3-30-22

The Pitt News

T h e i n d e p e n d e n t s t ude nt ne w spap e r of t he U niversity of Pittsburgh | PIttnews.com | march 30, 2022 ­| Volume 112 | Issue 81

Therapy dogs bring joy, relieve stress See pg. 2

Cover by Patrick Cavanagh | Senior Staff Photographer

News

Update on BAS demands pittnews.com

‘Made for this’: Therapy Dog Tuesdays bring joy, relieve stress for students

Allison Radziwon Senior Staff Writer

A miniature goldendoodle runs into the Cathedral Commons Room, immediately rushing over to students and begging to be pet. The students laugh and greet him by name — Clancy — before sitting down on the floor and gathering around him.

Bridget Watson O'Brien, Clancy’s owner, has brought her 4-year-old dog to Therapy Dog Tuesdays since May 2019.

She said Clancy was “made for” therapy work.

“His personality was such that he’s just so friendly with everybody. I just decided from the start that’s what I wanted to do,” Watson O’Brien, who works at the Allegheny County Sanitary Authority, said. “He absolutely loves it. He was made for this. He was actually sent here to do this, I believe.”

Therapy dogs visit the Cathedral’s first floor every Tuesday from 7 to 8 p.m. to help students relax from the stress of classes. The dogs attended classes at Humane Animal Rescue of Pittsburgh, then got tested for certification by Therapy Dogs International, according to psychology professor Jennifer Silk. Silk said since Pitt is closed to the public because of the COVID-19 pandemic, the group is sponsored by a new club on campus, called Therapy Dogs Club, to continue holding the gatherings every week.

Silk, the Therapy Dogs Club adviser, said she realized the dogs could continue coming to Pitt during the pandemic if they were “sponsored” by a group of students. The dogs and their owners could then be considered “guests of the University,” and allowed on campus for visits.

“We found a group of students that were really interested in keeping the program going, and started the Therapy

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Dogs Club this year,” Silk said. “And so that club has been happening and students are sponsoring us coming and having a new club doing activities.”

Nikki Konley, the Therapy Dogs Club’s vice president, said the club currently has monthly general board meetings, which started in January. She said they plan to have weekly general board meetings in the next academic year. She said the goal of the club was to “make sure” the therapy dogs could come back.

pects “more flexibility” with planning club events in the fall.

“I want to do events where we can introduce people to what the process [of training the dogs and becoming certified] is like. We also want to do local events, where we’re helping shelters,” Betsur, a sophomore majoring in biological sciences, said. “We’re just glad to be here and we have big plans.”

Silk often brings her 4-year-old golden retriever Simba, who became certified

A student pets Polli, Arleen Salerno’s 5-year-old golden retriever.

Patrick Cavanagh senior staff photographer “We really wanted to keep the therapy dogs coming to Pitt,” Konley, a sophomore majoring in industrial engineering, said. “This was always my favorite night of the week … and I really want this to be able to continue to happen.”

Omkar Betsur, the Therapy Dogs Club’s president, said he wants to plan more events with the therapy dogs outside of Tuesdays, such as volunteering at Humane Animal Rescue. He said with the mask mandate lifted Monday, he ex-

in July 2021 and started attending the Tuesday events in the fall. Silk said Simba became a therapy dog after encouragement from a trainer, as she has the “perfect personality.” Silk also said she was familiar with the program due to being a professor at Pitt.

“She’s so calm and obedient, but also really affectionate with most people,” Silk said. “I had come to the program before, so when I saw that she was suited for it, I thought ‘that’s what I want to do.’”

March 30, 2022

Simba can be spotted wearing a Pitt bandana she wears to every Tuesday event, according to Silk.

“When I put it on, she gets so excited.

Today I opened up the door to check the temperature to see what coat I needed after I put her bandana on, and she thought I was leaving without her,” Silk said. “She ran out the door with me because she thought I was leaving without her.”

After two stressful midterms last fall, sophomore Abigail Lustyik started visiting the therapy dogs every week. She also said she started coming because she missed her two dogs.

“My roommates and my friends had been going for weeks before, so I went for the first time then because I thought I really needed it,” Lustyik, a nursing major, said. “And then I realized it was actually a good time to take a break from school because I don’t usually do that. I love all the dogs, so I just kept coming after that.”

Betsur said his favorite part of Therapy Dog Tuesdays is “building connections” with both the dogs and their owners.

“Just building the connections with the dogs and the parents. The therapy dog parents, they’re just lovely,” Betsur said. “Even if you’re not a part of the club or anything, they will recognize you and the dogs will remember you just by building the connections and meeting them every week. It’s honestly one of the best parts of my week, regardless of how my week is going.”

Watson O’Brien said she hopes the dogs, like Clancy help all of the students that visit.

“We just love doing this, and we love coming out here,” Watson O’Brien said.

“We love sharing the joy and happiness that the dogs bring to everybody.”

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students voice hesitancy, optimism with shift to mask-optional policy

Daniel Okren Staff Writer

Pitt’s relaxed mask rules went into effect Monday, after the University’s Healthcare Advisory Group announced the changes last week. The current COVID-19 rules now state that “all community members are welcome to wear face coverings based on their own comfort levels and needs.”

Anvay Raje, a sophomore neuroscience major, said he was not sure how to feel about the change and will make his choice on whether to unmask after gauging how things progress on campus.

“I feel like it's going to be a transition,” Raje said. “I think it’ll depend on what people around me are doing.”

The University said in its announcement that the policy shift came after the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention designated the communities Pitt occupies to be low to medium risk

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A student wears a mask. Joy Cao senior staff photographer for COVID-19. Pitt will continue other virus mitigation efforts, including providing N95 masks at building entrances, weekly COVID-19 testing for unvaccinated individuals and building access

restrictions. University shuttles and buses, and labs where PPE are required, will continue to require masks.

Students showed cautious optimism about the ability to unmask after

March 30, 2022

years of dealing with pandemic restrictions. Anthony Zygmunt, a sophomore microbiology major, said while he was excited for the change, he was still wary of the larger implications of the new policy.

“As much as I appreciate the freedom, I don't know how I feel about it entirely,” Zygmunt said. “I trust public health officials, but the CDC has been prone to making things that might not have been great decisions for the sake of keeping the economy going.”

Chancellor Patrick Gallagher said at last week’s Senate Council meeting that the decision to shift to optional masking was a “step in moving forward for the University and community.”

In its update last Thursday, the University’s COVID-19 Medical Response Office said the Pittsburgh campus had a seven-day averages of 3.3 positive student tests and 1.3 positive faculty and See Masks on page 9

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Opinions

‘CODA’ sets great precedent pittnews.com

Satire | ‘Don’t Say Gay’ is really effective legislation Staff Columnist

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis signed the controversial “Parental Rights in Education” bill on Monday, also known as the “Don’t Say Gay” bill. The bill prohibits classroom instruction involving gender identity and sexual orientation, specifically for children in kindergarten through grade three, or “in a manner that is not age appropriate or developmentally appropriate.”

And maybe I’m crazy, but … does anyone else think this is like, super effective, necessary legislation?

No, seriously. Because developmentally inappropriate discussion of sexual orientation desperately needs addressing! I mean, don’t you guys remember that completely real day in kindergarten where our teachers used two Barbies and two G.I. Joe action figures to simulate gay sex in vivid detail?

Mortifying. We need to regulate these kinds of lessons, which, might I remind you, definitely happen.

Everybody knows that children have never been gay until recent history. There was definitely no devastating epidemic — exacerbated by an apathetic Republican administration — that wiped out an entire generation of queer people. The growing population of LGBTQ+ people is all because of the woke public school curriculum.

English classes reading “The Color Purple”?

Gay. AP Government and Politics covering Obergefell v. Hodges? Queer propaganda. Homozygous genotypes in biology?

HOMO?!?! Gay. If our schools don’t address queerness, then kids won’t ever know queer people exist! Floridian children don’t have lives outside of the classroom. Every morning, an alligator chases them for five miles to school. Exhausted from a day of learning, they go to bed promptly at 4 p.m. There are no children with gay parents, especially not in South Beach, where you can get a good ol’ heterosexual french toast at a drag

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queen-free brunch. Florida — aside from the snowflake-appeasing public school curriculum — is a completely straight, cisgender state. Once you exit the state and enter Georgia, glitter assaults the windshield of your 2013 Honda Civic and “Rain On Me”

by Lady Gaga and Ariana Grande reverberates through the interstate like a tornado warning.

If we were to address homosexuality

anything. That’d be crazy!

Like I said about backlash — there is none! Now, I know what you’re thinking. What about this video of Florida high school students walking out to protest the bill? Fake news. This is actually a site-specific immersive production of the play “The Laramie Project.” And thank heavens “Don’t Say Gay” might prohibit high school theater programs from ever performing “The

how Daddy and I loved each other before he left us for his cousin? Kaighleigh’s mommies love each other like that, too.” But that’s too much pressure! Instead, Florida moms will panic and Naruto run into their gatorproofed pools to create a diversion.

In all seriousness, this legislation is stupid, needless and harmful. Times are changing, and we need to change with them. We can’t pretend queer people don’t exist. Kids will be born queer no matter what we do and, lucky for us, we are bringing them up in a more vibrant, accepting world. It’s time to brave what we don’t know and choose love and life for our nation’s children.

Paige Wasserman (she/her) writes about the arts, pop culture, campus culture and things that make her want to scream. You can reach her at PLW15@pitt.edu.

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Paige Wasserman

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Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis displays the signed Parental Rights in Education, aka the Don’t Say Gay bill, flanked by elementary school students during a news conference on Monday, March 28, 2022, at Classical Preparatory school in Shady Hills. Douglas R. Clifford/Tampa Bay Times via AP with our students, we would have to address homophobia. But why address something that doesn’t exist anymore? Everybody knows that Hilary Duff ended homophobia with an earth-shattering public service announcement. Problem solved.

And not to mention, this bill is perfect for young queer educators! After all, they keep saying “do not perceive me” on TikTok. Now, we are largely barred from teaching about fundamental aspects of their identities. You’re welcome, teachers! There will be virtually no dissent, which we wouldn’t have to worry about anyway because it’s not like teachers are currently quitting en masse or

Laramie Project” again. The play’s content is way too heavy, and high school actors aren’t good enough to perform it. High school theater programs can just mount “The Crucible'' for the fourth time in 20 years. Besides, arts programs don’t have the budget for new sets and costumes. Reduce, reuse, recycle, am I right?

Ultimately, this legislation has one goal — keep parents comfortable in their inability to foster difficult conversations. I mean, God forbid little Huxley comes home and asks, “Mommy, how is it that my friend Kaighleigh has two mommies? I’ve never seen that before.” Mom could say, “You know

March 30, 2022

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Culture

Student appears on ‘Wheel of Fortune’ pittnews.com

Pitt students develop Potluck app to connect people through food

Patrick Swain

backgrounds, political views — all kinds of people about what we’re trying to do.” divides, especially with our online social The vlog series, titled “What’s Cooking media bubbles,” Yao said. “This is a way for in the Potluck?” has two episodes so far. The During a layover in Arizona several years people when they’re traveling, or even in team dined on borscht and pierogies with ago, Oliver Yao, a junior economics major, their own local communities, to meet strang- Pitt’s Ukrainian Cultural Club, and tasted a made a new friend on Couchsurfing, a social ers in a safe but authentic way … The beauty trifle with Pitt’s Irish Club. Moses, a marketnetwork aimed at connecting travelers with in those unexpected moments — whether ing and supply chain management major, locals. While the two shared a meal, Yao beit’s short or long — it’s always worthy to be said the vlogs have been an effective method gan to realize the uniting power of food. cherished and to continue to make those mo- of attracting interest.

“That’s when I thought of trying to prements happen.”

“The positive feedback we’ve received serve what Couchsurfing started, which is a movement of people having these authentic experiences with strangers, coming together, trusting each other and bonding over something as simple as food,” Yao said. “People operate on a gift economy where people provide their hospitality to others without expecting anything in return.”

Now, Yao is creating the app Potluck with junior Joe Slomowitz and sophomore Avi Moses to bring people together one meal at a time. Potluck is a platform where users can connect with each other online and meet up to have a meal. Potluck is still in development, but they have a growing community of interested individuals.

In Potluck’s earliest stages, Yao and Slomowitz placed second in Pitt’s Big Idea Blitz competition in February 2021. After Moses joined their team, the three co-founders entered Potluck in the Randall Family Big Joe Slomowitz, Avi Moses and Oliver Yao, the co-founders of Potluck.

Ideas Competition and placed as finalists. John Blair senior staff photographer The winners will be announced later this semester on April 12.

While the app is in development, the from just releasing our first vlog two ThursSlomowitz, a marketing, business inforteam has been holding “test Potlucks” for a days ago, really putting our marketing efforts mation systems and supply chain managevideo blog series, featuring meals and con- down just this month at the start of March, ment major, said the app is based on food to versations with members of Pitt cultural or- having this growth on Discord already,” Moencourage genuine interactions. ganizations. Slomowitz said interest in Pot- ses said. “I know it’s small, but in one month, “What’s better at bringing people together luck is steadily growing. it’s amazing. If this keeps happening, this than food?” Slomowitz said. “There’s some“This semester we’ve been really focusing could be great.” thing very special about being able to sit on our vlog series and trying to demonstrate Slomowitz said the app’s official launch down with others for food, and to be able to to people what Potluck is. At the same time, date is undetermined, but fostering a Potluck feed somebody.” we have a Discord server and a waitlist where community with vlogs is keeping them busy Potluck will exist to bridge divides bepeople can express interest,” Slomowitz said. in the meantime. tween people, Yao said.

“It’s not big yet, but we’re definitely making “We’re still trying to gauge interest, but “We’re trying to tackle a global challenge progress and getting some traction and inter- also doing these Potlucks and doing these of bridging people across cultures, religions, est. It’s been really fun to reach out and talk to vlogs,” Slomowitz said. “We have a general Staff Writer

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March 30, 2022

goal of 200 users on our waitlist as a threshold … in the meantime, we’re going to focus on the Discord, having these meals, getting all these Potlucks together, and see who we can bring together, what videos we can capture and what cool moments we can have.”

The biggest challenge, Yao said, is growing a diverse user base on a service whose functionality is defined by the number of existing users.

“You wouldn’t use Facebook if no one else was on Facebook. It’s the network effect — the more people we have, the more value it’ll provide. [We need] those initial people who can really believe in us and be willing to use Potluck, even in its nascent form,” Yao said.

“The idea for Potluck itself can come in many shapes and sizes … The challenge is reaching all these demographics.”

Moses said Potluck differs from traditional social networks because it’s based on real-life interaction.

“The distinction [is that] the goal is for people to meet up in person rather than staying on the app,” Moses said. “It’s for them to form connections.”

Slomowitz said the act of sharing food is important to his Jewish heritage, and hopes Potluck will promote cultural exchange.

“We have a holiday coming up in Judaism called Passover, and one of the lines you read during Passover is “all who are hungry, come and let them eat.” At the essence of it, what we describe with that line is … to be able to welcome somebody in for food, to be able to provide somebody food, there’s something very meaningful and powerful,” Slomowitz said. “[Food is] a tool where you can share cultures.”

Dining is a universal ritual, and sharing it with others is significant, Moses said.

“Eating a meal – breakfast, lunch or dinner – is a break from your busy world … To be able to share that with someone else is special,” Moses said. “Creating a way for people to harness the power of food is great.”

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Sports Zack Gibney

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Pitt lacrosse has met, exceeded expectations in inaugural season

Senior Staff Writer As the saying goes, Rome wasn’t built in a day. But “Rome” in this situation is well ahead of schedule.

Coming into its inaugural season, few had high expectations for Pitt’s lacrosse program. While the idea of a new team on campus was a fun and compelling concept, many expected the rest of the ACC to leave Pitt behind.

That sentiment has since changed.

While head coach Emily Boissonneault and the Panthers are still yet to pick up an ACC win, the team has impressed on several levels. The Panthers sit at 5-6 on the season, and in their losses to Virginia Tech, No. 7 Duke and No. 2 Boston College, the Panthers were either ahead or well within arm’s reach of the lead in each game.

Pitt came up just one goal short in the games against Virginia Tech and No. 7 Duke. The Panthers took Virginia Tech to double overtime at home and nearly knocked off Duke in Durham after holding a 5-4 lead at halftime.

While their record may not reflect it, the Panthers have been far more competitive than many expected them to be — a testament to an effective coaching staff and a promising group of players who refuse to accept their underdog status.

Pitt has a roster of players from a variety of different backgrounds ranging from graduate transfers to former members of the club team. Despite the different journeys, the team has clicked and the results are beginning to show.

Through 11 games, Pitt has two 20goal scorers in graduate student attacker Paige Petty and sophomore attacker Kate Elam, who have 29 and 20 goals, respectively. Petty has scored five goals on three separate occasions, including

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Narduzzi signs contract extension through 2030 season

once against Virginia Tech — her former school.

Petty, who set Tech’s single-season goals record just three seasons ago, has spearheaded Pitt’s attack throughout the season. After making the move to Pitt, she has picked up right where she left off with the Hokies.

Between the pipes, the Panthers have another contributor who arrived via the transfer portal in graduate student goalkeeper Paulina DiFatta. After attending Fairfield and Elon before her arrival in Pittsburgh, DiFatta cemented herself as the team’s No. 1 goalkeeper. DiFatta started all 11 of Pitt’s games and has a save percentage of .442 so far this season.

Petty and DiFatta are both part of a group of older players who have laid the groundwork for the program’s future.

Despite the fact that the program may not contend at a national level while they’re on the roster, it will feel their impact going forward.

There’s something to be said for a months-old program taking some of the nation’s top teams down to the final whistle.

Looking toward the remainder of their schedule, the Panthers will face Syracuse, Louisville and Notre Dame to finish out conference play. They will also travel to Happy Valley to face Penn State on April 12, and George Mason at Highmark Stadium to close out the regular season on April 19.

Aside from the on-field product, the players and coaching staff have created a sense of family within the program. Boissonneault prioritized building a strong culture since taking over the program, and she said the players have bought in.

“I’m super impressed with the team’s commitment to the process. The play-

ers understand that the culture piece is more important than anything to me,” Boissonneault said. “That’s going to drive our success. If we don’t have a strong culture, then a lot of the work we are doing doesn’t have the same value.”

In a season full of firsts, the Pitt lacrosse program is showing extremely promising signs for the future. The Panthers’ mentality is a prime reason they’re outperforming expectations for a team that’s only a month and a half old.

The team had not played a game before mid-February, but the bond between the players and coaches is something that can define the program going forward.

“I love every person on this team and

March 30, 2022

I think we do a good job of making everyone feel that,” Boissonneault said. “I really value the community that they’re creating and the family atmosphere … that’s really special.”

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Masks, pg. 3 staff tests per day. The office has said that more than 90% of students, faculty and staff across all campuses are vaccinated with many having additionally received a booster dose.

Julieta Zabala, a sophomore nursing major, said knowing she and her peers are vaccinated makes her feel better about the masking change.

“I’m pretty comfortable with it, especially since the vaccine rates are high,” Zabala said.

With the unvaccinated and immunocompromised at higher risk for contracting COVID-19, the University released a message last week encouraging professors to be mindful of all students and “recognize and manage both the impacts on, and reactions of, our students and colleagues to the new posture.”

Zygmunt said some of his professors and classmates encouraged community members to remain masked in light of those who are at a higher risk of infection.

“Professors and a lot of people in classes are asking that people wear

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masks still because they have immunocompromised friends or relatives,” Zygmunt said.

Gaurav Badham, a sophomore neuroscience and anthropology major, is not optimistic that the change is going to proceed without consequence.

“Honestly, I feel like it's going to backfire pretty quickly,” Badham said.

“Everybody gets comfortable and then something happens and there’s a new spike in cases and then we go backwards.”

Despite this, Badham said he believes it is better that the University is doing what it can to move “forward.”

“I think it’s better because we’re still trending forward even though we fall back. It's not as bad as it was with the initial lockdown,” Badham said “I’m more comfortable with it now than I was before.

While some rules are changing, others remain the same. Pitt still recommends that any individuals who exhibit COVID-19 symptoms get tested, regardless of vaccination status or known exposure.

“I'm staying home if I have any symptoms,” Zabala said. “I trust people

around me to do the same.”

Zabala said while she is comfortable in the more open areas on campus, she does not think she is ready to attend classes without a mask.

“In places where people are spread out I feel comfortable because I'm vaccinated,” Zabala said. “I personally will probably be using it in classrooms where we’re a little more crowded.”

Casey Mulcahy, a sophomore nursing student, shares in the apprehension to unmask in crowded classrooms. Mulcahy said she would continue to wear a mask when students are “shoulder to shoulder.”

Mulcahy said she is using this week as a bellwether for how she is going to operate going forward.

“This will be like a trial week. If COVID cases go up a lot after this week then I'll probably go back to masking indoors,” Mulcahy said. “But I’m pretty comfortable right now.”

Despite unknowns, Zabala said she believes that it is important that the University is following the CDC guidance in their efforts to get the campus community back to some semblance of normalcy.

“I think it's important that we’re following the CDC guidelines,” Zabala said. “Eventually we're going to have to move on.”

March 30, 2022

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Pitt routs Akron, 18-6, on frigid evening at Highmark Stadium Stephen Thompson Sports Editor

Pitt women’s lacrosse was fresh off a loss to the No. 2 team in the country and, after some competitive losses in conference play, eager to earn something other than a moral victory.

They did more than just that against Akron on Monday afternoon. The Panthers (6-6 overall, 0-5 ACC) earned their second-highest margin of victory of the season against visiting Akron (2-10 overall, 1-4 MAC). They won by a score of 18-6 in their final non-conference game of the season.

With another top-five opponent looming on the horizon, Pitt wanted to avenge last weekend’s loss to Boston College, according to junior attack Carlie Leach. She said her team felt more connected on Monday night and finally put together a full 60-minute performance.

“I think it was kind of a bit of revenge,” Leach said. “We know that we’re capable of more and capable of putting a full 60 minutes together. So it was really great to see that tonight.”

Amid frigid temperatures at Highmark Stadium, Pitt followed a simple formula. Defensive stops created fastbreak opportunities and the Panthers used their quickness advantage to find easy shots around the net.

They dominated possession in the early minutes and goals naturally followed. The Panthers found the back of the net twice within the game’s first two and a half minutes. They shot four times to no avail, before netting their first score at the 10:41 mark and second 53 seconds later.

Graduate attack Madisyn Kittell assisted on both goals and, after dicing up the Zips for 30 minutes, extended her team lead in assists from three over the next highest total to six. Against Akron, she and junior attack Leach tied for the team lead in assists with three apiece.

Kittell gets the glory of having filled the box score, but after the game, she credited her teammates with finding free space on their own.

“I think my team did a great job of working off the ball and getting open,” Kittell said. “And I think it’s mostly on them. Yeah I saw them, but they did a really good job working off ball.”

Pitt led 3-0 after one quarter and stretched its advantage in the second. The Panthers scored six times in the frame, primarily off of fast breaks.

Pitt’s defenders stonewalled the Akron attack and won the battle for ground balls. Meanwhile, the midfield unit made transitions smooth and attackers closed out possessions with easy scores off effective passing and cutting.

At times, the Panthers simply ran past their

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opponents on offense and outmuscled them on defense, but that was by design, according to Leach. She said the Panthers wanted to run their fastbreaks often, something they haven’t practiced a lot.

“We just haven’t really worked on our fastbreak game and for the first time tonight, we were really able to do that,” Leach said. “We’ve been working on that in practice and seeing those different gaps where we could find the back of the net … And now I think we’ll keep doing it.”

In the second half, Akron shored up its de-

fense and began to pressure Pitt on the other end.

Instead of trying to match the Panthers’ speed, the Zips played deliberately. Their first goal came after they used up almost the entire 90-second shot clock and moved the ball to within close range. Akron also benefited from some sloppy Pitt fouls that gave first-year midfielder Noelle Boyd open looks at the net. She scored four of six Akron goals and gave the Panthers fits all evening.

Because the score ended up so lopsided, head coach Emily Boissonneault mixed in some of

March 30, 2022

her reserves. As a result, a trio of Pitt first-years — Rachel Familetti, Devon Cavanaugh and Maeve Murray — each scored their first career goals. Leach said she was happy that they got to celebrate their teammates’ milestones during the win.

“It was so incredible to see so many of them have their first goal tonight,” Leach said. “Just being there to celebrate them was awesome. I think

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