PITTSBURGH – The Duquesne lacrosse team was defeated 9-8 in overtime by Pitt in the season opener Friday evening at Highmark Stadium.
 
The Dukes (0-1) were led by a three-point effort by Delaney Rodriguez-Shaw (Longmeadow, Mass./Longmeadow) in her collegiate debut. She tallied a pair of goals and an assist on 11 total shot attempts.
 
Both Tina St. Clair (West Chester, Pa./Rustin) and Julie Cassidy (Medford, N.J./Shawnee). St. Clair notched a pair of goals, while Cassidy picked up two assists.
 
Goalie Rachel O'Toole (Collegeville, Pa./Methacton) stopped seven shots and collected a team-high six groundballs in the loss.
 
St. Clair got the scoring going for the Dukes less than five minutes into the match to make the score 1-0. Duquesne established its largest lead of the evening on another St. Clair goal five minutes into the second quarter that extended the lead to 3-1. Pitt (1-0) notched another goal at the 5:48-mark to send the Dukes into halftime leading 3-2.
 
Both teams continued to trade goals throughout the second half. Pitt took its first lead of the game at 7-6 with 8:57 left in regulation, before the Dukes countered with two-straight goals, including a go-ahead goal by Rodriguez-Shaw with 5:27 left on the clock.
 
Pitt managed to get the game-tying goal with 2:08 to play in the game to send the contest into overtime. The Panthers scored just over a minute into the extra session to deal Duquesne the loss.
 
Shots were basically even with Pitt holding a 27-26 edge for the match. The Panthers won 14 of the 20 draw controls, including the overtime draw control that led to the game-winning goal.
 
The Dukes will look to get back on track on Monday, Feb. 14 when they play their home opener at Rooney Field against Youngstown State. The opening draw is set for 4 p.m. and the match will broadcast on ESPN+.