Panthers Host Duquesne Saturday Afternoon

PITTSBURGH – The University of Pittsburgh men's soccer team welcomes Duquesne for its season opener Saturday afternoon at Ambrose Urbanic Field. Kick-off is slated for 4 p.m. on the ACCNX.

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At this time, no fans are allowed inside Ambrose Urbanic Field. Further updates on fan attendance can be found at pittsburghpanthers.com and Pitt Athletics' social media.

A HISTORIC FALL SEASON

While Pitt finished as ACC Champion runner-ups, the 2020 fall season was nothing short of a historic season filled with record breaking performances and milestones.
The Panthers' 7-0 start to the season was the best start to a season in program history.
Pitt's appearance in the ACC Championship game was the first in school history.
Sophomore Valentin Noel broke a school record with four consecutive games played with a goal. Noel's streak is still alive, as he currently sits at six-straight games played with a goal.
Senior Alexander Dexter tallied an assist against Duke in the ACC Championship Quarterfinal and is now second all-time in career assists with 15.
The Panthers earned the No. 1 ranking in the country Oct. 20 for the first time in program history. Men's soccer joins football and men's basketball as the only Pitt athletics teams to earn the No. 1 spot in their respective polls.
Pitt's 4-0 record in the ACC is tied for most ACC wins in a season. Pitt went 4-3-1 in league play last year.

THE SERIES – DUQUESNE

The Panthers and Dukes meet for the 10th time in program history Saturday and for the first time since 2012.
Separated by just 1.6 miles, men's soccer marks the second time this athletic season (2020-21) a Pitt team will go head-to-head with Duquesne. Diving faced the Dukes in a dual-meet Jan. 23 and women's soccer will play Duquesne March 7 at home at 1 PM.
The Panthers first contest against the Dukes came in 1996, a 1-0 victory for Pitt. Pitt leads the all-time series 7-0-2, with the two ties coming in 1998 and 2008, both 0-0 outcomes.

SCOUTING THE DUKES

Saturday's meeting will be the first official contest for Duquesne since a road contest at Davidson Nov. 2, 2019.
The Dukes finished 8-8-1 overall and 3-5 in Atlantic-10 play in 2019.
Sophomore midfielder Nate Dragisich returns after earning All A-10 Rookie honors in 2019. Dragisich totaled nine points in 17 games played with two goals, five assists, 28 shots and 10 shots on goal.
Senior Jack Shearer looks to captain the forward position, as he tallied 10 points with five goals, 27 shots and 15 shots on goal last season.

THE FIRST NOEL

Sophomore Valentin Noel finished the fall as one of the best goal scorers in the country, leading the Panther offense in goals, points, shots and shots on goal.
The Niort, France, native finished first in the country in goals per game (1.14) and tied for first in total goals (8). He also ended the fall in the top-five in multiple categories, including game-winning goals (T-2nd - 2), points per game (2nd - 2.57), shot accuracy (2nd - .700), shots on goal per game (2nd - 2.00) and total points (2nd - 18).
On Nov. 15 vs. Duke, Noel set a school record for consecutive games played with a goal at four. The streak continues at six games after his second half score against Clemson in the ACC Championship Final Nov. 22.

NO. 1 SCORING OFFENSE

The Panthers finished the fall season with the number one scoring offense in the country at 2.88 goals per contest.
Pitt scored three or more goals in six of its eight games and has scored four goals in two contests.
The Panthers are also the top ranked team in points per game with a 9.00 mark, 1.83 points higher than second-place Kentucky. Pitt also finished the fall campaign first in total assists (26) and total points (72).
Pitt is second in the nation in shot accuracy at .544, a number that is also best in the ACC.
In just eight games, Pitt has totaled 26 assists as a team. In 2019, the Panthers registered 29 assists in 20 games played.

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