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No. 22 Pittsburgh's Spirited Comeback Falls Short vs. No. 13 Michigan State

Box Score

Mar. 25, 2012

Pittsburgh, PA—The No. 22 ranked Pitt Panthers scored three goals in the last 1:43 of regulation to force overtime against the No. 13 Spartans of Michigan State at home on Saturday, March 24. 

Freshman Matt Wolfe contributed 9 points in the losing effort, tying a Pitt team record previously set by Alex Powell against Western Michigan earlier this season. Wolfe had four goals and five assists. Junior Tyler Novotny added six goals and an assist. Twins Bryan and Colin Peck combined for 9 points, including two goals each, with three and two assists, respectively. Senior midfielder Brian Faber chipped in with two goals to round out the scoring for Pitt.

Pitt fell behind early in the game as Michigan State went up 6-2. The Panthers managed to catch up and close out the first half only down by three with MSU up 9-6. The goals came back and forth in the third quarter. Matt Wolfe drilled a goal with only 14 seconds remaining on the clock to close out the quarter 12-10, MSU.

With 7:00 left in the game, the Panthers trailed State 14-12. Both teams scored twice and the scoreboard showed 16-14 with 1:43 left to play. A fully-packed Cost Center audience witnessed Colin Peck unleash a laser of a shot with 33 seconds left to bring the Panthers within one. At this point, freshman Matt Wolfe decided to put the team on his back as he won the faceoff and buried the tying goal with only 18 seconds left in regulation. The teams were locked at 16 to 16 as the final seconds ticked off of the scoreboard.

A frenzied crowd welcomed the underdogs back onto the field with thundering cheers of “LETS GO PITT!” Michigan State claimed the first possession, but a robust Panther defense soon regained the ball to give their offense a chance to pull off the second upset of the weekend. 

The Panther’s hopes were soon squashed, however, as the Spartans intercepted an errant pass and dashed downfield, scoring a goal to seal the victory for Michigan State.“I’m extremely proud of our guys and how they played today,” commented Head Coach Alex Perry after the game. “After a 19-3 loss in the playoffs last season, its evident that our program is making significant strides towards our goal of an MCLA championship. We’re excited to see this team again in the playoffs.” Pitt will most likely face off against MSU again after a first round bye in the CCLA playoffs in early May. 

After the game, the Pitt Panthers welcomed fans onto the field for an autograph session featuring free posters and sweaty hugs for friends, family, and admirers. If you didn’t get a poster, or if you want to see more high intensity lacrosse, come out and see your Panthers go up against the Indiana Hoosiers this Saturday, March 31 at 1 pm! 

Hail to Pitt!