The University of Pittsburgh at Bradford men’s soccer team advanced to the semifinals of the AMCC tournament for the first time in school history Saturday with a 2-0 win over Pitt-Greensburg in the first round.

Neither team scored in the opening 45 minutes despite several chances for both squads. Pitt-Bradford finished with 12 shots compared to seven for the Bobcats.

Pitt-Greensburg nearly went ahead in the opening minute of the second half if not for two brilliant saves from Shane Gebert and goalkeeper Adam Forster.

The Bobcats’ Craig McDonald gathered a ball on the left side and fired a shot near the inside post that Gebert turned away with his right foot. The deflection bounced to Matt Papinchak who unleashed a shot from 10 yards out only to see Forster bat it away. The rebound eventually found Alex Leonard but his shot from 15 yards out sailed high over the crossbar to end the threat.

In the 67th minute, Toby Abdul-Razaq gained possession of the ball deep in the Bobcats’ end, and his shot from eight yards out deflected off the goalkeeper’s hands and bounced in to give the Panthers a 1-0 lead. It was Abdul-Razaq’s team-leading 13th marker of the year.

Moments later, Jake Karavitch played a ball ahead to Keishawn Daly, who spun and delivered a back-heel pass to a streaking Korbin Keene down the middle of the field. Keene alertly dribbled to his left and shot from just inside the box to score and make it 2-0. It was his fourth goal of the season.

The defense would preserve the shutout over the final 15 minutes to send Pitt-Bradford into the next round.

The Panthers outshot the Bobcats 27-17 and both teams attempted four corner kicks apiece. Forster finished with eight saves in net to earn the win.

“We played very well, fought for everything and finally took control in the second half,” said head coach Darek Panol. “After our first goal, the pressure was off and we started to cruise.

“Being the first playoff win for the program and for me personally, this was very special for all of us.”

The match was played at Bradford Area High School in front of an enthusiastic crowd that braved cold temperatures and a mixture of rain and snow throughout the game.

Pitt-Bradford improves to 7-8-2 on the season and will play at Penn State Behrend on Wednesday in the AMCC semifinals.

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