Pitt holds on for 3-2 victory over Temple

By Kevin Mejia

Coming off a 3-1 loss at Virginia Tech, the Pitt Panthers looked to rebound Monday against the Temple Owls at Ambrose Urbanic Field.  Both teams started off slow, not getting much done in the first half. However, late in the 26th minute, Robby Dambrot drew a penalty kick. Javi Perez took the kick and converted with a strike to the lower left corner. For much of the rest of the half, both teams hunkered down defensively. Pitt only allowed 6 shots in the first half, with 3 on goal, while Temple allowed 4 shots, with 1 on goal. The first half ended with the Panthers up 1-0 on the Owls.

The second half really opened up the scoring for both teams. Only 4 minutes into the second half, Elias Villegas equalized the match for the Temple. This tally was set up by Lukas Fernandes. Fernandes was assessed a yellow card in the 57th minute as he fouled Chandler Vaughn. Shortly after this, Alexander Dexter found the back of the net in the 62nd minute off the volley from Perez and Dambrot. 4 minutes later, Edward Kizza found the back of the net for the 12th time this season. With Pitt up 3-1, the Owls went on the attack for the rest of the match. A shot from Fernandes was almost saved by the Panther defense, but Pitt put it into their own net. The Panthers would hold on to the lead for the rest of the match. It would not be easy, however, as a shot from Fernandes was blocked by Craig Bair. Joshua Gaspari also blocked a shot with his face to ensure the Panther’s victory in the last two minutes for a final score of 3-2.

With the win, the Panthers improve to 7-7 on the season. Looking ahead, they’ll play at Duke in an ACC matchup this Friday at 7 pm.