University of Pittsburgh Athletics
Two Panthers Earn All-Region Honors
12/6/2018 10:56:00 AM | Men's Soccer
Kizza and Perez Each Receive All-Region Accolades
KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Two members of the University of Pittsburgh men's soccer team earned United Soccer Coaches All-South Region honors, as announced by league officials.
Sophomore Edward Kizza was named Second Team All-South Region, while senior Javi Perez earned Third Team honors.
Both players were also recently named to All-ACC teams, with Kizza collecting First Team accolades while Perez received Second Team honors.
"I'm proud of their accomplishments and happy that their individual efforts were recognized for all that they did for the team this year," said head coach Jay Vidovich. "For sure, Javi was recognized for his ability to direct our team, and Kizza for his tremendous goal production. I'm excited that they were able to achieve the type of honor that they were recognized for."
Kizza recently became the first Pitt soccer player in program history to be named First Team All-ACC while receiving his second All-ACC Team honor in as many years after being selected to the All-Freshman Team last season. The sophomore forward had one of the most prolific offensive seasons in program history, collecting 15 goals in 19 matches for the Panthers. The Kampala, Uganda, native finished the season tied for third in school history in goals, while ranking fifth in points (30). No Pitt player had previously cracked the top 10 in single-season goals since 1977 and single-season points since 1997. Kizza ranks fifth in the nation in goals, ninth in shot accuracy (.622) and 13th in points, while leading the ACC in each category.
Perez, the squads' senior captain, recently earned Second Team All-ACC honors for the second consecutive season. The Valencia, Spain, native played a major role as the team leader and was an integral component to the Panther midfield. Perez ranked second on the team in points (11), goals (four) and assists (three).
The Panthers finished the 2018 season with an 8-10-1 overall record and a 2-6 mark against ACC opponents. Pitt collected two wins against ranked opponents on the year, including its first-ever ACC Tournament victory over No. 7 Virginia. The squad advanced to the quarterfinals of the conference tournament, where it eventually fell to No. 8 Duke in a penalty kick shootout.
2018 United Soccer Coaches All-South Region Teams
First Team
James Pyle, Sr. GK, North Carolina
Patrick Berneski, Sr., D, Notre Dame
Alex Comsia, Sr., D, North Carolina
Johnny Fenwick, Sr., D, High Point
Brad Dunwell, Sr., M, Wake Forest
Bruno Lapa, Jr., M, Wake Forest
David Loera, So., M, NC State
Mauricio Pineda, Jr., M, North Carolina
Omir Fernandez, So., F, Wake Forest
Daniele Proch, Jr., F, Duke
Tate Schmitt, Sr., F, Louisville
Second Team
Keegan Meyer, Jr., GK, High Point
Henry Kessler, So., D, Virginia
John Nelson, So., D, North Carolina
Rashid Tetteh, Sr., D, High Point
Joe Bell, So., M, Virginia
Nils Bruening, Sr., M, North Carolina
Issa Rayyan, Fr., M, Duke
Laurence Wyke, Sr., M, Furman
Tajon Buchanan, So., F, Syracuse
Edward Kizza, So., F, Pitt
Trevor Martineau, Fr., F, Mercer
Third Team
William Pulisic, So., GK, Duke
Patrick Bunk-Anderson, Sr., D, Clemson
Kamal Miller, Sr., D, Syracuse
Sam Raben, Sr., D, Wake Forest
Leeroy Maguraushe, Sr., M, UNC-Greensboro
Javi Perez, Sr., M, Pitt
Brandon Willamson, Jr., M, Duke
Amadou Diop, Fr., F, Radford
JJ Donnelly, Sr., F, Campbell
Simon Enstrom, Sr., F, Boston College
Ilias Kosmidis, Jr., F, High Point
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Sophomore Edward Kizza was named Second Team All-South Region, while senior Javi Perez earned Third Team honors.
Both players were also recently named to All-ACC teams, with Kizza collecting First Team accolades while Perez received Second Team honors.
"I'm proud of their accomplishments and happy that their individual efforts were recognized for all that they did for the team this year," said head coach Jay Vidovich. "For sure, Javi was recognized for his ability to direct our team, and Kizza for his tremendous goal production. I'm excited that they were able to achieve the type of honor that they were recognized for."
Kizza recently became the first Pitt soccer player in program history to be named First Team All-ACC while receiving his second All-ACC Team honor in as many years after being selected to the All-Freshman Team last season. The sophomore forward had one of the most prolific offensive seasons in program history, collecting 15 goals in 19 matches for the Panthers. The Kampala, Uganda, native finished the season tied for third in school history in goals, while ranking fifth in points (30). No Pitt player had previously cracked the top 10 in single-season goals since 1977 and single-season points since 1997. Kizza ranks fifth in the nation in goals, ninth in shot accuracy (.622) and 13th in points, while leading the ACC in each category.
Perez, the squads' senior captain, recently earned Second Team All-ACC honors for the second consecutive season. The Valencia, Spain, native played a major role as the team leader and was an integral component to the Panther midfield. Perez ranked second on the team in points (11), goals (four) and assists (three).
The Panthers finished the 2018 season with an 8-10-1 overall record and a 2-6 mark against ACC opponents. Pitt collected two wins against ranked opponents on the year, including its first-ever ACC Tournament victory over No. 7 Virginia. The squad advanced to the quarterfinals of the conference tournament, where it eventually fell to No. 8 Duke in a penalty kick shootout.
2018 United Soccer Coaches All-South Region Teams
First Team
James Pyle, Sr. GK, North Carolina
Patrick Berneski, Sr., D, Notre Dame
Alex Comsia, Sr., D, North Carolina
Johnny Fenwick, Sr., D, High Point
Brad Dunwell, Sr., M, Wake Forest
Bruno Lapa, Jr., M, Wake Forest
David Loera, So., M, NC State
Mauricio Pineda, Jr., M, North Carolina
Omir Fernandez, So., F, Wake Forest
Daniele Proch, Jr., F, Duke
Tate Schmitt, Sr., F, Louisville
Second Team
Keegan Meyer, Jr., GK, High Point
Henry Kessler, So., D, Virginia
John Nelson, So., D, North Carolina
Rashid Tetteh, Sr., D, High Point
Joe Bell, So., M, Virginia
Nils Bruening, Sr., M, North Carolina
Issa Rayyan, Fr., M, Duke
Laurence Wyke, Sr., M, Furman
Tajon Buchanan, So., F, Syracuse
Edward Kizza, So., F, Pitt
Trevor Martineau, Fr., F, Mercer
Third Team
William Pulisic, So., GK, Duke
Patrick Bunk-Anderson, Sr., D, Clemson
Kamal Miller, Sr., D, Syracuse
Sam Raben, Sr., D, Wake Forest
Leeroy Maguraushe, Sr., M, UNC-Greensboro
Javi Perez, Sr., M, Pitt
Brandon Willamson, Jr., M, Duke
Amadou Diop, Fr., F, Radford
JJ Donnelly, Sr., F, Campbell
Simon Enstrom, Sr., F, Boston College
Ilias Kosmidis, Jr., F, High Point
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Players Mentioned
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