No. 15 Pitt Defeats Penn State on the Road, 1-0

Monday, September 13

University Park, PA

7 PM

Pitt

4-2-0, 1-0-0

Penn State

3-2-1, 0-0-0

Pittsburgh

Penn St.

Photo by: Matt Hawley/Pitt Athletics

No. 15 Pitt Defeats Penn State on the Road, 1-0

9/13/2021 10:32:00 PM | Men's Soccer

Box Score Box Score Photo Gallery

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – Senior Rodrigo Almeida's goal in the sixth minute proved to be enough as the No. 15 Pitt men's soccer team shutout Penn State, 1-0, at Jeffrey Field Monday evening.

NEWS & NOTES

The victory in University Park, Pa., is the first since 1966 for the Panthers.
Almeida scored his fifth goal of the season. His goal total now leads the ACC after Monday evening and is tied for second in the nation.
Graduate student Jasper Löeffelsend tallied his fifth assist of the season. Löeffelsend leaves Penn State as the nation's leader in assists and is tied for third all-time for career assists at Pitt with 14. The defender was named to the MAC Hermann Trophy Watch List earlier this season.

"I thought we did a very good job starting the match and finding the first goal," said head coach Jay Vidovich. "I thought we were in control for most of the match. We kept the ball, pressed high and moved them but credit to Penn State who didn't break when we got into their final third. I am very contempt with what we did and I am proud of the guys."

Pitt (4-2) got off to a hot start, converting its first shot taken into a goal ('6) as Almeida directed a low line drive shot to the far right corner. Senior Arturo Ordoñez found Löeffelsend with a long pass down the right sideline, who crossed it from right to left to Almeida for the goal.

Pitt kept the pressure high after the goal, having multiple shots blocked inside the box. The Panthers held Penn State (3-2-1) to two shots and held an 8-2 advantage after 45 minutes.

Pitt nearly made it 2-0 in the 58^th minute as sophomore Filip Mirkovic struck a right foot shot to the upper left corner of the goal, missing just high. The Panthers outshot Penn State 8-3 in the second half and 16-5 for the match.

The Panthers' defense held the Nittany Lions in check in the second half, allowing only three shots. Graduate student Nico Campuzano totaled three saves for the evening, including two in the second half, en-route to his 20^th career win in goal as a Panther. He is now fourth all-time for career wins at Pitt.

Pitt is back on the pitch Friday, Sept. 17 at Atlantic Coast Conference opponent Wake Forest. Start time is set for 8 p.m. on ACCNX.