Panthers Host Lehigh in NCAA First Round Thursday

PITTSBURGH – The University of Pittsburgh men's soccer team [9-7-2, 4-3-1 ACC] is set to play in its first NCAA Tournament game since 1965, as the Panthers host Lehigh [13-4-3, 6-0-3 Patriot] at Ambrose Urbanic Field Thursday, Nov. 21 at 7 p.m.

HOW TO FOLLOW

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

LAST TIME OUT

Pitt fell to top ranked and seeded Clemson on the road, 1-0, in the ACC semifinals Wednesday, Nov. 13.
The Panthers kept pace with the Tigers throughout the contest, recording 13 shots, six shots on goal and tallying eight corner kicks.
Freshman Valentin Noel finished with three shots and one shot on goal, while redshirt junior goalkeeper Arie Ammann had three saves.
Despite the loss, junior Edward Kizza and freshman Arturo Ordonez were named to the All-ACC Tournament Team at the conclusion of Sunday's ACC Championship game.

THE SERIES - LEHIGH

The Panthers and Mountain Hawks meet for just the second time in program history. The last time these two teams met, Pitt shutout Lehigh, 3-0, Aug. 18, 2015.
This will be the first time facing Lehigh for head coach Jay Vidovich.

SCOUTING THE MOUNTAIN HAWKS

Lehigh enters Thursday's game 13-4-3 overall and finished 6-0-3 in the Patriot League.
In their last time out, the Mountain Hawks defeated Lafayette, 1-0, for the Patriot League Championship.
Lehigh shutout Bucknell 1-0 in the semifinal game before defeating Lafayette. The Mountain Hawks ended the regular season winning three of its last five games, while drawing two ties as well.
Lehigh has not lost since Oct. 15 when the team dropped a 3-0 decision at Princeton.
Lehigh's goalies have combined for a 0.846 save percentage, which is currently ranked fourth in the country.
Goalie Will Smith has allowed just 13 goals and a 0.66 goals against average. Smith totaled a Patriot League best 81 saves on the season.
Josh Luchini leads the Mountain Hawks in points (54) and goals (11) and has recorded 57 shots and five game-winners.
Trevor Koski has been the number one facilitator for Lehigh, leading the team in assists with five.

2019 MEETS 1965

Pitt's at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament is the first since 1965.
Pitt hosted East Stroudsburg on Nov. 11, 1965 and fell 2-0 at Pitt Stadium. The Panthers finished that season 7-2-1.
Pitt is making its third NCAA Championship appearance in program history (1962, 1965).

PITT IN THE RPI

The NCAA released the sixth RPI of the 2019 season Monday, Nov. 18.
The Panthers moved to No. 31 after previously sitting at No. 32.
Pitt's highest RPI in program history came in October of 2017 at No. 14.
The Panthers have defeated two teams inside the top 25 in the RPI including No. 1 Virginia and No. 7 Virginia Tech.
Four ACC schools are among the top 10 including No. 1 Virginia, No. 4 Clemson, No. 6 Wake Forest and No. 7 Virginia Tech.

THE NCAA CHAMPIONSHIP

The Championship is a 48-team single elimination tournament.
All first-round games will be played Thursday, Nov. 21, on campus sites, while all second-round action will take place Sunday, Nov. 24.
The College Cup will be held on Friday, Dec. 13 and conclude Sunday, Dec. 15 at Sahlen's Stadium at WakeMed Soccer Park in Cary, N.C. Coverage will be aired on ESPNU.

VIDOVICH'S NCAA RESUME

Fourth-year head coach Jay Vidovich is no stranger to the NCAA Tournament, winning the 2007 National Championship with Wake Forest after going 22-2-2.
Vidovich led the Demon Deacons to four straight College Cup appearances from 2006-09 and made the NCAA Tournament in 13 of this final 14 seasons at Wake Forest.

BROTHERLY LOVE

Freshman Veljko Petkovic will be going up against a familiar face Thursday, as his older brother Bratislav is a forward for the Mountain Hawks.
Veljko has totaled six goals, five assists and one game-winning goal, while Bralislav has one score on the season.

LOOKING AHEAD

In the event of a Pitt win Thursday night, the Panthers will travel to third-seeded Georgetown Sunday, Nov. 24 for a noon kickoff in Washington, D.C.

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Panthers Host Lehigh in NCAA First Round Thursday

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Arie Ammann

Edward Kizza

Valentin Noel

Arturo Ordoñez

Veljko Petkovic

Panthers Host Lehigh in NCAA First Round Thursday

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Arie Ammann

Edward Kizza

Valentin Noel

Arturo Ordoñez

Veljko Petkovic

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