urbanic Field.

The win is the sixth in a row for the Panthers (9-1-0) (W-L-D), their longest win streak since they won their first seven matches in 2020. It is also the ninth win all-time vs. the Bison (1-5-2), with four wins under head coach Jay Vidovich since 2019.

The Panthers now have their best start to a season since 2000, when they were 11-1 overall. The eight goals are also the most they've scored in 2024 and the most under Vidovich. The Panthers last scored that many goals when they defeated the Bison 9-0 in 2014.

Pitt had a few chances to start the match, but would get their best one in the 10th minute, when Howard redshirt freshman goalkeeper Liam Keiller took down senior forward Luis Sahmkow in the box for a penalty.

Sahmkow would step up to the spot and cooly place his shot in the left hand corner, sending the keeper the wrong way to make it 1-0.

The Bison shockingly came back with a response, as senior forward Bryson Baker sent in a cross to fellow senior forward Marcus Lewis, who took it first time and put it to the left of Panthers sophomore goalkeeper Jack Moxom to level the match at 1-1 in the 19th minute.

Pitt would almost immediately retake the lead in the 21st minute. Graduate student midfielder Arnau Vilamitjana received a pass from senior forward Casper Grening just outside the box and struck it from distance for a sensational long goal to make it 2-1.

Most of the goal scoring for the Panthers took place in the second half. Junior defender Casper Svendby put in a cross for sophomore forward Albert Thorsen, who controlled it and put it in the back of the net for a Norwegian collaboration in the 47th minute, increasing the lead to 3-1.

Svendby would get the next Pitt goal in the 57th minute, thanks to a flick from Sahmkow, allowing him to chest it down and shoot on goal, using a deflection to get his second goal of the season.

Grening took advantage of the space the Bison defenders gave him and would score off a beautiful, curling shot into the right hand corner of the net in the 60th minute for his third goal of the season and second straight match with a goal.

Pitt added two goals in three mintues, as freshman midfielder Miguel Bertran connected with junior forward Eben McIntyre for a header off a corner in the 70th minute and then sophomore midfielder Santiago Ferreira would take a shot from outside the box that crept into the left corner past the keeper.

That goal for Ferreira, who is the brother of United States International Jesús Ferreira, is the first of his career.

McIntyre would get his second of the game in the 84th minute, sliding it past the keeper for his first multi-goal game of his career.

Pitt will face their highest ranked opponent on Oct. 7, as they host No. 6 Denver at 7:00 p.m. for the second of a four match homestand.

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Dominic Campbell
DOMINIC CAMPBELL

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