Women's Soccer Kicks Off ACC Play with Syracuse Friday at Home

PITTSBURGH – Pitt women's soccer team opens ACC play at home against Syracuse Friday at 7 p.m.

HOW TO FOLLOW ALONG

The match against Syracuse will air live on ESPN+.
Fans can also follow live stats by clicking HERE.
Updates from the match will also be provided on Twitter. Follow @Pitt_WSOC for the latest news and updates about the team.

LAST TIME OUT

Pitt fell 1-0 at Liberty last Sunday as the offense wasn't able to get on the board for the second-straight game, and the Flames scored the lone goal of the game in the 50th minute.
The Panthers owned the 12-8 edge in shots and 8-3 advantage in corner kicks.
Pitt used its seventh different starting lineup through eight matches.

SCOUTING SYRACUSE

Syracuse enters the game with a 2-4-1 overall record. After winning its first two games at home by a combined score of 4-0, the Orange have not scored a goal since and dropped all of its four road games.
Senior defender Taylor Bennett, senior forward Sydney Brackett, junior defender Shannon Aviza and redshirt-sophomore defender/midfielder Laurel Ness have each scored a goal. Brackett has registered a team-high 19 shots, while sophomore forward Meghan Root is the only other teammate to have double-digit shots with 14.
Junior goalkeeper Lysianne Proulx has played every minute and owns a .083 goals against average while making 34 saves for a .850 save percentage.

THE SERIES WITH SYRACUSE

Syracuse has the edge in the all-time series 12-5-3, including 3-2-0 in ACC play since the two schools joined the league in 2013.
In games contested in Pittsburgh, the Orange have a 5-3-1 record against the Panthers.
Syracuse has won the last two meetings, 2-0 at home in 2017 and 1-0 the previous year. Pitt won the previous two matchups 1-0 (overtime) in 2015 and 1-0 in 2014.

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 eight matches, the Panthers have used seven different starting XI combinations with just three Pitt players starting every match this season.
The Panthers used the same starting lineup in consecutive matches for the first time all season against Saint Joseph's (Sept. 8) and VCU (Sept. 12).
The seven different combinations have been successful in the early going for the Panthers as they have produced 11 goals through eight matches, the same amount Pitt produced in 17 matches a season ago.

PANTHER CUBS MAKING MOST OF PLAYING TIME

The Panthers are one of the youngest teams in the nation this season as they have 21 newcomers to the squad this season including a 17-player freshman class.
So far this season, Pitt has started nine freshmen in different spots of the lineup. The nine freshman have combined to start 45 matches so far this season.
Two freshmen have started every matches so far this season, forward Amanda West and midfielder Mackenzie Edwards.

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 first six career matches.
Last time out, West was held off the scoresheet for the second time in her Pitt career as she placed two of three shots on goal at Liberty.
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.

THREE PANTHERS SHARING TIME IN GOAL

Goalkeepers Caitlyn Lazzarini (freshman), Amaia Pena (redshirt-junior) and Katherine Robinson (sophomore) have each started and played a full game this season.
Pena has seen the most action, playing 481 minutes in five games started. She's notched a 2-2-1 record, 1.50 goals against average, 12 saves and a .600 save percentage.
Lazzarini started in back-to-back games with three saves in a shutout win over Saint Joseph's and three more saves with a goal allowed at VCU.
Robinson allowed two goals with two saves in her only game played against Massachusetts.

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 61 games while notching 52 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 34 matches while making 22 starts as she has netted four goals and eight points so far in her career.

UP NEXT

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