Oct. 29, 2000

Box Score

PITTSBURGH - With a 1-0 shutout over visiting Syracuse today, the Pittsburgh men's soccer team clinched fourth place in the Big East Conference's regular season standings and will host Seton Hall in a league quarterfinal matchup this Sunday, Nov. 5, at Quaker Valley High School. Game time will be 1 p.m.

Today's victory was the 13th of the season for the Panthers, just one shy of tying their all-time record for wins in a season (14). Pittsburgh, 13-4 overall and 7-4 in the conference, is advancing to the Big East championships for the first time since 1995 in which they finished as the league runner-up.

It was a defensive effort for both teams in the first half with the 20th-ranked Orangemen holding a narrow 6-4 shot advantage. The game remained scoreless at halftime, but the Panthers turned up the pressure in the second half and dominated with a 12-4 shot count.

Nearly 20 minutes into the second stanza, sophomore forward Josh Whitham (Woodbridge, Va./Woodbridge) broke the scoreless tie when he took a cross from senior Andrew Light (Lebanon, Pa./Cedar Crest) and knocked it past Syracuse's goalkeeper from seven yards out. It was Whitham's fourth goal of the season and proved to be the game-winner as the Panthers held on for the win.

Sophomore goalkeeper Justin Gaul (Huntingdon Valley, Pa./William Tennant) notched his fifth shutout of the year and moved into second place on Pittsburgh's all-time list for wins in a season with 13. He made six saves on the afternoon. Senior midfielder Ben Garry (Rochester, Minn./Lourdes) led the Panthers with five shots on goal.

Pittsburgh's six seniors played in the final regular season home game of their careers. Garry, Light, Spencer Barton (Hudson, Ohio/Hudson), Keith Blass (Greenlawn, N.Y./Harborfields), Tim Montgomery (McMurray, Pa./Peters Township) and Chad Porter (Irwin, Pa./Penn Trafford) were all honored in a special pre-game ceremony.