The University of Pittsburgh at Greensburg men's soccer team battled back from a pair of one-goal deficits, but a late La Roche goal proved to be the difference as the Bobcats suffered a heartbreaking 3-2 defeat Saturday afternoon at Baierl Athletic Complex.
With the loss, Pitt-Greensburg fell to 9-4-4 overall and 4-2 in conference play, while La Roche improved to 8-5-2 overall and 5-1 in conference action.
It was a back-and-forth contest that saw the Bobcats twice erase a deficit before the Redhawks delivered the deciding goal in the closing minutes.
"It's a strong team and unfortunately they were better on the day," said Pitt-Greensburg head coach Marc Bucci.
La Roche controlled much of the opening half, outshooting the Bobcats 6-1 over the first 45 minutes. The Redhawks broke through in the 18th minute when Abdul Basit Suleman found the back of the net off an assist from Randal Amani, giving the visitors a 1-0 advantage.
Despite limited offensive opportunities in the first half, Pitt-Greensburg came out with renewed energy after the break. Just over four minutes into the second half, Lucas Pittman delivered the equalizer at the 49:31 mark, bringing the Bobcats level at 1-1.
The Redhawks responded in the 62nd minute when Landon Mukanos-Kramer scored off a feed from Christian Mushayuma to reclaim a 2-1 lead.
With time winding down, the Bobcats continued to battle. Their persistence paid off in the 83rd minute when Cam Loveland found the back of the net, tying the contest at 2-2 and giving Pitt-Greensburg new life in the closing minutes.
However, the celebration was short-lived. Just 1:59 later, La Roche regained the lead on a goal credited to the team at the 84:40 mark, putting the Redhawks ahead 3-2.
Bucci explained that the Bobcats made a calculated decision to pursue all three points rather than settle for a draw, knowing the importance of the result in the conference standings.
"We felt a tie wouldn't help us and decided to push more bodies forward to go for the win which hurt us in the end," Bucci said.
Pitt-Greensburg continued to push for another equalizer, earning a corner kick in the 89th minute before AJ Karstetter put a shot on goal that was turned away by La Roche goalkeeper Maddox Anderson. The Bobcats were unable to find the tying goal before the final whistle.
La Roche finished with an 11-6 advantage in shots and an 8-4 edge in corner kicks. However, Pitt-Greensburg generated five of its six shots in the second half as the Bobcats mounted their comeback effort.
Pittman and Loveland each recorded a goal for the Bobcats, while Ethan Rose led the team with two shots. Goalkeeper Nick Braun played all 90 minutes in net and was credited with three saves.
Despite the setback, the Bobcats still have an opportunity to improve their postseason positioning when they host Penn State Behrend on Tuesday in a pivotal regular-season finale.
The postseason implications are straightforward: a Pitt-Greensburg victory would secure the No. 3 seed in the conference tournament, while a loss or tie would leave the Bobcats as the No. 4 seed.
With a potentially more difficult postseason path awaiting the fourth seed, Bucci emphasized the importance of Tuesday's matchup.
"We know the road is much more difficult as a 4 seed so we're treating Tuesday as a final to go for the 3 seed," Bucci said.
The Bobcats will look to turn Saturday's disappointment into motivation as they welcome Penn State Behrend to Greensburg with postseason seeding on the line.
