Panthers Head to No. 7 Syracuse for ACC Tournament
11/1/2016 12:00:00 AM | Men's Soccer
Nov. 1, 2016
PITTSBURGH - The Pitt men's soccer team (2-12-3, 0-6-2 ACC) travels to No. 7 Syracuse (10-3-3, 3-2-3 ACC) to play in the first round of the 2016 ACC Tournament Wednesday, Nov. 2. Kickoff is slated for 7 p.m. at the SU Soccer Stadium.
Wednesday's game will be broadcast live on ACC Network Extra and can be viewed on WatchESPN/WatchESPN App. Live stats can be found here.
THE SERIES
- The series is tied 8-8-4.
- The Panthers and the Orange last met a year ago in Syracuse, which resulted in a 5-0 loss for the Panthers.
- Pitt head coach Jay Vidovich is 1-1-0 all-time against Syracuse.
LAST TIME OUT
- The Panthers fell 2-1 in the regular season finale on the road at No. 23 Virginia Tech.
- The Hokies struck first in the 31st minute and again in the 74th.
- Senior Matt Venanzi netted the lone goal for Pitt off a penalty kick in the 87th minute.
SCOUTING THE ORANGE
- Syracuse enters Wednesday's match ranked sixth in the nation and the No. 5 seed in the ACC Tournament.
- The Orange have three players with nine points on the season in Chris Nanco (four goals, one assist), Miles Robinson (four goals, one assist) and Johannes Pieles (three goals, three assists).
- In goal, Hendrik Hilpert has played in all 16 games for Syracuse and has made 33 saves.
PITT NOTES
- After his most recent goal against Virginia Tech, Venanzi now has six points (three goals) on the season tying him with freshman Luca Mellor (three goals).
- Wednesday's game marks the first ACC post-season appearance for the Panthers. Pitt joined the conference in the 2014 season.
VIDOVICH WRAPS-UP FIRST YEAR
- Head coach Jay Vidovich (274-131-54, 76-57-25 ACC) is nearing the conclusion of his first year at the helm of the Pitt men's soccer program.
- Vidovich, a two-time NSCAA Coach of the Year honoree, came to Pitt after spending 21 seasons at Wake Forest, which was highlighted by capturing the 2007 NCAA championship.
- Under his regime, Wake Forest won five Atlantic Coast Conference titles, compiling a 76-52-22 mark in one of the nation's most challenging leagues.
2016 ACC TOURNAMENT
- The winner of Pitt versus Syracuse will travel to the No. 4 seed Clemson for the quarterfinals Sunday, Nov. 6 at 1 p.m.
- New this season, all 12 ACC teams earn trips to the ACC Tournament with the top four seeds (North Carolina, Wake Forest, Louisville, Clemson) earning first round byes.
- The championship game will be played Sunday, Nov. 13 in Charleston, S.C. at 2 p.m. and will be broadcast live on ESPNU/WatchESPN.
Players Mentioned
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