Top Ranked Panthers Collect Multiple All-ACC Awards
4/14/2021 2:05:00 PM | Men's Soccer
PITTSBURGH – The No. 1 Pitt men's soccer team and recent Coastal Division Champions saw multiple Panthers honored by the Atlantic Coast Conference Wednesday, including three Player of Year award winners, three All-ACC First Team honorees, three All-ACC Second Team awardees, two All-ACC Third Team recipients and two All-ACC Freshman Team winners and ACC Coach of the Year.
Highlighting the award winners were sophomore Valentin Noel (Offensive Player of the Year), graduate student Jasper Löeffelsend (Defensive Player of the Year) and freshman Bertin Jacquesson (Freshman of the Year). In addition, head coach Jay Vidovich was named ACC Coach of the Year.
Noel currently ranks as one of the nation's top goal scorers, totaling 11 for third in the country and first in the league. His .79 goals per game rank first in the ACC (11th nationally) and his 24 points rank first in the conference and third in the country. He is also first in the ACC in shot accuracy (.545) and points per game (1.71). The Niort, France, native broke a school record for consecutive matches played with a goal, scoring a goal in six straight contests from Oct. 10, 2020 to Nov. 22, 2020.
Löeffelsend made an immediate impact on the pitch for the Panthers, totaling seven assists and aiding a back line that has held opponents to 19 goals on the year, compared to the 37 the Pitt offense has scored. The Cologne, Germany, native's assist total is first in the ACC and fifth in the nation, while his .50 assists per game ranks second in the conference and 29th in the nation. Löeffelsend, along with Jacquesson, each tallied three assists at home versus Virginia Tech Oct. 10, which tied for second in program history for assists in a single game.
Jacquesson, a freshman from Lorrez-Le-Bocage, France, showed his offensive abilities early in his Panther career, tallying nine points in his first three games. He ranks second in the conference in shot accuracy in (.481) and tied for third in the league in total assists (6). Jacquesson has three goals, six assists, 27 shots and 13 shots on goal for the year.
Vidovich, who owns more than 300 career wins and has 93 career ACC victories in what is considered NCAA men's soccer's toughest conference, was named ACC Coach of the Year for the sixth time in his career. Vidovich earned the honor in 2002, 2004, 2006, 2008 and 2009, all for Wake Forest, for which he won a national championship with in 2007.
Vidovich led a Panther team to its best start in program history, beginning the season 7-0 and to its first ever ACC Championship Final in the fall of the 2020. Pitt is currently 13-2 overall, with its win total one shy of the school record set back in 1995 (14-6-1). Pitt's nine ACC wins shattered the previous high of four set in 2019.
Ten players were named to the All-ACC teams, a new program record, surpassing the previous record of six set back in 2019. Noel, Löeffelsend and graduate student goalkeeper Nico Campuzano earned first team, Jacquesson, sophomore Veljko Petkovic and junior Jackson Walti were named to the second team, senior Alexander Dexter and sophomore Arturo Ordoñez received third team accolades and Jacquesson and freshman Filip Mirkovic earned spots on the freshman team.
Campuzano ranks as one of the top goalkeepers in the nation, totaling 45 saves for first in the ACC and eighth in the country. Campuzano is credited for all 13 team wins in goal and is tied for second in team history for wins in a single year. Petkovic, who earned third team honors in 2019, tied with Noel for first in the country in shots on goal per game with 1.29. He is second on the team in goals (6), tied for second in assists (6) and second in points (18).
Walti is one of two players on the team (Campuzano) to play every minute of every game (1,396). He has captained a midfield that has recorded 37 assists on the season. Walti has one goal, one assist and two shots this season. Dexter, who was recently named College Soccer News National Player of the Week, is earning his second All-ACC honor, as he was named to the all-freshman team in 2017. Dexter is third on the team in goals (5), fourth in assists (5) and fourth in shots (19). On Nov. 15, Dexter moved into second all-time in Pitt history with his 15th career assist. He has 18 for his career, six back from Eric Prex's all-time record of 24.
Ordoñez, who was named to the all-freshman team last season, has scored three goals in pivotal moments this season. Two of the sophomore's goals are overtime winners and all three goals are game-winners, which is tied for eighth in the country and first in the ACC along with teammate Dexter. Ordoñez also has two assists, 15 shots and eight shots on goal while playing 1,387 minutes. Mirkovic helps lead a midfield attack that has totaled 111 points on offense. The freshman has three goals, two assists and 13 shots on the season.
The 14 total award winners surpasses last year's school record mark of six. The three first team and three second team are also new program bests. Men's soccer becomes the first sport in Pitt history during the ACC era to garner player of the year, freshman of the year and coach of the year in the same season.
No. 1 Pitt returns to the field Saturday, April 17 and takes on Clemson in Clemson, S.C., for a chance to take home the ACC's automatic qualifying bid. Both teams earned their way to the ACC AQ game by winning their respective divisions, with Clemson taking the Atlantic Division crown and Pitt the Coastal Division. Game time is set for 7 p.m. on the ACC network.
Highlighting the award winners were sophomore Valentin Noel (Offensive Player of the Year), graduate student Jasper Löeffelsend (Defensive Player of the Year) and freshman Bertin Jacquesson (Freshman of the Year). In addition, head coach Jay Vidovich was named ACC Coach of the Year.
Noel currently ranks as one of the nation's top goal scorers, totaling 11 for third in the country and first in the league. His .79 goals per game rank first in the ACC (11th nationally) and his 24 points rank first in the conference and third in the country. He is also first in the ACC in shot accuracy (.545) and points per game (1.71). The Niort, France, native broke a school record for consecutive matches played with a goal, scoring a goal in six straight contests from Oct. 10, 2020 to Nov. 22, 2020.
Löeffelsend made an immediate impact on the pitch for the Panthers, totaling seven assists and aiding a back line that has held opponents to 19 goals on the year, compared to the 37 the Pitt offense has scored. The Cologne, Germany, native's assist total is first in the ACC and fifth in the nation, while his .50 assists per game ranks second in the conference and 29th in the nation. Löeffelsend, along with Jacquesson, each tallied three assists at home versus Virginia Tech Oct. 10, which tied for second in program history for assists in a single game.
Jacquesson, a freshman from Lorrez-Le-Bocage, France, showed his offensive abilities early in his Panther career, tallying nine points in his first three games. He ranks second in the conference in shot accuracy in (.481) and tied for third in the league in total assists (6). Jacquesson has three goals, six assists, 27 shots and 13 shots on goal for the year.
Vidovich, who owns more than 300 career wins and has 93 career ACC victories in what is considered NCAA men's soccer's toughest conference, was named ACC Coach of the Year for the sixth time in his career. Vidovich earned the honor in 2002, 2004, 2006, 2008 and 2009, all for Wake Forest, for which he won a national championship with in 2007.
Vidovich led a Panther team to its best start in program history, beginning the season 7-0 and to its first ever ACC Championship Final in the fall of the 2020. Pitt is currently 13-2 overall, with its win total one shy of the school record set back in 1995 (14-6-1). Pitt's nine ACC wins shattered the previous high of four set in 2019.
Ten players were named to the All-ACC teams, a new program record, surpassing the previous record of six set back in 2019. Noel, Löeffelsend and graduate student goalkeeper Nico Campuzano earned first team, Jacquesson, sophomore Veljko Petkovic and junior Jackson Walti were named to the second team, senior Alexander Dexter and sophomore Arturo Ordoñez received third team accolades and Jacquesson and freshman Filip Mirkovic earned spots on the freshman team.
Campuzano ranks as one of the top goalkeepers in the nation, totaling 45 saves for first in the ACC and eighth in the country. Campuzano is credited for all 13 team wins in goal and is tied for second in team history for wins in a single year. Petkovic, who earned third team honors in 2019, tied with Noel for first in the country in shots on goal per game with 1.29. He is second on the team in goals (6), tied for second in assists (6) and second in points (18).
Walti is one of two players on the team (Campuzano) to play every minute of every game (1,396). He has captained a midfield that has recorded 37 assists on the season. Walti has one goal, one assist and two shots this season. Dexter, who was recently named College Soccer News National Player of the Week, is earning his second All-ACC honor, as he was named to the all-freshman team in 2017. Dexter is third on the team in goals (5), fourth in assists (5) and fourth in shots (19). On Nov. 15, Dexter moved into second all-time in Pitt history with his 15th career assist. He has 18 for his career, six back from Eric Prex's all-time record of 24.
Ordoñez, who was named to the all-freshman team last season, has scored three goals in pivotal moments this season. Two of the sophomore's goals are overtime winners and all three goals are game-winners, which is tied for eighth in the country and first in the ACC along with teammate Dexter. Ordoñez also has two assists, 15 shots and eight shots on goal while playing 1,387 minutes. Mirkovic helps lead a midfield attack that has totaled 111 points on offense. The freshman has three goals, two assists and 13 shots on the season.
The 14 total award winners surpasses last year's school record mark of six. The three first team and three second team are also new program bests. Men's soccer becomes the first sport in Pitt history during the ACC era to garner player of the year, freshman of the year and coach of the year in the same season.
No. 1 Pitt returns to the field Saturday, April 17 and takes on Clemson in Clemson, S.C., for a chance to take home the ACC's automatic qualifying bid. Both teams earned their way to the ACC AQ game by winning their respective divisions, with Clemson taking the Atlantic Division crown and Pitt the Coastal Division. Game time is set for 7 p.m. on the ACC network.
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