Program Record 11 Men’s Soccer Players Selected To All-ACC Academic Team
2/1/2023 11:12:00 AM | Men's Soccer
PITTSBURGH – After another successful campaign on the pitch, the Pitt men's soccer team added another record-breaking achievement to its resume as a program record 11 student-athletes earned a spot on the All-ACC Academic Team, as announced by the conference office Wednesday morning.
Four Panthers are repeat honorees including Jackson Walti (four-time honoree), Bertin Jacquesson (three-time honoree), Rodrigo Almeida (two-time honoree) and Guilherme Feitosa (two-time honoree). The seven Panthers earning the recognition for the first time are Henrique Gallina, Jackson Gilman, Noah Hall, Mateo Maillefaud, Lucas Rosa, Luis Sahmkow and Michael Sullivan. The 11 players honored breaks the previous program record of eight set last season.
Since the 2016 season, Jay Vidovich's first as head coach of the Panthers, 32 student-athletes have been naled to the All-ACC Academic Team with one earning ACC Scholar-Athlete of the Year (Noel – 2020).
Walti, a graduate student who earned a master's degree in sustainable engineering, was one of two players in the ACC (Andreas Ueland – Virginia) to earn the recognition for the fourth time in his career. The midfielder is one of the best leaders and teammates to ever wear the Pitt jersey. The St. Augustine, FL native was also selected in the Second Round of the 2023 MLS SuperDraft by Austin FC joining former teammate Valentin Noel.
The four-year captain had another excellent season manning the midfield for the Panthers as he started all 22 matches and played all but 14 minutes as Pitt advanced to their second College Cup in three seasons. Walti earned Second Team All-ACC honors for the third straight season as he posted a career-high two goals and 15 shots for the Panthers. Known for his tenacious defense and leadership, Walti helped the Panthers secure eight clean sheets while posting the lowest goals against average in a season for Pitt (1.02 GAA).
Jacquesson, an economics major, capped his historic Pitt career by becoming the first Panther to sign a Generation Adidas contract and then becoming the highest drafted Panther in program history, going No. 16 overall to Real Salt Lake in the 2023 MLS SuperDraft.
The junior concluded his prolific Pitt career with 19 goals, 23 assists and 61 points across 57 matches. His 23 career assists are second in program history while his 61 career points ranks seventh in program history. Known for his speed and agility, Jacquesson has helped Pitt become one of the best programs in the nation over his career as he has helped the Panthers earn their first two College Cup trips in program history (2020, 2022).
This past season, Jacquesson battled through some injuries to earn Second Team All-ACC honors as he ranked second on the squad with eight goals, five assists and 21 points on a team-high 61 shots. He netted three game-winning goals including the most memorable of his collegiate career as he ripped home a shot into the upper left corner down a man in the 78th minute of the NCAA Tournament match at #1 Kentucky.
Almeida recently graduated with his master's degree in information science. One of the winningest players in program history, the fifth-year player closed out his final season appearing in 21 matches while earning 13 starts in the midfield. He posted three assists on 20 shots across 1,086 minutes.
For his career, Almeida posted nine goals, 12 assists and 30 points on 73 shots while notching three-game-winners for the Panthers.
Making his second straight appearance on the team, Feitosa wrapped up his sophomore campaign appearing in 16 matches and making three starts for Pitt. He closed out the season with one goal, three assists and five points on 12 shots. He posted his best game of the season against nationally ranked Duquesne as he collected two assists in Pitt's 5-2 home victory over the cross-town rival.
Gallina, a graduate student majoring in management, concluded his first season as a Panther as one of the key members on the backline for Pitt. The fifth-year player appeared in 19 matches while earning 14 starts and played a total of 1,293 minutes as the Panthers advanced to their second College Cup in three seasons. He capped his season with two assists while also helping the Panthers secure eight clean sheets and posting a program-record 1.05 goals-against average.
Freshman defender Jackson Gilman was recognized for the first time in his career after making an immediate impact on the backline for the Panthers. Gilman turned into one of the best center backs in the nation this season for the Panthers as he started all 22 matches for Pitt as they earned their second College Cup trip in the past three seasons. The solid defender played all but 28 minutes for Pitt this season as he helped the Panthers secure eight clean sheets while also posting the lowest goals-against average in program history this season (1.02 GAA).
Not only was Gilman one of the best defenders in the nation, but he also helped Pitt in the offensive third of the field on set pieces. The freshman contributed three assists during his first collegiate season which tied him for fifth on the team in assists.
Hall was a great addition for the Panthers as the freshman appeared all over the pitch for Pitt during his first season. He appeared in 17 matches and finished with one goal, one assist and three points. The dynamic player netted his first career goal, the eventual game-tying goal, in the Panthers' 3-3 tie against #14 Akron. He then notched his first career assist in Pitt's ACC Tournament opening win over NC State.
Maillefaud was a pleasant surprise for the Panthers in his first season as he appeared in 20 matches and earned 11 starts on the backline for Pitt. The talented player started the final 10 games of the season for Pitt as he helped lead the squad to the College Cup with his strong play. He helped the Panthers secure eight clean sheets and a program-best 1.05 goals-against average while adding one goal, a game-winner, in Pitt's first win at North Carolina in program history.
Rosa graduated this fall with a master's degree in business administration. The talented defender was a mainstay on the Panthers' backline all season long as he started 22 matches and ranked second on the squad with 1,996 minutes played. He concluded his first season playing for Pitt with two goals, six assists and 10 points on 25 shots from his right back position. He posted the best game of his Pitt career in the home win over NC State as he netted a goal and assist to go along with three shots while also scoring against nationally ranked rival West Virginia. He also collected an assist on the game-winning goal in Pitt's national quarterfinal victory over Portland while helping the defense secure eight shutouts and a 1.05 goals-against average on the year.
Sahmkow took another step in his development in year two for the Panthers as he appeared in 15 matches and earned six starts up top for Pitt. He capped his sophomore campaign with four goals, three assists and 11 points on 11 shots while also netting his first career game-winning goal in Pitt's 1-0 road victory over Virginia Tech. He netted goals in three straight games (Denver, Virginia Tech, Duquesne) for the first time in his career while also netting a goal in Pitt's 3-0 road win in the NCAA Tournament over Akron. The best game of his young career came in the win over nationally ranked rival Duquesne as he netted a goal and assist in the 5-2 win.
Sullivan had a career year in his second season as a Panther as he appeared in 21 matches and earned 13 starts at forward for Pitt. He capped his sophomore campaign with a career-high three goals, one assist and seven points on 18 shots. The talented striker netted two game-winning goals (NC State, Duquesne) while also posting his first career multi-goal game as he finished off the ACC Tournament win against NC State with two goals on four shots. In the NCAA Tournament opening win over Cleveland State, Sullivan notched the first assist of his career as Pitt earned the 2-1 home victory.
Academic requirements for selection to the All-ACC Academic Team are a 3.0-grade point average for the previous semester and a 3.0 cumulative average during one's academic career. In addition, student-athletes must compete in at least 50 percent of their team's contests.
The ACC Honor Roll, which recognizes all conference student-athletes with a grade point average of 3.0 for the current academic year, will be released in July.
Four Panthers are repeat honorees including Jackson Walti (four-time honoree), Bertin Jacquesson (three-time honoree), Rodrigo Almeida (two-time honoree) and Guilherme Feitosa (two-time honoree). The seven Panthers earning the recognition for the first time are Henrique Gallina, Jackson Gilman, Noah Hall, Mateo Maillefaud, Lucas Rosa, Luis Sahmkow and Michael Sullivan. The 11 players honored breaks the previous program record of eight set last season.
Since the 2016 season, Jay Vidovich's first as head coach of the Panthers, 32 student-athletes have been naled to the All-ACC Academic Team with one earning ACC Scholar-Athlete of the Year (Noel – 2020).
Walti, a graduate student who earned a master's degree in sustainable engineering, was one of two players in the ACC (Andreas Ueland – Virginia) to earn the recognition for the fourth time in his career. The midfielder is one of the best leaders and teammates to ever wear the Pitt jersey. The St. Augustine, FL native was also selected in the Second Round of the 2023 MLS SuperDraft by Austin FC joining former teammate Valentin Noel.
The four-year captain had another excellent season manning the midfield for the Panthers as he started all 22 matches and played all but 14 minutes as Pitt advanced to their second College Cup in three seasons. Walti earned Second Team All-ACC honors for the third straight season as he posted a career-high two goals and 15 shots for the Panthers. Known for his tenacious defense and leadership, Walti helped the Panthers secure eight clean sheets while posting the lowest goals against average in a season for Pitt (1.02 GAA).
Jacquesson, an economics major, capped his historic Pitt career by becoming the first Panther to sign a Generation Adidas contract and then becoming the highest drafted Panther in program history, going No. 16 overall to Real Salt Lake in the 2023 MLS SuperDraft.
The junior concluded his prolific Pitt career with 19 goals, 23 assists and 61 points across 57 matches. His 23 career assists are second in program history while his 61 career points ranks seventh in program history. Known for his speed and agility, Jacquesson has helped Pitt become one of the best programs in the nation over his career as he has helped the Panthers earn their first two College Cup trips in program history (2020, 2022).
This past season, Jacquesson battled through some injuries to earn Second Team All-ACC honors as he ranked second on the squad with eight goals, five assists and 21 points on a team-high 61 shots. He netted three game-winning goals including the most memorable of his collegiate career as he ripped home a shot into the upper left corner down a man in the 78th minute of the NCAA Tournament match at #1 Kentucky.
Almeida recently graduated with his master's degree in information science. One of the winningest players in program history, the fifth-year player closed out his final season appearing in 21 matches while earning 13 starts in the midfield. He posted three assists on 20 shots across 1,086 minutes.
For his career, Almeida posted nine goals, 12 assists and 30 points on 73 shots while notching three-game-winners for the Panthers.
Making his second straight appearance on the team, Feitosa wrapped up his sophomore campaign appearing in 16 matches and making three starts for Pitt. He closed out the season with one goal, three assists and five points on 12 shots. He posted his best game of the season against nationally ranked Duquesne as he collected two assists in Pitt's 5-2 home victory over the cross-town rival.
Gallina, a graduate student majoring in management, concluded his first season as a Panther as one of the key members on the backline for Pitt. The fifth-year player appeared in 19 matches while earning 14 starts and played a total of 1,293 minutes as the Panthers advanced to their second College Cup in three seasons. He capped his season with two assists while also helping the Panthers secure eight clean sheets and posting a program-record 1.05 goals-against average.
Freshman defender Jackson Gilman was recognized for the first time in his career after making an immediate impact on the backline for the Panthers. Gilman turned into one of the best center backs in the nation this season for the Panthers as he started all 22 matches for Pitt as they earned their second College Cup trip in the past three seasons. The solid defender played all but 28 minutes for Pitt this season as he helped the Panthers secure eight clean sheets while also posting the lowest goals-against average in program history this season (1.02 GAA).
Not only was Gilman one of the best defenders in the nation, but he also helped Pitt in the offensive third of the field on set pieces. The freshman contributed three assists during his first collegiate season which tied him for fifth on the team in assists.
Hall was a great addition for the Panthers as the freshman appeared all over the pitch for Pitt during his first season. He appeared in 17 matches and finished with one goal, one assist and three points. The dynamic player netted his first career goal, the eventual game-tying goal, in the Panthers' 3-3 tie against #14 Akron. He then notched his first career assist in Pitt's ACC Tournament opening win over NC State.
Maillefaud was a pleasant surprise for the Panthers in his first season as he appeared in 20 matches and earned 11 starts on the backline for Pitt. The talented player started the final 10 games of the season for Pitt as he helped lead the squad to the College Cup with his strong play. He helped the Panthers secure eight clean sheets and a program-best 1.05 goals-against average while adding one goal, a game-winner, in Pitt's first win at North Carolina in program history.
Rosa graduated this fall with a master's degree in business administration. The talented defender was a mainstay on the Panthers' backline all season long as he started 22 matches and ranked second on the squad with 1,996 minutes played. He concluded his first season playing for Pitt with two goals, six assists and 10 points on 25 shots from his right back position. He posted the best game of his Pitt career in the home win over NC State as he netted a goal and assist to go along with three shots while also scoring against nationally ranked rival West Virginia. He also collected an assist on the game-winning goal in Pitt's national quarterfinal victory over Portland while helping the defense secure eight shutouts and a 1.05 goals-against average on the year.
Sahmkow took another step in his development in year two for the Panthers as he appeared in 15 matches and earned six starts up top for Pitt. He capped his sophomore campaign with four goals, three assists and 11 points on 11 shots while also netting his first career game-winning goal in Pitt's 1-0 road victory over Virginia Tech. He netted goals in three straight games (Denver, Virginia Tech, Duquesne) for the first time in his career while also netting a goal in Pitt's 3-0 road win in the NCAA Tournament over Akron. The best game of his young career came in the win over nationally ranked rival Duquesne as he netted a goal and assist in the 5-2 win.
Sullivan had a career year in his second season as a Panther as he appeared in 21 matches and earned 13 starts at forward for Pitt. He capped his sophomore campaign with a career-high three goals, one assist and seven points on 18 shots. The talented striker netted two game-winning goals (NC State, Duquesne) while also posting his first career multi-goal game as he finished off the ACC Tournament win against NC State with two goals on four shots. In the NCAA Tournament opening win over Cleveland State, Sullivan notched the first assist of his career as Pitt earned the 2-1 home victory.
Academic requirements for selection to the All-ACC Academic Team are a 3.0-grade point average for the previous semester and a 3.0 cumulative average during one's academic career. In addition, student-athletes must compete in at least 50 percent of their team's contests.
The ACC Honor Roll, which recognizes all conference student-athletes with a grade point average of 3.0 for the current academic year, will be released in July.
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