Sebastian Roman Rivera turned in another strong performance in goal, stopping seven of eight shots on target, but Pitt-Johnstown could not find the equalizer in a 1-0 PSAC West loss to Seton Hill on Tuesday afternoon at Pitt-Johnstown Soccer Field.
The Mountain Cats (1-6-0, 0-3-0 PSAC) were outshot 14-6 by the Griffins (4-4-2, 2-1-1 PSAC) but kept the game within reach behind Roman Rivera's goalkeeping and a handful of quality looks at the other end, including a shot off the crossbar.
Seton Hill broke through in the 32nd minute when Tomas Gomes buried a shot to the bottom center of the net off an assist from Zander Ferrao, snapping a scoreless tie and providing the game's only goal. Roman Rivera had denied Ferrao's initial attempt on the same sequence moments earlier before Gomes finished the rebound.
Pitt-Johnstown had its best chance to answer in the 37th minute when Noah Pawling rattled the crossbar on a shot from inside the box. Jon-Luc Renaud also tested Seton Hill goalkeeper Jannik Reiss twice in the second half, forcing saves in the 61st and 89th minutes, while Tristan Ralph added a shot on goal in the 81st minute.
Roman Rivera was busy throughout, particularly in the first half when he turned away five shots to keep the match scoreless into the 32nd minute. He finished with seven saves on the afternoon, allowing just the one goal despite facing 14 total shots.
Pitt-Johnstown will look to bounce back when it hosts a non-conference match against Lackawanna College on Saturday, at 3 p.m. at Pitt-Johnstown Soccer Field, before heading to Lock Haven for a PSAC West matchup next Wednesday, at 3 p.m.
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