Panthers Welcome VCU To Ambrose Urbanic Field On Thursday Night

Thursday, September 12

Pittsburgh, PA

7 PM

Pitt

VCU

Photo by: Matt Hawley/Pitt Athletics

Panthers Welcome VCU To Ambrose Urbanic Field On Thursday Night

9/11/2019 12:32:00 PM | Women's Soccer

Watch Live Stats Pitt Match Notes

PITTSBURGH – The University of Pittsburgh women's soccer team will close out their three-match home stand on Thursday night with a tough test as the VCU Rams come to town. The Panthers and Rams will collide at 7:00 pm at Ambrose Urbanic Field.

HOW TO FOLLOW ALONG

Thursday night's match against VCU will air on ACC Network Extra.
Fans can also follow live stats HERE.
Updates from the match will also be provided on Twitter. Follow @Pitt_WSOC for the latest news and updates about the team.

THE MATCHUP

The Panthers will close out their three-match home stand on Thursday night as they welcome the talented VCU Rams to Ambrose Urbanic Field for a non-conference battle. First kick on Thursday is set for 7:05 pm and will air live on ACC Network Extra.

LAST TIME OUT

Pitt was able to get back in the winning column on Sunday afternoon as they dominated the Saint Joseph's Hawks, handing them the 2-0 defeat at Ambrose Urbanic Field.
The Panthers opened the scoring in the 73rd minute as Amanda West converted on her third penalty kick goal of the season, her seventh goal overall on the year.
In the 85th minute, freshman Margret Arnadottir was able to put the match away with a pretty goal, the first of her career, after assists from West and Juliana Vazquez.
For the match, Pitt held the dominant 20-6 edge in shots and the 7-4 advantage in corner kicks.

SCOUTING VCU

The VCU Rams enter Thursday's match with a 4-1-1 record on the year after suffering their first loss of the season last time out against Old Dominion, 4-3.
The Rams have potted 15 goals through six matches and have five players with two goals, led by Emma Kershner who has a team-high six points on two goals and two assists.
In goal, Grace Young is having a strong campaign as she owns a 4-1-1 record to go along with a 0.89 GAA while making 10 saves.

THE SERIES WITH VCU

This marks the sixth all-time meeting between the two programs and first since the 2014 campaign.
The VCU Rams own a 4-1-0 all-time series record against the Panthers.
VCU won the last meeting between the two squads in 2014, 1-0.
Pitt's all-time series record against Atlantic 10 opponents is 15-14-1.

FINDING THE RIGHT LINEUP

With a team of 21 newcomers, it will take some time to find the right lineup that will help the Panthers succeed this season.
Through six matches, the Panthers have used six different starting XI combinations with just three Pitt players starting all six matches this season.
The Panthers have a total of nine freshmen who have earned at least one start this season.
The six different combinations have been successful in the early going for the Panthers as they have produced 11 goals through six matches, the same amount Pitt produced in 17 matches a season ago.

WEST CONTINUES STRONG START TO FRESHMAN CAMPAIGN

Freshman forward Amanda West has started off her career on a tear for the Panthers as she has notched at least one point in each of her team's six matches on the year.
West is the first player in Pitt women's soccer history to net at least one goal in her first four career matches and the first Pitt freshman to open her career scoring at least one point in each of her first six career matches.
Last time out, West netted the game-winning goal and an assist while posting a team-high five shots, all on goal.
She opened up her career with the best debut in program history as she netted a hat-trick and an assist including the game-winner in the 84th minute as Pitt handed Loyola Marymount the 5-4 defeat. Her seven points are the most in a game by a Pitt player since 2001 and most in Ambrose Urbanic Field history by a Panther.
So far this season, the striker has netted seven goals, three assists and 17 points to go along with three game-winning goals. Her 17 points are the most in a season for a Pitt player since 2014 when Roosa Arvas netted 21 points.
Earlier this year, West became just the second Panther in program history to earn ACC Offensive Player of the Week honors and the first Pitt freshman to do so. The last Panther to earn the weekly recognition was Taylor Pryce in 2015 when she was Co-Offensive Player of the Week.

LAZZARINI MAKES FIRST CAREER START IN GOAL

Freshman goalkeeper Caitlyn Lazzarini got her first chance in the regular season to make an impression on Sunday afternoon and thats exactly what she did.
Lazzarini finished off Sunday's 2-0 win over Saint Joseph's with three saves in her first career clean sheet.

ARNADOTTIR NETS FIRST CAREER GOAL

Freshman forward Margret Arnadottir finally saw her hard work pay off on Sunday afternoon as she netted her first career goal in the 85th minute as the Panthers downed Saint Joseph's 2-0.
Arnadottir has appeared in all six matches while earning two starts for the Panthers while netting a goal and four shots on the year.

OH CAPTAIN, MY CAPTAIN

Prior to the beginning of the 2019 campaign, the Pitt women's soccer team voted on captains for the season and selected senior Juliana Vazquez and junior Kentucky transfer Hollie Olding to lead the team this year.
Vazquez is a four-year starter up front for the Panthers as she has appeared in 59 games while notching 50 starts over her impressive career.
Olding joined the Panthers for her junior campaign after spending her last two seasons of collegiate soccer at Kentucky. The England native has been named team captain in each of her three seasons in college as she earned the badge as a freshman and sophomore for the WIldcats. For her career, Olding has appeared in 33 matches while making 21 starts as she has netted four goals and eight points so far in her career.

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