Okay - someone want to explain how the heck this happened?
Sure. (3-1 final, btw.)
1) Pitt, like any Jay Vidovich team, prefers to attack than defend. We caught them on two counters (one a short-field counter off a great bit of backline pressure) and a set piece. Overall, chances were about even...
2) ... but as is frequent in soccer, the superior finishing team prevails. Kyle's first finish and Tubbs's header were both clinical, and after that we got to sit on a two goal lead and let Pitt chase the game.
3) What you're really asking is that we played up to our talent level for the first time this season. Through a combination of injuries and players (who, lest we forget, are teenagers) having nightmarish games, we haven't really been able to strut our stuff thus far. On top of that, Pitt, like any Jay Vidovich team, isn't gonna constantly foul us or try to be overly physical, but will instead try to actually play. The bones of this team made an Elite Eight run last spring and then added the top recruiting class in the country. We have a top 5 roster in terms of talent, and we have a very good coach. This may well prove to be a bit of an anomaly on the positive side (Pitt is very good), but it's also pretty clear that the VCU and (especially) Louisville results were anomalous on the negative side. And some inconsistency is to be expected, because, again, these are teenagers.
4) Garrison Tubbs had a monster game at CB. So great to see him play that well after the rough start to his season.
All told, we're still a good team. We had key players make crucial mistakes that killed us (Tubbs against VCU, Prince Amponsah against Louisville) and soccer is a game of fine margins. At the same time, we have a pretty decent track record to show that they are both good players; Tubbs showed that tonight. Just a question of getting the gears clicking and eliminating some of those mistakes.