Pitt
Liberty
Women's Soccer Hosts Liberty on Senior Day
9/10/2022 7:42:00 AM | Women's Soccer
THE MATCHUP
The Pitt women's soccer team (6-1-0) looks to bounce back from its first loss of the 2022 season as it plays host to Liberty (4-2-1) in a Sunday Senior Day matchup at Ambrose Urbanic Field in the final non-conference game of the regular season. First touch is slated for 1 p.m.
Sunday's game will also feature Pups at the Pitch and Military Appreciation promotions, with free rope frisbees for dog owners and free coolers for military veterans. Tickets can be purchased online in advance for $5 per game or purchased on gameday for $8 at the Petersen Sports Complex Ticket Office.
SENIOR DAY
Pitt will honor its 11 seniors in a pregame ceremony prior to Sunday's game. The 11 senior Panthers are goalkeeper Caitlyn Lazzarini, defender Mackenzie Edwards, midfielder Landy Mertz, forward Leah Pais, forward Amanda West, defender Hailey Davidson, midfielder Anna Bout, defender Athalie Palomo, midfielder Krystyna Rytel, defender Ashton Gordon and goalkeeper Gabriella Neibart.
PANTHERS SUFFER FIRST SETBACK OF '22
Pitt saw its six-game season-opening winning streak snapped with a 3-2 setback to host VCU Thursday at SportsBackers Stadium in Richmond, Va.
The Panthers fell to the Rams despite holding the advantage in shots (27-13) and shots on goal (15-6). The contest was a back-and-forth battle in which the two squads traded goals in both halves, but VCU ultimately prevailed on a penalty kick in the 89th minute.
The Panthers found themselves trailing for the first time all season when VCU struck for the first goal of the match in the sixth minute, but Pitt answered back 20 minutes later as Leah Pais delivered her third goal of the season and third in the last two matches. Pitt fell behind again on a VCU goal in the 55th minute, but the Panthers evened the score again, however, in the 78th minute, scoring off a set piece as Sarah Schupansky converted her fourth goal in four games. Unfortunately for Pitt, the Rams scored what proved to be the game winner 10 minutes later, drawing a foul in the penalty area to set up the winning kick.
STARTING OUT HOT
With its 6-0 start to the 2022 campaign, the Panthers matched the 2020 Pitt squad for the best start to a season in program history. Pitt has come storming out of the gate each of the last three seasons, following up its 6-0 start in 2020 by rattling off five straight wins to begin the '21 regular season.
BUILDING THE PROGRAM
The Panthers are now 37-35-1 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 28-15 over the last two-plus seasons.
OFFENSIVE ONSLAUGHT
Pitt has outscored the opposition 26-4 so far in 2022, including 23-4 over the last four games alone. The Panthers rolled to a 7-0 victory over Kent State, marking the second time in as many seasons that Pitt has registered a 7-0 win, beating Saint Francis by the same score on Sept. 9, 2021. The victory over Kent State marked the third-straight season in which Pitt has scored seven goals in a game, with a 7-1 win over App State on Sept. 13, 2020, starting the streak. The Panthers have totaled at least six goals in a game five times and have won by at least five goals seven times in the last three years.
The Panthers currently rank third in NCAA Division I in total points (74) and total goals (26) and boast the fourth-best scoring offense (3.71 points per game). Pitt is also tied for fourth in the country in shots on goal per game (11.00) and fifth in total assists (22) and ranks sixth in shots per game (23.00).
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 three more shutouts to its total courtesy of a 6-0 rout of Cleveland State, a 7-0 romp over Kent State and a 2-0 blanking of Cincinnati. Pitt's five shutouts are already tied for the fifth-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 on Thursday.
SCOUTING LIBERTY
Sunday's matchup marks the fourth all-time meeting with Liberty, with Pitt leading the series, 2-1. The Flames prevailed in the most recent meeting, 1-0 on Sept. 15, 2019. The Panthers and Flames have squared off just once at Ambrose Urbanic Field -- a 2-1 win for Pitt on Sept. 10, 2015.
The Flames are guided by sixth-year head coach Lang Wedemeyer, who has guided Liberty to a 48-40-12 mark.
Liberty finished 11-7-1 in 2021, with its season ending with a 1-0 loss to Eastern Kentucky in the Atlantic Sun Tournament Quarterfinals.
Meredith King was named a 2022 ASUN Preseason All-Conference selection.
The Flames saw a three-game winning streak end with a 2-1 loss at No. 11-ranked Penn State on Thursday. Grace Spade accounted for Liberty's goal. McKinley Burkett leads Liberty with three goals on the year while Spade has added two. Seven other Flames have found the back of the net once this season. Ainsley Leja has been stout in goal, allowing just five goals and making 24 saves in 623 minutes.
UP NEXT
Pitt opens ACC play with a visit to Blacksburg, Va., on Friday to take on Virginia Tech. The matchup is set to get started at 5 p.m. ACC Network Extra will have live streaming coverage of the game.
