Pitt Battles to a 0-0 Draw in Coral Gables

CORAL GABLES, FL – Junior goalkeeper Ellie Breech recorded five saves and Pitt held an 11-9 shot advantage over Miami, but neither team could find the back of the net in a 0-0 draw at Cobb Stadium Thursday evening.

Pitt, ranked No. 8 in the Top Drawer Soccer Poll, moved to 9-3-3 overall and 3-2-2 in the ACC. The Panthers are unbeaten in their past four matches with shutouts in each of the past two outings.

With winds swirling in Coral Gables the game featured a lot of back-and-forth action, but little sustained possession in the final third of the field.

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OPENING HALF ACTION

• Pitt earned an early corner in the fourth minute leading to a Katie Zailski header that went just wide of frame.
• Breech made a terrific diving save with 32:54 left in the half to keep the match deadlocked 0-0 as Miami fired a shot from 25-yards out against the run of play.
• Samiah Phiri got on a free kick from Zailski in the 16^th minute with a flick header that beat the Miami keeper before bouncing just wide of the left post.
• Ellie Coffield made a series of strong plays from the center back position midway through the half as Miami took advantage of heavy winds to push the ball downfield to shift the run of play and slow Pitt’s attack.

SECOND HALF ACTION

• Breech smothered a shot by Miami’s Giovana Canali at the 55:51 mark and Sarah Schupansky has a strike bang off the cross bar less than two minutes later as the match turned into a series of back and forth runs.
• Breech made a nice play on a Miami free kick from just inside midfield at the 62:14 mark. She high-pointed the long attempt up in the wind and held the ball out of goal as she back-pedaled across the goal line.
• Pitt’s defense blocked a pair of shots by the Hurricanes in the 63rd minute to retain the clean sheet
• Phiri worked along the end line in the 64^th minute and found Keera Melenhorst with a center pass, but her shot attempt went wide of frame.
• Miami had a dangerous opportunity off a cross in the 72^nd minute but Ashley Moon made a nice sliding contest to force the Hurricane shot attempt just wide of frame.
• The Panthers outshot Miami 3-1 over the final 10 minutes with the Hurricanes lone shot coming as the final buzzer sounded.

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Pitt continues its Florida road…