Pitt to Face No. 6 Virginia in ACC Tournament

PITTSBURGH – The University of Pittsburgh men's soccer team is set to face No. 6 Virginia in the first round of the ACC Tournament Wednesday, Oct. 31 at 7 p.m. at Klockner Stadium.

HOW TO FOLLOW

Wednesday's match will be broadcast live on ACC Network Extra and may be viewed on WatchESPN/WatchESPN app by clicking here.
Live stats for the match can be found here.
Fans can also follow along with live updates on Twitter.

KLOCKNER STADIUM ADMISSION PROTOCOL

New for the 2018-19 soccer season, enhanced security procedures will be implemented for all games at Klockner Stadium, including a clear bag and metal detection policies.
The full description of these procedures may be found here.

LAST TIME OUT

Pitt dropped its final match of the regular season to No. 23 Notre Dame, 1-0, Saturday, Oct. 27 at Ambrose Urbanic Field.
The two teams played each other very evenly through much of the match, with Notre Dame closing the game with only a slight 10-8 edge in shots. It wasn't until the 85th minute that the Fighting Irish got on the board, scoring from the middle of the box out of a free kick.
Redshirt senior Robby Dambrot led Pitt with three shots in the match. Senior Javi Perez, sophomores Alexander Dexter, Edward Kizza and Marcony Pimentel and freshman Jackson Walti all added one shot apiece.

SURVEYING THE STATS

Eight different Panthers have scored a goal this season in Dambrot, Dexter, Kizza, Perez, Pimentel, Walti sophomore Jose Luis Sena Arbona and redshirt freshman Fiorre Mane.
Kizza leads the team with 13 goals, followed by Perez with four. Dexter and Pimentel have both netted two goals on the season, with Dambrot, Mane, Sena Arbona and Walti each adding one goal apiece.
Pitt has also seen 11 players record assists on the season.
Dexter leads the squad with four assists, followed by Perez with three and Dambrot, Pimentel and Sena Arbona with two. Walti, senior Tom Moxham and freshmen Rodrigo Almeida, Nyk Sessock, Alec Townsend and Chandler Vaughn have all added one helper each.

SIZING UP THE 2018 SLATE

Pitt has faced some tough competition in the 2018 season, with a schedule that includes 12 NCAA Tournament teams from a year ago.
In 17 matches, the Panthers have faced eight ranked opponents in then-ranked No. 25 Colgate, No. 4 Akron, No. 5 North Carolina, No. 6 Louisville, No. 12 NC State, No. 11 Virginia, No. 14 Duke and No. 23 Notre Dame.
Pitt will open ACC Tournament play with another ranked opponent in No. 6 Virginia.

ACC TOURNAMENT HISTORY

The Panthers will be competing in the ACC Tournament for just the third time since they joined the conference.
Last season, Pitt recorded a 5-0 loss to then-ranked No. 21 Notre Dame, Wednesday, Nov. 1 in South Bend, Ind.
In 2016, the Panthers fell to then-ranked No. 7 Syracuse, 4-0, Wednesday, Nov. 2 in Syracuse, N.Y.

KIZZA COMMANDING ATTENTION

Coming off a freshman campaign in which he scored four goals, Kizza has notched 13 goals through 17 games this season.
Kizza currently ranks sixth in program history for single-season goals. No Pitt player had previously cracked the top-10 in single-season goals since 1977.
The sophomore is also tied for ninth in program history for points in a season with 26. No player had cracked the top-10 in single-season points since 1997.
The Kampala, Uganda, native currently leads the team in shots (39), points (26), shots on goal (25) and goals (13).
As of Oct. 28, Kizza ranks fifth in the nation and first in the ACC in total goals (13), 10^th in the nation and first in the ACC in shot accuracy (.641) and 16^th in the nation and second in the ACC in total points (26).
Kizza netted three goals in Pitt's second match of the season against Delaware Monday, Aug. 27, making him just the 20^th player in program history to record a hat trick.
The sophomore's goal in the opening minutes of the contest was also the quickest goal to start a game in school history, coming just 1:40 into the match and besting the previous record of 1:58 set in 2006.
Kizza scored both of Pitt's goals in a thrilling 2-1 double overtime win against Clemson Friday, Oct. 5 at Ambrose Urbanic Field. The sophomore scored his first goal in the 10^th minute of the match before closing the game with a score from the middle of the box in the 102^nd minute.
Kizza recorded his second hat trick of the season against Cleveland State Monday, Oct. 8 at Ambrose Urbanic Field, netting two goals in the first half and one in the second.

THE SERIES – VIRGINIA

The Panthers and Cavaliers have met eight times in program history, with Virginia holding a 7-0-1 all-time series edge over Pitt.
In their meeting earlier this season, then-ranked No. 11 Virginia earned a 2-0 victory against Pitt Friday, Sept. 28 at Ambrose Urbanic Field.
The teams' prior two matchups both went to double overtime, with the squads tying 0-0 in a 2016 meeting in Pittsburgh, Pa.

SCOUTING THE CAVALIERS

Virginia enters Wednesday's match with a 9-2-3 [3-2-2 ACC] record, most recently recording a 0-0 double overtime tie to No. 23 Notre Dame Tuesday, Oct. 23 in Charlottesville, Va.
The Cavaliers have ranked in the top 25 of the United Soccer Coaches Poll throughout the entire season, with their current ranking of No. 6 being their highest of the season.
Virginia is led by head coach George Gelnovatch, who is in his 23^rd season with the program. Gelnovatch has compiled a 316-127-57 (.689) overall record during his time with the Cavaliers.
Offensively, Virginia is led by freshmen Cabrel Happi Kamseu and Daryl Dike, who have both notched five goals on the year. Eight other Cavaliers have added at least one goal apiece this season.
In goal, redshirt sophomore Colin Shutler has started all 14 matches for Virginia, recording eight shutouts while collecting 42 saves and allowing nine goals.

UP NEXT

If the Panthers defeat Virginia in the first round of the ACC Tournament, they will head to Durham, N.C. to face the 14^th-ranked Blue Devils in the quarterfinals Sunday, Nov. 4 at 1 p.m.

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Pitt to Face No. 6 Virginia in ACC Tournament

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Rodrigo Almeida

Robby Dambrot

Alexander Dexter

Edward Kizza

Fiorre Mane

Tom Moxham

Javi Perez

Marcony Pimentel

Sito Sena

Nyk Sessock

Alec Townsend

Chandler Vaughn

Jackson Walti

Pitt to Face No. 6 Virginia in ACC Tournament

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Rodrigo Almeida

Robby Dambrot

Alexander Dexter

Edward Kizza

Fiorre Mane

Tom Moxham

Javi Perez

Marcony Pimentel

Sito Sena

Nyk Sessock

Alec Townsend

Chandler Vaughn

Jackson Walti

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