Sept. 11, 1999

Box Score

PITTSBURGH, Pa. - The 16th-ranked Notre Dame men's soccer team, playing its second straight overtime contest, battled Pittsburgh to a 1-1 tie in a BIG EAST test on the road. The Irish, who dropped a 1-0 overtime decision earlier in the week to Western Michigan at home, are now 2-1-1 overall and 1-0-1 in league play.

Freshman Alan Lyskawa (Novi, Mich.) tallied the contest first goal of the game less than 14 minutes into the game when he headed in a Connor LaRose (Claremont, Calif.) header at the 13:18 mark. The Irish, which were outshot 28-13 in the game, had five shots in the first half as Pittsburgh held a 10-5 advantage in that category in the first 45-minutes stanza.

Pittsburgh dominated the second half as well as they outshot Notre Dame 9-3. The Panthers finally converted when Mark Sikora capitalized on Reagan Bender's feed at 63:50 to knot the game.

Both teams had numerous scoring opportunities in the two 15-minute overtime periods, but neither team was able to convert on scoring chances. Pittsburgh outshot the Irish 8-0 in the first overtime, but Notre Dame's defense stiffened in the second overtime and did not allow the Panthers to get off a shot. Notre Dame had five shots of its own in the second overtime session.

Both goalkeepers recorded career-highs in saves with Irish goalie Gerick Short (Mobile, Ala.) coming up with six stops, while Justin Gaul had nine for the Panthers, who are now 1-2-2 on the season and 0-1-1 in the BIG EAST.

Notre Dame (2-1-1, 1-0-1)                   1   0     0   0   --      1
Pittsburgh (1-2-2, 0-1-1)                   0   1     0   0   --      1

SCORING: Notre Dame: Alan Lyskawa (Connor LaRose), 13,18, Pittsburgh: Mark Sikora (Reagan Bender), 63,50
SHOTS:  Notre Dame 13, Pittsburgh 28, CORNER KICKS: Notre Dame 1, Pittsburgh 6, FOULS: Notre Dame 20, Pittsburgh 21, GOALIE SAVES: Notre Dame - Gerick Short (6), Pittsburgh - Justin Gaul (9)