Pitt Men’s Soccer Announces 2019 Schedule

Photo by: Alex Mowrey/Pitt Athletics

Pitt Men’s Soccer Announces 2019 Schedule

7/11/2019 11:55:00 AM | Men's Soccer

2019 Pitt Men's Soccer Schedule 2019 Pitt Men's Soccer Schedule (PDF)

Panthers to Face 10 NCAA Tournament Qualifiers from a Season Ago

PITTSBURGH – Entering his fourth year at the helm of the University of Pittsburgh men's soccer team, head coach Jay Vidovich has announced the Panthers' 2019 schedule.

Pitt is slated for 18 total matches in the 2019 season, including two exhibition games, with the Panthers set to host 10 contests while hitting the road for eight.

Of Pitt's 16 regular season matches, 10 opponents advanced to the 2018 NCAA Tournament, including two teams that competed in the College Cup. The Panthers' schedule also features 10 squads that closed the season with a top-25 RPI ranking, and 10 teams that closed the season either ranked or receiving votes in the United Soccer Coaches Poll.

"We're looking forward to the 2019 season," said Vidovich. "Our schedule provides us with a lot of opportunities to test ourselves and measure the progress we've made. Our fans are going to get the chance to see some high quality soccer with the types of teams we're welcoming to Ambrose Urbanic Field this season, but we're also going to be road tested. I really think this schedule will test the character of our team and help bring out the strengths of our program. Our guys have been working hard in preparation for this season with the goal of competing in the NCAA Tournament, so we expect to produce some positive results this year."

Before beginning regular season play, the Panthers will face Duquesne (Aug. 17) at home and James Madison (Aug. 23) on the road in exhibition contests.

Pitt will open the season in Bloomington, Ind., where it will face Indiana (Aug. 30) and Northwestern (Sept. 1) in the Adidas/IU Credit Union Classic. The Hoosiers went 20-3-1 (8-0 Big Ten) in 2018, advancing to the College Cup Semifinal before dropping a 2-0 decision to Maryland. Indiana closed the season ranked third in the nation while placing first in RPI. Northwestern finished its 2018 season with a 6-9-5 (0-5-3 Big Ten) mark, dropping a 2-1 overtime contest to Indiana in the second round of the Big Ten Tournament to finish the year.

Following their first two matches, the Panthers will return to Pittsburgh for a four game homestand. Pitt's home opener will come against Liberty (Sept. 6), who closed out its 2018 campaign with a 7-7-1 (2-3-1 ASUN) record. The Flames advanced to the quarterfinals of the ASUN Tournament before falling to Jacksonville by a score of 2-0.

Next up will be Delaware (Sept. 9), who went 5-11-1 (4-3-1 CAA) in its 2018 slate. The Panthers and Blue Hens met last season, with Pitt picking up a 6-1 road victory in the matchup.

The Panthers will then play their first conference contest of the season when they welcome reigning Atlantic Division Champions Wake Forest (Sept. 13) to Ambrose Urbanic Field. The Demon Deacons went 18-3 (7-1 ACC) last season, advancing to the third round of the NCAA Tournament before falling to Akron, 1-0. Wake Forest closed the season ranked sixth in the United Soccer Coaches Poll while placing second in RPI.

Pitt will close its homestand with a match against Akron (Sept. 16), who finished 2018 with a 15-7-2 (1-2-1 MAC) mark. The Zips made it all the way to the College Cup Championship before dropping a 1-0 decision to Maryland in the finale. Akron finished the season ranked second in the polls and fourth in RPI.

The Panthers will get back into ACC play following their match with Akron, as they will travel to Newton, Mass., for a contest against Boston College (Sept. 20). The Eagles went 4-8-4 (2-5-1 ACC) last year before closing out their season with a 3-1 loss to NC State in the first round of the ACC Tournament.

Pitt will then head to Syracuse, N.Y., for a matchup with the Orange (Sept. 27), who finished their 2018 campaign with a 7-7-4 (1-4-3 ACC) record. Syracuse advanced to the second round of the NCAA Tournament before falling to Akron via a 3-1 decision. The Orange were receiving votes in the final United Soccer Coaches Poll and ranked 22^nd in RPI.

Following their match with Syracuse, the Panthers will head back to Pittsburgh for another four game homestand. Pitt will open the home stretch with a contest against Denver (Sept. 30), who went 15-4-2 (4-0-1 Summit) last season. The Pioneers advanced to the second round of the NCAA Tournament, where they eventually fell to Air Force, 2-1. Denver closed the year ranked 19^th in the polls and 19^th in RPI.

Pitt will then jump back into ACC play with a conference contest against reigning Coastal Division Champions North Carolina (Oct. 4), who finished the 2018 slate with a 14-4-1 (6-1 ACC) mark. The Tar Heels made it to the second round of the NCAA Tournament before dropping a 2-1 decision to James Madison. North Carolina was ranked 14^th in the final United Soccer Coaches Poll and placed sixth in RPI.

Next up for the Panthers will be a home match against Howard (Oct. 7), who went 2-10-3 (0-4 Sun Belt) last season. Pitt owns a 5-3 all-time record against the Bison, with the most recent matchup coming in 2014.

Pitt will close out its homestand with a contest against ACC opponent Virginia Tech (Oct. 11). The Hokies went 11-7-3 (3-4-1 ACC) last year en route to an appearance in the NCAA Tournament, where they eventually fell to James Madison in the third round by a score of 3-0. Virginia Tech finished the season ranked 17^th in the polls and 13^th in RPI.

Following their homestand, the Panthers will head to University Park, Pa., for a matchup against in-state rival Penn State (Oct. 15). The Nittany Lions closed out their 2018 campaign with a 6-9-2 (3-3-2 Big Ten) mark, finishing the season with a 3-1 loss to Michigan State in the quarterfinals of the Big Ten Tournament.

Pitt's last three games of the season will all come against conference opponents, starting with a road match at Virginia (Oct. 18). The Cavaliers finished 2018 with a 10-4-3 (3-2-2 ACC) record, advancing to the NCAA Tournament where they eventually fell in the third round to Notre Dame in a 1-0 overtime contest. The Cavaliers ranked 15^th in the final United Soccer Coaches Poll and 10^th in RPI.

The Panthers' final home match of the regular season will come against Duke (Oct. 25), who went 11-7 (5-3 ACC) last year. The Blue Devils made it to the third round of the NCAA Tournament last season before falling to Maryland, 2-0. Duke closed out 2018 ranked 11^th in the polls and 15^th in RPI.

Pitt's regular season finale will come via a road matchup with Notre Dame (Nov. 1), who closed out last season with an 11-7-3 (4-3-1 ACC) mark. The Fighting Irish advanced to the quarterfinals of the NCAA Tournament, eventually falling to Indiana, 1-0. Notre Dame ranked eighth in the final United Soccer Coaches Poll and placed seventh in RPI.

The Panthers' 2019 roster features 14 players from last season's squad in senior Alex Peperak, juniors Alexander Dexter, Edward Kizza, Jose Luis Sena Arbona and Chad Stout, redshirt sophomore Tim Townsend, sophomores Rodrigo Almeida, Johan Penaranda, Nyk Sessock, Alexander Steinbach, Chandler Vaughn and Jackson Walti and redshirt freshmen Anthony Harding and Alec Townsend.

Two of those returnees earned All-ACC accolades following the conclusion of the 2018 season in Kizza and Vaughn. Kizza collected First Team All-ACC honors after finishing the season tied for third in school history in goals (15) while ranking fifth in points (30). Vaughn was named to the ACC All-Freshman Team after appearing in 18 matches for the Panthers while making 15 starts and recording two assists in his inaugural campaign.

Pitt's roster also welcomes five newcomers to the fold in senior Braden Kline, redshirt junior Arie Ammann, junior Matt Bailey and freshmen Luke Mort and Veljko Petkovic.

Kline joins the Panthers after spending three seasons at Providence. Ammann comes to Pitt following three years at Penn State, while Bailey moves to Pittsburgh after two season at UMBC. Mort and Petkovic join Pitt after graduating from Greensburg Central Catholic and Maspeth High School, respectively.

The Panthers finished the 2018 season with an 8-10-1 overall record and a 2-6 mark against ACC foes. 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.

FLEX SEASON TICKETS NOW ON SALE
Flex season tickets for all nine regular season home matches are available to purchase for $30. The package includes nine tickets that can be used traditionally (one ticket/game) or in any combination (3 tickets/3 games, etc). Season ticket holders will also receive a complimentary gift, which will be announced at a later time.

Purchases may be made online at pittsburghpanthers.com/tickets or by calling the Panthers Ticket Office at 800-643-7488.

#H2P | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram