Pitt got routed by Virginia Tech, 19-5, on Saturday afternoon at Thompson Field in Blacksburg. It was a lackadaisical performance by the Panthers, as Virginia Tech dominated in every facet of the game. With the loss, Pitt dropped to 3-4 on the season and 0-2 in ACC play.
The Hokies out-shot the Panthers, 39-12, on the afternoon. Oliva Vergano and Claire Schotta led Virginia Tech with four goals each.
Virginia Tech’s Lauren Render got the Hokies on the scoreboard first with a goal at the 8:40 mark of the first period. Pitt’s Molly Carter answered 47 seconds later with goal off a free position shot to tie the game at 1-1. The Hokies retook the lead with 5:26 remaining in the opening period, thanks to a goal by Vergano. The Hokies then went on a 3-0 run with goals from Paige Tyson, Kayla Rinaldi and Schotta. Pitt’s Maeve Murray cut the deficit to 5-2 with 40 seconds left in the opening period.
The Hokies picked up where they left off and continued to control the game in the second, as Maura 0’Malley ripped one past Pitt goaltender Hannah Van Middelem to increase Virginia Tech’s lead to 6-2. Schotta then added to the Hokies’ lead, it was her second goal of the afternoon. Camdyn O’Donnell stopped Virgina Tech’s 2-0 run with a goal at the 6:29 mark of the second period. The Panthers failed to go on a scoring surge, however, as the Hokies rebounded and scored four more goals to go into halftime with a commanding 11-3 lead. Vergano scored three of the four goals, which gave her four in the first half.
The Hokies out-shot the Panthers, 20-7, in the first half. Along with controlling possession, Virginia Tech had the advantage in ground balls (6-4), draw controls (10-6) and caused turnovers (4-1). The Hokies also had seven assists on their 11 first-half goals, which showcases how well they were moving the ball. Pitt had no assists on its three goals in the first half.
To open the third period, O’Malley scored off a free position shot to increase the Hokies lead to 12-3. O’Malley’s goal occurred when Pitt was playing with a player down. Pitt’s Sydney Naylor scored on a free position shot to make it a eight-goal game with 4:12 left in the third period. The Hokies out-scored the Panthers, 7-1, the rest of the way and pulled off a convincing 14-goal win. The Hokies out-scored the Panthers, 7-0, in the fourth period. It was pure domination, which was pretty much the case the entire afternoon for Virginia Tech.
Pitt’s next game is on Tuesday, March 14, against Liberty at Highmark Stadium. Face-off is at 4 p.m.
