Pitt Set to Face No. 4 Akron

PITTSBURGH – The University of Pittsburgh men's soccer team will hit the road for a matchup with No. 4 Akron Saturday, Sept. 1 at 7 p.m. at Cub Cadet Field.

HOW TO FOLLOW

Saturday's game will be broadcast live on ESPN+($) and can be viewed by clicking here.
Live stats for the match can be found here.
Fans can also follow with live updates on Twitter.

LAST TIME OUT

Pitt earned an impressive 6-1 road win at Delaware Monday, Aug. 27 in its first road contest of the season.
Sophomore Edward Kizza led the charge, scoring three goals, making him just the 20^th player in program history to record a hat trick.
Senior Javi Perez, redshirt senior Robby Dambrot and redshirt freshman Fiorre Mane all added a goal of their own in the match.
The Panthers also recorded four assists in the match, with sophomores Alexander Dexter and Jose Luis Sena Arbona and freshmen Nyk Sessock and Chandler Vaughn each contributing a helper.

HATS OFF FOR KIZZA

After finishing the 2017 season with four goals, sophomore Edward Kizza collected three goals in Pitt's second match of the season against Delaware.
Kizza's hat trick made him just the 20^th player in program history to accomplish the feat.
Pitt's last hat trick came in 2013 when Chris Davis recorded three goals against Howard.
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.

PITTSBURGH AND AKRON CONNECTION

The Panthers current roster, including the coaching staff, features three former Akron soccer players.
Redshirt seniors Robby Dambrot and Shane Wiedt are both Akron natives and spent four seasons with the Zips before transferring to Pitt.
Dambrot joined the Akron squad in 2013, where he saw action in 47 games, including 12 starts.
Wiedt joined the team in 2014, making 18 starts in 32 appearances.
Student assistant coach Bryce Cregan also played for the Zips before transferring to Pitt and eventually stepping into his current role.
Cregan spent the 2014 and 2015 seasons at Akron, collecting 12 starts in 19 appearances.

PITT'S PRESEASON ACCOLADES

The Panthers earned multiple preseason honors, both as a team and individually, heading into the 2018 slate.
Pitt received votes in the United Soccer Coaches Preseason Poll released Tuesday, Aug. 7, earning nine total points.
The team's incoming freshman class was also rated sixth in the nation by Top Drawer Soccer.
Individually, senior Javi Perez and sophomore Edward Kizza landed in Top Drawer Soccer's Preseason Top 100 Players list, with Perez coming in at No. 26 and Kizza coming in at No. 99.
Two Panthers also earned recognition in Top Drawer Soccer's Preseason Best XI, with Perez being named to the Second Team and freshman Chandler Vaughn collecting Freshman Team honors.

THE SERIES – AKRON

The Panthers and Zips will be meeting for the 27^th time in program history, with Akron owning a 17-7-2 all-time series edge against Pitt.
In their most recent meeting in 2017, the then 14^th-ranked Zips earned a 3-0 road win against the Panthers.
In a series dating back to 1957, Pitt won six of the first 10 meetings between the two teams.

SCOUTING THE ZIPS

Akron enters Saturday's match with a 0-1-1 record after tying No. 9 Butler, 2-2, and dropping a matchup with NC State, 2-0.
The Zips finished the 2017 season with an 18-4-2 overall record, including a 4-1 mark against MAC competition.
After winning the MAC Championship, Akron went on to advance to the Final Four of the NCAA College Cup before falling 2-0 to eventual National Champion Stanford.
The Zips are coached by Jared Embick, who enters his sixth year with the program. Embick has compiled a 79-23-11 (.748) record during his five seasons with Akron.
Through two games, the Zips have been led offensively by sophomore David Egbo, who has scored the squad's lone two goals of the season.
At goal, senior Ben Lundt has started both matches, collecting two saves while allowing four goals.

TICKETS NOW ON SALE

Flex season ticket packages, as well single game and group tickets, are now on sale for the 2018 men's soccer season. Tickets may be purchased online or by calling the Panthers Ticket Office at 800-643-7488.

UP NEXT

The Panthers will open ACC play against North Carolina Saturday, Sept. 8 at 7 p.m. at Koskinen Stadium in Chapel Hill, N.C.

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Players Mentioned

Bryce Cregan

Robby Dambrot

Alexander Dexter

Edward Kizza

Fiorre Mane

Javi Perez

Sito Sena

Nyk Sessock

Chandler Vaughn

Shane Wiedt