Pitt
Notre Dame
Women's Soccer Readies for Matchup at No. T-17 Notre Dame
9/24/2022 7:38:00 AM | Women's Soccer
THE MATCHUP
PITTSBURGH - The Pitt women's soccer team (9-1-0, 2-0-0 ACC) puts its unbeaten ACC record on the line Sunday as it squares off against host No. T-17 Notre Dame (8-1-0, 1-1-0 ACC) at Alumni Stadium in South Bend, Ind. First touch is scheduled for 1 p.m. The contest will be streamed live on ACC Network Extra.
STRONG START TO CONFERENCE PLAY
The Panthers have begun ACC action with a pair of wins for the first time since 2015 after earning a 3-1 come-from-behind victory over Miami on Thursday at Ambrose Urbanic Field. Pitt scored three second-half goals to overcome a 1-0 halftime deficit and defeat the Hurricanes.
Pitt found itself trailing at the half for the first time in 2022 when Miami took a 1-0 lead in the 25th minute. The Panthers got back in the game in the 50th minute, though, as freshman Katie Zailski scored her second goal in as many games on a set piece to even the score. Less than two minutes later, Pitt was in the lead as Landy Mertz scored her fifth of the season on a set piece. The Panthers added an insurance goal in the 63rd minute when Leah Pais registered her sixth goal of the year, tying her for the team lead.
Pitt opened ACC play with a decisive 4-1 triumph over host Virginia Tech to open ACC play. The Panthers picked up their first-ever win over the Hokies and have started ACC play with a win for just the second time in program history as a pair of late first-half goals proved to be the difference. Zailski scored what proved to be the game winner for her first collegiate goal in the 41st minute to give Pitt a 2-1 lead it never relinquished.
PANTHERS LISTED 18TH IN RPI
The NCAA released its first Rating Percentage Index (RPI) report of the 2022 season on Monday, with Pitt owning the 18th-best RPI in the country.
STARTING OUT HOT
Pitt's nine victories in its first 10 games marks the best start to a season in program history. With its 6-0 start to the 2022 campaign, the Panthers matched the 2020 Pitt squad for the best start through six games. 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 40-35-1 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 31-15 over the last two-plus seasons.
OFFENSIVE ONSLAUGHT
Pitt has outscored the opposition 36-8 so far in 2022. The Panthers currently rank second in NCAA Division I in total points (105), tied for second in total goals (36) and rank third in scoring offense (3.60 goals per game). Pitt is also tied for third in the country in total assists (33) and ranks fourth in points per game (10.50) and shots on goal per game (10.80), fifth in assists per game (3.30) and eighth in shots per game (21.80).
FINDING BALANCE
The Panthers have seen 13 different players find the back of the net so far this season. Leah Pais and Amanda West are tied for the team lead with six goals apiece, with Landy Mertz and Sarah Schupansky right behind with five apiece. Ellie Coffield has found the back of the net three times. Fleming Dean, Emily Yaple and Katie Zailski have each cashed in twice. Anna Bout, Mackenzie Evers, Ashton Gordon, Bri Hilsenteger and Samiah Phiri have each found the back of the net once.
HOW MAY WE ASSIST?
Eleven different Panthers have distributed assists this season, with Anna Bout and Sarah Schupansky leading the way with five apiece. Bout's 15 career assists are good for the fifth-most in program history. Landy Mertz and Leah Pais are tied for second with four apiece. Ashton Gordon, Amanda West and Emily Yaple have each dished out three assists while Samiah Phiri has accounted for two. Ellie Coffield, Keera Melenhorst and Ashley Moon have all logged one helper.
SCOUTING NOTRE DAME
Pitt is set to face Notre Dame for the 17th time on Sunday and is seeking its first-ever win over the Fighting Irish. The Panthers and the Irish played to scoreless double overtime draw on Oct. 4, 2009, in the only meeting in the series that did not result in a Notre Dame victory.
Pitt head coach Randy Waldrum saw unprecedented success in his tenure at the helm of the perennial powerhouse Notre Dame women's program from 1999-2013. In his 14 seasons, he led the Fighting Irish to two national championships, capturing the College Cup title in 2004 and '10. His teams won eight Big East Tournament titles and appeared in eight NCAA Final Four games in that span.
Notre Dame is guided by fifth-year head coach Nate Norman and has gone 47-32-4 during his ten ure in South Bend. The Fighting Irish were tabbed to finish sixth in the ACC Preseason Coaches Poll.
The Fighting Irish tied for the No. 17 spot with Penn State in this week's United Soccer Coaches Poll. Notre Dame bounced back from its first loss of the season -- a 2-0 road setback to Clemson in its ACC opener -- with a 1-0 triumph over No. 2 Virginia at home on Thursday.
Two players have accounted for 12 of Notre Dame's 22 goals this season, with Olivia Wingate and Maddie Mercado tied for the team lead with six apiece. Kati Druzina leads Notre Dame with three assists. Mackenzie Wood (450 minutes) and Ashley Naylor (355:19) have split the bulk of the time in goal for the Fighting Irish, with each recording six saves.
UP NEXT
Pitt returns to the friendly confines of Ambrose Urbanic Field next Saturday for a 7 p.m. clash against Louisville. The contest will be streamed live on ACC Network Extra.
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