Pitt To Open Spring Season with City Game at Ambrose

PITTSBURGH – Pitt women's soccer (9-5-0) resumes its season with the City Game against Duquesne (0-0-0) Sunday at 1 p.m.

HOW TO FOLLOW ALONG

The game airs live on the ACC Network Extra.
Updates from the contest will also be provided on Twitter. Follow @Pitt_WSOC for the latest news and updates about the team.

A CHANCE FOR HISTORY

Despite playing less games than usual due to COVID, Pitt has a chance to become the winningest team in program history.
Going 9-5-0 overall in the fall, one more win would tie the 1995 team (10-7-1) for the most wins in a single season and also guarantee this year's team to have the highest winning-percentage in program history.
This year's squad is only the third to ever post a winning record (8-5-5 in 2009).

TOP MARKS IN THE COUNTRY

With the strong start to the season, the team ranks among the best in Division I in several categories.
The Panthers lead the nation in total points (83) and goals (30).
They rank in the top-20 in other team statistics: second in assists (23), third in scoring offense (2.31 goals per game), 11th in shots per game (14.62), 13th in shots on goal per game (7.00) and 20th in corner kicks per game (5.54).

LEADING SCORER IN THE NATION, AMANDA WEST

West leads the nation in goals (13), game-winning goals (four), points (30), goals per game (1.0), points per game (2.31) and shots on goal per game (2.46) while ranking fourth in shots per game (4.38) and tied for fourth in assists (four) with teammate Kate McKay.
With 30 points on the season, she broke the program record for points, which she set last year with 29.
She hit the ground running this season, just like she did last year, with a goal in the first seven games for the longest goal-scoring streak in program history.
With only 31 career games played, she already ranks among the top all-time scorers in program history.
- First in points (59), eight ahead of Ashley Cuba (2009-12).
- Tied in career goals (23) with Cuba.
- Tied for third in assists (13) with Liz Carroll (2007-10).
She has recorded nine 3+ point games, the most in school history.
Her 13 goals this fall are most in a single-season, three ahead of her total last year and Cande Ruiz (1998).
In assists, she tied with Charity McClure (1998) and Katelyn Ruhe (2010) for the single-season record.

ACC HONORS

With the league deciding to give out season awards after the conclusion of the fall, West was selected to the All-ACC Second Team.
She became the first-ever Panther to be selected as high as the second team for the annual conference accolade, as last year she became the first in program history to ever earn an All-ACC honor by being picked to the third team.
Also in 2019 she was named to the United Soccer Coaches' All-Atlantic Region Third-Team, becoming the second-ever Panther to receive all-region honors.

A NEWCOMER'S HOMETOWN ARRIVAL

Sophomore Landy Mertz transferred into the Pitt program from Dayton and will eligible to compete this spring due to not competing this fall.
A Pittsburgh native and graduate of Upper Saint Clair High School, last year Mertz was named to the Atlantic 10 All-Rookie Team
Starting all 19 matches as a midfielder, she scored three goals along with two assists for eight points and led the team with 22 of 43 shots on goal.

BEST START IN PROGRAM HISTORY

Pitt started the season 6-0 for the first time in program history.
The six victories to start the season was the second-longest winning-streak in school history, as the 2015 team rattled off eight wins in a row.
The Panthers defeated the Citadel twice on the road, 2-1 in overtime and 1-0. Previously, Pitt has beaten Syracuse 2-0 in the home and ACC opener, 1-0 in overtime at Navy and Appalachian State twice on the road in the first week of the year with 4-0 and 7-1 victories.
The Panthers have a 17-2 goal aggregate for the season, best in the nation.
Playing 548 minutes and 20 seconds in the six-game span, the Panthers only trailed in 11 minutes and 36 seconds, all in the 2-1 comeback win at the Citadel.
Eight Panthers scored the 17 combined goals.
The Panthers put limited pressure on their goalkeepers with an average of 1.5 saves per game.
West scored three-straight game-winning goals, something no other Panther in program history has done before.
West converted two golden goals off penalty kicks at Navy and the Citadel in back-to-back games.
Against the Orange, the Panthers had a dominate advantage in shots (27-4) and shots on goals (12-1).
The season-opening shutout at the Mountaineers was the biggest-ever margin of victory in a season-opener.
The Panthers had not defeated an opponent by 4+ goals since a 6-1 victory over St. John's on Oct. 9, 2011.

SCOUTING DUQUESNE

The Dukes finally begin their 2020-21 season as the Atlantic-10 Conference opted out of playing in the fall.
Duquesne was picked ninth out of 14th in the league's preseason coaches' poll.
The Dukes, who graduated just one player from the 2019 squad that went 6-8-3, return their entire offense of 22 goals, 15 assists and 59 points.
Atlantic 10 Second Team selection Deena DeBadlo had nine goals and 22 points as the leading scorer.
The matchup with Pitt is the only nonconference game on the schedule, as Duquesne is slated for a combined eight A-10 games against three opponents: Dayton, Saint Louis and St. Bonaventure.

THE SERIES

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