Pitt
Syracuse
No. 20 Women's Soccer Returns Home to Square Off with Syracuse
10/19/2022 11:26:00 AM | Women's Soccer
THE MATCHUP
PITTSBURGH - The No. 20-ranked Pitt women's soccer team (11-3-1, 4-2-1 ACC) begins its final stretch of the 2022 regular season by beginning a three-game homestand with a matchup against Syracuse (8-5-2, 1-4-2 ACC) on Thursday at Ambrose Urbanic Field. The game will be televised on ACC Network and is set for a 6 p.m. start. Tickets can be purchased online in advance for $5 or purchased on gameday for $8 at the Petersen Sports Complex Ticket Office.
PICKED UP A POINT
Pitt earned a point by rallying for a 1-1 tie at Boston College last Sunday thanks to a late equalizer by Samiah Phiri. The Panthers trailed by a goal until Phiri evened the score in the 74th minute, marking her third goal of the season and second in the last four games. Sarah Schupansky distributed her team-leading seventh assist of the season while Keera Melenhorst was credited with the secondary assist.
NCAA DIVISION I COMMITTEE TABS PITT TOP TEN
As the 2022 regular season winds down, the NCAA Division I Women's Soccer Committee has revealed its ranking of the top 10 teams. The Committee has ranked Pitt ninth in its midseason reveal.
IN THE RANKINGS FOR A FOURTH-STRAIGHT WEEK
Pitt spot to No. 20 in the United Soccer Coaches Rankings, marking the fourth week in a row the Panthers have been ranked in the national poll.
The Panthers entered the rankings at No. 14 three weeks ago, marking the third-straight year Pitt has appeared in the weekly poll. Pitt moved up one spot to No. 13 two weeks ago, then was ranked No. 21 last week. The Panthers reached as high as No. 19 in the poll last season and No. 12 in 2020.
TOP-TEN RPI RATING
The Panthers currently occupy the No. 10 spot in the NCAA's fourth Rating Percentage Index (RPI) report of the 2022 season after opening at No. 18 in the initial report, moving up to seventh three weeks ago and second two weeks ago before being ranked eighth last week.
CONFERENCE TOURNAMENT RACE COMING DOWN TO THE WIRE
Pitt is currently fifth in the ACC standings with 13 points, trailing Florida State (18 points), Notre Dame (15), North Carolina (15) and Duke (15).
The top six teams in the league will qualify for the 2022 ACC Women's Soccer Championship. The top two seeds will receive a bye to the semifinals while the third and sixth seeds and fourth and fifth seeds will square off at the campus site of the higher seed on October 30. Both the semifinals (November 3) and championship game (November 6) are slated to be contested at WakeMed Soccer Park in Cary, N.C.
HOT START
With 11 wins in 15 attempts, Pitt is off to its best start in program history. With their next victory, the Panthers will set the program standard for the most victories in a single season.
HOME IS WHERE THE WINS ARE
Pitt is a perfect 6-0-0 at home so far in 2022. With one more victory at Ambrose Urbanic Field, the Panthers will match the 2021 squad for most home victories in a single season.
A FIRST TIME FOR EVERYTHING
ACC play has seen Pitt record its first-ever wins over Virginia Tech (4-1) and Notre Dame (3-1). The Panthers were previously 0-7-1 against the Hokies and 0-15-1 against the Fighting Irish.
BUILDING THE PROGRAM
The Panthers are now 42-37-5 under the leadership of fifth-year head coach Randy Waldrum. After going 9-22-4 in the first two years of a massive rebuild, Pitt has gone 33-17-1 over the last two-plus seasons.
PILING UP POINTS
With four games still to play in the 2022 regular season, Pitt has already set a program record for points in a single season with 121 (41 goals, 39 assists). The previous high-water mark was shared by the 2020-21 and 1998 teams with 104. The Panthers' 121 points are good for sixth in NCAA Division I while their 8.07 points per game rank eighth.
OFFENSIVE ONSLAUGHT
Pitt has outscored the opposition 41-15 so far in 2022. The Panthers' 41 goals are tied for the most in a single season in program history with the 2021 squad and are tied with Texas for the fifth-most in NCAA Division I this season. Pitt is also tied with Texas in scoring offense, tying for eighth in the country with 2.73 goals per game.
FINDING BALANCE
The Panthers have seen 13 different players find the back of the net so far this season. Leah Pais is pacing Pitt, scoring all seven of her team-leading goals in the last eight games. She is tied for seventh among ACC players in goals. Amanda West, who is out for the rest of the season following an injury in the win over Cincinnati, is tied for second on the team with Landy Mertz with six goals. Mertz has compiled a team-high four game winners, which is tied for most among ACC players. Sarah Schupansky (5), Ellie Coffield (3) and Samiah Phiri (3) round out Pitt's top six goal scorers. Fleming Dean, Emily Yaple and Katie Zailski have each cashed in twice. Anna Bout, Mackenzie Evers, Ashton Gordon and Bri Hilsenteger have each found the back of the net once.
HOW MAY WE ASSIST?
Eleven different Panthers have distributed assists this season, with Sarah Schupansky leading the way with seven apiece, which is tied for 20th in the country and second among ACC players. Anna Bout ranks second on the team, tied for 44th in the country and tied for sixth in the ACC with six assists. Bout's 15 career assists are good for the fifth-most in program history. Landy Mertz and Leah Pais are tied with four assists apiece. Ellie Coffield, Ashton Gordon, Keera Melenhorst, Samiah Phiri, Amanda West and Emily Yaple have each dished out three assists while Ashley Moon has logged one helper. Pitt's 39 assists rank as the second-most in program history behind the 2021 squad's 47. The Panthers are currently sixth in the country in total assists. Pitt ranks seventh in the nation and second in the ACC in assists per game with 2.60.
PANTHERS FINISH NON-CONFERENCE PLAY STRONG
Pitt prevailed in seven of its first eight games for the second year in a row to finish non-conference play strong. The Panthers went a perfect 4-0 at home in non-conference action.
SHUT IT DOWN
The Panthers opened the 2022 season by earning a pair of shutout victories at the Rumble in the Rockies in Missoula, Mont. Pitt blanked Gonzaga, 1-0, in the season opener, then stifled host Montana, 2-0, three days later. The Panthers started a new season with back-to-back shutout victories for the first time since 2017. Pitt has added four more shutouts to its total courtesy of a 6-0 rout of Cleveland State, a 7-0 romp over Kent State, a 2-0 blanking of Cincinnati and a 1-0 win over Louisville. Pitt's six shutouts are already tied for the third-most in a single season in program history. The Panthers had not allowed a goal over 315 minutes of play until VCU broke through for the first goal of the match in the sixth minute.
LAZZ LOCKS IT DOWN
Caitlyn Lazzarini put together a career effort in the season-opening shutout of Gonzaga with 10 saves. With an 19-7-0 career record, she is one victory away from becoming the program's all-time leader in goalkeeper wins.
ZAILSKI RECOGNIZED AMONG TOP FRESHMEN BY TOPDRAWERSOCCER
Katie Zailski has been named to TopDrawerSoccer's Freshmen Top 100 list, coming in at No. 26.
A native of Summerville, S.C., Zailski has played in all 15 games for the Panthers this season, making 13 starts. She has registered four points off of two goals, including potting the game winner in a 4-1 victory at Virginia Tech last month. Zailski has been a key part of a back line that has registered six shutouts so far in 2022, which is tied for the third-most in a single season in program history.
SCOUTING SYRACUSE
Pitt and Syracuse are set to square off for the 24th time, with the Panthers trailing in the all-time series, 7-12-4. However, Pitt is 4-2-1 in its last seven matchups against the Orange. The Panthers have taken the last two matchups from Syracuse, most recently posting a 4-2 road win on Oct. 18, 2021.
Nicky Adams is in her fourth year as the head coach at Syracuse and has guided the Orange to a 16-35-5 record.
Syracuse was picked to finish 14th in the ACC Preseason Coaches Poll.
The Orange have come away with draws in each of their last two games, most recently tying Clemson, 1-1, last Friday.
Chelsea Domond leads Syracuse in points (15), goals (5) and assists (5) while Erin Flurey has tallied nine points off four goals and an assist. Shea Vanderbosch has started 13 of 14 games in goal, totaling 58 saves while permitting 12 goals.
UP NEXT
Pitt welcomes No. 4 Florida State to Ambrose Urbanic Field on Sunday for a 1 p.m. tilt. The contest will be streamed live on ACC Network Extra.
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