The Pitt-Greensburg men's soccer team remained unbeaten on the young season Wednesday, battling back from a second-half deficit to earn a 1-1 draw against Hiram at Charles A. Henry Field at Malmisur Stadium. The result moves the Bobcats to 2-0-1 on the season.
The two sides played through a scoreless opening 45 minutes, with Pitt-Greensburg generating three shots while limiting Hiram to five. Nick Braun made a pair of first-half saves to help send the match into halftime scoreless.
The pace changed after halftime as Hiram made adjustments and began to put the Bobcats under pressure. Braun was called upon three times in less than three minutes early in the half, turning away attempts from Caleb MacKay, Jayden Julian and Carmine Boscarello.
"We weren't ourselves in the second half after some adjustments from Hiram and really had to pick the effort up defensively," head coach Marc Bucci said. "Thankfully we worked well together to earn the point."
Hiram eventually broke through at the 69:13 mark when Boscarello converted a penalty kick to put the Terriers ahead, 1-0.
Facing its first deficit of the match, Pitt-Greensburg responded. Cooper Robson provided the equalizer in the 83rd minute, finishing a feed from Cam Loveland to bring the Bobcats level at 1-1 with just over seven minutes remaining.
"This was a playoff environment and it led to some frantic moments, but another quality assist from Cam and a brave finish from Cooper was the effort we needed," Bucci said.
Hiram made a final push over the closing minutes, but the Bobcats held firm. Braun made his sixth save of the evening on a Boscarello attempt in the 89th minute, and Hiram's final shot sailed high as Pitt-Greensburg saw out the draw.
The Bobcats' defensive effort proved critical on a night in which Hiram finished with a 21-6 advantage in shots, including 16 attempts in the second half, and a 6-1 edge in corner kicks. Braun played all 90 minutes and recorded six saves, with Hiram's lone goal coming from the penalty spot. Robson led Pitt-Greensburg with three shots, while Loveland played the full 90 minutes and recorded the assist on the tying goal.
With the draw, Pitt-Greensburg remains unbeaten through its first three matches at 2-0-1.
The Bobcats return to action Saturday for their home opener and Senior Day against Penn State Berks. Senior Day festivities will begin at 1:15 p.m., with kickoff scheduled for 2 p.m.
