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It was a blustery, nearly chilly atmosphere at Cobb Stadium on Thursday night for senior night as the Miami Hurricanes soccer team (4-6-4) played to a tie with Atlantic Coast Conference foe Pitt (9-3-3), 0-0.
Amidst windy conditions in Coral Gables, the seniors on the team were honored and the match kicked off with a fast-paced start from the get go.
After a couple of good chances in transition early for the ‘Canes and a stellar opportunity that couldn’t be converted by Pitt’s Lucia Wells, Miami’s Gisselle Kozarski slashed a shot from the top of the box towards the top left corner of the goal. However, it was blocked by Ellie Breech, Pitt’s goalkeeper, on a diving save attempt. This kind of all-out effort was on display on both sides throughout the match.
This would end up being the only true chance for either side to score in the first half; it was Miami’s only shot on goal and Pitt was unable to produce one of their own through the first 45 minutes.
The second half had a brisk pace also; the potential scoring moments began with star freshman Giovana Canali placing a shot on goal which was saved by Breech. Tori Grambo forced a save from Breech, and Canali would once again put Breech in a trying position with a shot right towards her in the center of the net. Breech was able to handle the shot at the last moment, with her position for the save almost placing her inside of the goal after collecting Canali’s shot. The ‘Canes forced this kind of activity from Breech all night but were simply unable to break through with a go-ahead goal.
Perhaps the true highlight of the night for Miami was their defensive performance. Pitt had only been shut out three times during the span of this season, and the ‘Canes put the locks on the Panthers who have had one of the most explosive offenses in the entire ACC. Also, the ‘Canes ability to possess the ball for long periods contributed to their success.
The last tangible opportunity for Miami came off the foot of Kyla Gallagher, who was being celebrated as a senior. Her shot was kicked out of the box by Breech as it was just barely off target.
Head Coach Ken Masuhr spoke to Hurricanes Athletics about the team’s tenacity and highlighted his senior players on senior night.
“I am proud of the performance and our willingness to put together a complete 90 minutes. Our fans made it an incredible night for our soccer program and it was wonderful to hear them celebrate each of our players that are playing in their final season of college soccer. I was especially pleased to see us hold another team to zero shots on target. Credit to Claireese Foley who earned another ACC shutout in goal.”
Miami returns to action on Thursday, October 24, as they will battle the Syracuse Orange at 7 PM in Syracuse, New York.
The Miami Hurricane is the student newspaper of the University of Miami in Coral Gables, Florida. The newspaper is edited and produced by undergraduate students at UM and is published in print every Tuesday and online everyday during the academic year.
