Panthers Set Sights On #16 Akron Sunday In NCAA Tournament Second Round

PITTSBURGH – The Pitt men's soccer team (9-4-5, 3-2-3 ACC) will be looking to make their third straight trip to the Sweet 16 as they head to No. 16 Akron on Sunday afternoon for the NCAA Championship Second Round match with the Zips. Sunday's match will kick at 1pm inside FirstEnergy Stadium on the Akron campus and air live on ESPN+.

The winner of Sunday's match will play the winner of No. 1 Kentucky vs. South Florida which will kick off at 6:00 pm Sunday. If Kentucky wins, the match will be played in Lexington but if South Florida wins, the winner of Akron/Pitt would host the Sweet 16 matchup.

FOLLOW ALONG

Sunday afternoon's contest will air live on ESPN+ and can be found online HERE.
Live stats for Sunday's game can be found HERE.
Live updates throughout the game will also be posted on Twitter by following the Pitt men's soccer account @Pitt_MSOC.

THE SERIES – AKRON

This meeting marks the 31st of all-time between the two teams with Akron holding the 19-8-3 advantage over Pitt.
The two teams met earlier this season in Pittsburgh as they drew 3-3. Akron netted the first two goals of the match just 18 minutes in but Pitt came right back with three straight to regain the lead. The Zips tied the match in the 53rd minute and the two teams played to a draw.
Pitt's last win in the series came in 2019 at home as they collected a 1-0 victory.
The Zips own a 11-2 edge in games played in Akron in the all-time series.

SCOUTING THE ZIPS

The Zips enter Sunday's match with a 11-3-5 overall record on the year as they have one of the best offenses in the nation, ranking third in the NCAA in total goals (48).
The Zips are led offensively by Jason Shokalook who has netted nine goals, six assists and 24 points while Dyson Clapier has seven goals, a team-high seven assists and 21 points on 38 shots.
Ryan Kingsford and Ashton Kamdem each have five assists on the year as the Zips have notched 57 assists overall which ranks second in the NCAA.
In goal, Mitch Budler has made all 19 starts and owns a 11-3-5 record to go along with a 1.05 goals against average, .706 save percentage and seven clean sheets.

PANTHERS IN THE NCAA TOURNAMENT

This marks the fourth straight season and fourth time overall the Panthers have earn a bid in the NCAA Tournament.
The Panthers have now won at least one tournament game in all four seasons they have earned a bid.
Pitt currently owns a 7-2-1 record in NCAA Tournament games.
The Panthers are in search of their third straight trip to the Sweet 16 on Sunday.

Date                 Opponent         Result
11/21/20          Lehigh              W, 2-0
11/24/20          at Georgetown L, 5-0
5/2/21              Monmouth       W, 6-1
5/6/21              UCF                  W, 4-0
5/10/21            Washington      W, 3-0
5/14/21            Indiana             L, 1-0
11/21/21          No. Illinois        W, 5-2
11/27/21          Hofstra             W, 4-0
12/4/21            at Notre Dame T, 1-1
11/17/22          Cleveland St.     W, 2-1

SCORING POINTS IN BUNCHES

The Panthers have scored 36 goals, 43 assists and 115 points so far this season.
The 43 assists are the third most in a single season in program history while the 115 points are tied for fifth most in a single season.
Overall, the Panthers have six players who have recorded at least nine points on the year.
Junior Filip Mirkovic is leading the squad with 18 points while Bertin Jacquesson and Valentin Noel are close behind with 17 each.

LET ME ASSIST YOU

A major strength of the Panthers over the past couple seasons has been the way they distribute the ball.
So far this season, Pitt has 43 assists on 36 goals. The 43 total assists is currently 15th in the NCAA while their 2.39 assists per game is 14th in the NCAA.
Filip Mirkovic currently leads the ACC and ranks 4th in the NCAA in total assists (12) while also leading the ACC and ranking 3rd in the NCAA in assists per game (0.75).
With 12 assists on the year, Mirkovic has set a new school record for assists in a single season. His 19 career assists ranks 4th in program history.
Pitt has a total of 10 players who have at least two helpers on the year.
Last season, Pitt led the NCAA in assists (63) and assists per game (3.15), both of which marked program records.
Over the last three seasons, Pitt leads the NCAA in total assists with 150 helpers.

TOTAL ASSISTS (Last 3 seasons)