No. 2 Pitt Meets Monmouth in NCAA Tournament Second Round

GREEENSBORO, N.C. – The No. 2 seed Pitt men's soccer team opens the NCAA Men's Soccer Championship against Monmouth in the second round Sunday evening at Bryan Park.

The Panthers earned the number two overall seed in the NCAA Tournament after finishing the regular season 13-3 overall and 9-1 in ACC play. Pitt earned a trip to the ACC Championship Final in November and were named Coastal Division champions following the spring campaign.

Monmouth enters the contest 6-2-1 overall and winners of the MAAC Tournament, earning the automatic bid from the conference. The Hawks defeated Bowling Green, 2-1, Thursday evening to advance to the second round.

NO. 2 OVERALL SEED IN NCAA TOURNEY

The Panthers earned its highest spot in program history in the NCAA Tournament, receiving the No. 2 overall seed.
The Tournament appearance is the fourth in school history and second-straight, previously making it in 1962, 1965 and 2019.
The Panthers enter with a record of 1-3 in the NCAA Tournament. Pitt's first NCAA Tournament victory came last season at home against Lehigh (2-0).

A RECORD BREAKING 2020-21

Pitt has endured a record breaking 2020-21 campaign with multiple accomplishments and milestones achieved throughout.
The Panthers began the fall season 7-0, the best start to a season in program history. Pitt finished the fall 7-1 and 4-0 in ACC play and earned a trip to the ACC Championship Final, the first in school history.
Pitt garnered a record three on the All-ACC Tournament team in sophomores Valentin Noel, Veljko Petkovic and graduate student goalkeeper Nico Campuzano.
On Oct. 20, 2020, Pitt earned the No. 1 ranking in the country via the United Soccer Coaches Poll. The top spot was the first and program history and just the third athletics team at Pitt to be named No. 1 in its respective sports' poll (football, men's basketball).
After beginning the spring 1-1, Pitt tallied five-straight wins - all conference - to finish the spring regular season 6-1 and 5-1 in league action. The Panthers were a perfect 4-0 at home during that stretch, all of which were shutouts.
A program record 10 players were honored by the ACC and 14 awards were handed to the Panthers after the regular season. Pitt collected three Player of the Year awards, Coach of the Year, three First Team, three Second Team, two Third Team and two Freshman Team accolades.
Many individual records were broken as well, highlighted by sophomore Valentin Noel, who scored a goal in six straight contests and shattering the previous Pitt record of three. Graduate student Jasper Löeffelsend and freshman Bertin Jacquesson each registered three assists at home against Virginia Tech, tied for second most in a game at Pitt.

PANTHERS EARN MULTIPLE ALL-ACC AWARDS

The Atlantic Coast Conference released its annual All-Conference Teams Wednesday, April 14, and Pitt earned a school record 10 All-ACC honorees, three Player of the Year awardees and Coach of the Year.
Sophomore Valentin Noel was named ACC Offensive Player of the Year. The Niort, France, native ranks among the best in the nation in major offensive categories, including total goals (3rd - 11), points per game (22nd - 1.60), goals per game (13th - .73), total points (4th - 24) and shot accuracy (43rd - .529).
Graduate student Jasper Löeffelsend was named ACC Defensive Player of the Year. Löeffelsend has cemented himself as one of the best passers in the country, totaling seven assists (1st in ACC/5th in country). His .47 assists per game ratio ranks second in the league. Löeffelsend, along with teammate Bertin Jacquesson, each tallied three assists at home against Virginia Tech, both of which tied for second in program history for a single game.
Freshman Bertin Jacquesson made an immediate impact when he arrived at Pitt in the fall, totaling nine points in his first three games. Jacquesson was honored by the ACC with Freshman of the Year. He has three goals, six assists, 29 shots and 14 shots on goal for the season.

THE SERIES – MONMOUTH

The Pitt Panthers and Monmouth Hawks meet for the first time in program history Sunday.
Pitt is 20-3-4 all-time against current MAAC competition.

SCOUTING THE HAWKS

Monmouth enters the NCAA Tournament Second Round 6-2-1 overall. The Hawks finished the regular season 2-2-1 overall and are currently on a four-game winning streak. Monmouth finished 2-2-1 in MAAC play.
The Hawks enter the tournament as the automatic bid from the MAAC, defeating Niagara, Rider and Quinnipiac in the MAAC tournament to the conference title.
Monmouth defeated Bowling Green, 2-1, Thursday, Apr. 29 in the NCAA Tournament First Round. The victory was the first in regulation in the NCAA Tournament in program history.
Sophomore forward Julian Gomez leads the Hawk attack with six goals on the season. His total goals finished first in the MAAC and currently ranks 30th in the country. The attacker has scored a goal in each of his past five games.
The Hawks earned multiple All-MAAC awards, including Defensive Player of the Year in George Akampeke and Co-Goalkeeper of the Year in Sean Murray. Akampeke totaled one assist and three shots in eight games played this year, while Murray stopped 33 shots and tallied a .786 save percentage, both good for third in the MAAC.
Monmouth Head Coach Robert McCourt was named MAAC Coach of the Year.
The Hawks enter the match with a top-20 offense, ranking 17th in scoring offense (2.00) and their 1.78 assists per game ranked first in the MAAC and 33rd in the country.