Pitt to Face No. 8 Duke in ACC Tournament Quarterfinals

PITTSBURGH – The University of Pittsburgh men's soccer team is set to face No. 8 Duke in the quarterfinals of the ACC Tournament Sunday, Nov. 4 at 1 p.m. at Koskinen Stadium.

HOW TO FOLLOW

Sunday'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.

LAST TIME OUT

Pitt earned its first ACC Tournament victory since joining the conference after capturing a 2-0 win over No. 7 Virginia, Wednesday, Oct. 31 at Klockner Stadium.
The victory was also the Panthers' first in program history against the Cavaliers, who came into the match owning a 7-0-1 all-time record against Pitt.
Both squads were at a stalemate through much of the match. It wasn't until the 62^nd minute that sophomore Edward Kizza broke the game open after scoring from the right side of the box following a feed from freshman Chandler Vaughn. Kizza then extended Pitt's lead in the 79^th minute, adding his second goal of the match and 15th of the season after receiving a pass from sophomore Alexander Dexter.
Dexter and Kizza led the team with three shots each, followed by Vaughn and sophomore Marcony Pimentel with one shot apiece.
In goal, freshman keeper Johan Penaranda recorded his third clean sheet of the season, collecting two saves while allowing no goals through 90 minutes of action.

SURVEYING THE STATS

Eight different Panthers have scored a goal this season in Dexter, Kizza, Pimentel, senior Javi Perez, redshirt senior Robby Dambrot, sophomore Jose Luis Sena Arbona, redshirt freshman Fiorre Mane and freshman Jackson Walti.
Kizza leads the team with 15 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 five assists, followed by Perez with three and Dambrot, Pimentel, Sena Arbona and freshmen Rodrigo Almeida and Chandler Vaughn with two apiece. Walti, senior Tom Moxham and freshmen Nyk Sessock and Alec Townsend 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 18 matches, the Panthers have faced nine 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, No. 23 Notre Dame and No. 7 Virginia.
Pitt's quarterfinal matchup will feature another ranked opponent in No. 8 Duke.

ACC TOURNAMENT HISTORY

The Panthers are competing in the ACC Tournament for just the third time since they joined the conference and currently own a 1-2 all-time record.
Pitt earned its first-ever ACC Tournament win Wednesday, Oct. 31 after recording a 2-0 victory over No. 7 Virginia in Charlottesville, Va.
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 15 goals through 18 games this season.
Kizza is currently tied for third in program history for single-season goals. No Pitt player had previously cracked the top-10 in single-season goals since 1977.
The sophomore also ranks fifth in program history for points in a season with 30. No player had cracked the top-10 in single-season points since 1997.
The Kampala, Uganda, native currently leads the team in shots (42), points (30), shots on goal (27) and goals (15).
As of Nov. 1, Kizza ranks fourth in the nation and first in the ACC in total goals (15), fifth in the nation and first in the ACC in total points (30) and seventh in the nation and first in the ACC in shot accuracy (.643).
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.
The sophomore 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.
Kizza netted both of the Panthers' goals in their first-ever ACC Tournament victory over No. 7 Virginia Wednesday, Oct. 31 in Charlottesville, Va.

THE SERIES – DUKE

The Panthers and Blue Devils have met just seven times in program history, with Duke holding a 6-0-1 all-time series edge against Pitt.
In their meeting earlier this season, then-ranked No. 14 Duke earned a 3-1 victory against the Panthers Friday, Oct. 19 in Durham, N.C.
In 2016, Pitt recorded a 1-1 double overtime tie against the Blue Devils in Durham, N.C.

SCOUTING THE BLUE DEVILS

Duke enters Sunday's match with a 10-5-1 [5-3-0 ACC] record, most recently earning a 2-0 victory against No. 18 Virginia Tech Friday, Oct. 26 in Blacksburg, Va.
The Blue Devils are currently ranked eighth in the United Soccer Coaches Poll, and have ranked as high as second in the nation during the year.
Duke is led by head coach John Kerr, who is in his 11^th season with the program. Kerr has compiled a 110-75-26 (.583) record with the Blue Devils and a 191-134-39 (.578) career record.
Offensively, Duke is led by Daniele Proch, who owns 11 goals on the year. Nine other players have added at least one goal or more for the Blue Devils.
In goal, Will Pulisic has started all 16 matches for Duke, recording four shutouts while collecting 40 saves and allowing 20 goals.

UP NEXT

If the Panthers defeat Duke, they will face the winner of North Carolina and Virginia Tech's matchup Wednesday, Nov. 7 at 7 p.m.

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Pitt to Face No. 8 Duke in ACC Tournament Quarterfinals

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Rodrigo Almeida

Robby Dambrot

Alexander Dexter

Edward Kizza

Fiorre Mane

Tom Moxham

Johan Penaranda

Javi Perez

Marcony Pimentel

Sito Sena

Nyk Sessock

Alec Townsend

Chandler Vaughn

Jackson Walti

Pitt to Face No. 8 Duke in ACC Tournament Quarterfinals

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Rodrigo Almeida

Robby Dambrot

Alexander Dexter

Edward Kizza

Fiorre Mane

Tom Moxham

Johan Penaranda

Javi Perez

Marcony Pimentel

Sito Sena

Nyk Sessock

Alec Townsend

Chandler Vaughn

Jackson Walti

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