The NC State women’s soccer team defeated Pitt 3-2 in a conference matchup Sunday afternoon at Ambrose Urbanic Field in Pittsburgh.
The Wolfpack (9-4-1, 2-3-1 ACC) ended its three-game losing skid against the Panthers (3-8-3, 0-5-1 ACC). The game saw a lot of action with 23 shots and six yellow cards from the teams combined.
“It feels good,” head coach Tim Santoro told NC State Athletics. “We found a way on the road to get a win, but we’re ready to get home. It’s been a long three weeks on the road.”
NC State scored first on a goal by junior forward Maxine Blackwood a second after the 10-minute mark.
Before halftime, Pitt evened the score 1-1 off of an assisted goal by forward Taylor Pryce about three minutes before the end of the period.
The Wolfpack broke through to start the second half with a goal by junior midfielder Taylor Porter. Her first goal of the season was a shot that crossed from far side to the front of the net off an assist from Blackwood and sophomore midfielder Tziarra King.
Just a few minutes later, State made it a 3-1 game in the 60th minute. Blackwood added to her impressive statistics of a goal and assist earlier in the game with another shot that hit the back of the net. Junior defender Hannah Keogh was credited with the assist.
“She was one of the few bright spots today,” Santoro said. “We needed another player to step up, and she’s really done well the past couple of games.”
Pitt made it a one-goal game with another score in the 66th minute against junior goalkeeper Sydney Wooten, who also had two saves on the day for the Wolfpack.
With the Pack up 3-2 with ten minutes left in the match, NC State had three more opportunities to score with back-to-back shot attempts by King and a free kick by Keogh after a Panther yellow card.
Pitt recorded three goalkeeper saves and one team save against State’s 13 shots and seven on the goal. The Panthers managed to keep the match competitive with solid defensive play and 10 shots of their own. It was not enough; however, as the Wolfpack won its second ACC game of the season.
The Wolfpack will be back in action Saturday against Syracuse at Dail Soccer Field.
