Pittsburgh Panthers hit the ground running..

The University of Pittsburgh Panthers opened their college paintball season on Sunday against the Penn State Nittany Lions, Ohio University Bobcats, and the West Virginia Mountaineers. The Panthers spent the summer practicing to integrate a strong group of new players with existing group of returning players. With two players from last season lost to graduation, and four more making their first appearance in a Pitt uniform, there were a number of adjustments made to the Pitt team, but the summer workouts had everyone looking forward to the NCPA event as the first test of this new Panthers team.

Adding to this excitement was the new gear supplied by Eclipse, who had signed the Panthers to an exclusive sponsorship deal for the season. The new equipment and offseason practice helped turn the tide for Pitt. Every team in the conference had made big improvements, and the level of play was markedly higher than in past years.

The Panthers players showed up early to scout the Penn State v. WVU match and get ready for their first match against Ohio University. OU has always been a tough opponent, and the Bobcats came out swinging, leading to a close score at the half. Pitt pulled away in the second half, ending with a 9-5 victory. After a short break to grab more paint, Pitt had to face the Penn State squad, a perennial competitor on the college paintball landscape. The Panthers took advantage of a cold start by the Nittany Lions, and put points up on the board shortly after the opening horn. After watching the Penn State / WVU match, the Panthers had switched up their game plan, making aggressive pushes down the dorito side to counter Penn State's snake side push. Penn State made a few adjustments midway through the second half and fought back to earn a few points, but it turned out to be too little, too late and Pitt cruised to a 7-4 victory.

After a one-match break, Pitt was up again, this time to play against the West Virginia Mountaineers. WVU and Pitt share the same home field, and tempers and tensions were high as the football and basketball rivals took their turn on the paintball field. The Mountaineers came out with a varied attack, switching up their game plan with interesting breakouts on both sides of the field. In the end, Pitt's continued pushes wore down the West Virginia team, and the Panthers came away with another 7-4 victory.


The Panthers players paused for a team picture with their new Eclipse markers, then packed up as rain started to roll in. The University of Pittsburgh paintball team would like to thank Planet Eclipse for their support and their amazing GEO and EGO markers, and the Pittsburgh Paintball Sports Complex for hosting the NCPA tournament.