Pitt Focused on Big Road Test Friday At No. 7 Syracuse

PITTSBURGH – Coming off a dominant 5-1 home win Monday night, the Pitt men's soccer team (3-2-2, 1-0-1 ACC) hits the road Friday for a massive test as they travel to take on the defending national champions, Syracuse. The Panthers and No. 7 Orange will kick at 7:00 pm and the match will air live on ACC Network Extra.

FOLLOW ALONG

Friday night's contest will air live on ACC Network Extra and can be found online HERE.
Live stats for Friday'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 VS. SYRACUSE

This meeting marks the 26th matchup between the two programs with the Panthers holding the 11-9-5 all-time record against the Orange.
Pitt is unbeaten in their previous four against the Orange (3-0-1) while winning each of the past two meetings in double overtime.
The last meeting between the two teams came in 2021 as Pitt earned the 3-2 double overtime victory as Guilherme Feitosa netted the game-winner in the 109th minute of play.
The Panthers are 4-6-3 all-time in games played in Syracuse but won the last meeting on the road in 2020 by the score of 3-2 in double overtime.

SCOUTING THE ORANGE

Syracuse has amassed a 3-1-3 overall record and a 0-0-2 ACC mark so far this season after falling 2-1 to Cornell on Tuesday night on the road.
Syracuse is currently ranked No. 7 in the latest United Soccer Coaches poll.
Syracuse is being led offensively by Lorenzo Boselli who has four goals and eight points to go along with a team-high 15 shots. Gabriel Mikina has scored a pair of goals, both game-winners, to go along with 10 shots while Jeorgio Kocevski leads the squad with three assists.
In goal, Jason Smith has started five matches and owns a 2-0-2 overall record and a 0.63 goals-against average. He has secured two clean sheets on the year while making nine saves.
After claiming the national title a season ago, the Orange were selected to finish third in the Atlantic Division in the preseason ACC Coaches' Poll.

LAST TIME OUT VS. FDU

The Panthers collected a big 5-1 home victory over FDU Monday night to improve to 3-1-1 at Ambrose Urbanic Field on the year.
Pitt was led offensively by junior forward Luis Sahmkow who netted his first career hat trick in the win. Senior Filip Mirkovic was the catalyst for the Pitt offense as he secured a career-high and program single match tying record of four assists.
Joao Souza and Abdoulaye Toure each netted their first goals as Panthers in the dominant win while Luka Kozomara notched his first assist as a Panther.
In goal, Cabral Carter improved to 3-2-2 on the season while making three saves in the win.

BIG NIGHT FOR THE PITT OFFENSE VS. FDU

The Pitt offense tied a season-high with five goals while also netting six assists in Monday's win over FDU.
The Panthers scored three goals in a 6:26 span in the second half which marked the fastest three consecutive goals scored by Pitt in program history. The three goals were scored at 44:59, 47:48 and 51:25.
Senior Filip Mirkovic had himself a game in the win over FDU as he recorded a career-high four assists. The four-assist game ties a program record for a single game, a record that stood untouched since 1978.
Mirkovic's four assists also tied an ACC record for most assists in a single game as he became just the third ACC player in the past 30 seasons to notched four assists.
Luis Sahmkow netted his first career hat trick and the 23rd in program history in the win. It was the first hat trick by a Pitt player since 2018 and the fifth so far this season in the ACC.

SAHMKOW LEADING THE OFFENSIVE ATTACK

With a whole new attacking group joining the fold this season, junior Luis Sahmkow has been tasked with picking up some of the scoring burden and he's delivered through the first seven matches of the season.
So far this season, Sahmkow has started five matches for the Panthers and secured a team-high five goals on 11 shots while converting on a NCAA-leading 3-for-3 on penalty shots.
His five goals are the third most in the ACC while his 1.0 goals per game leads the conference and is tied for second in the NCAA. He also leads all players in the NCAA with three penalty kick markers on the year.
Last time out, Sahmkow had the best game of his career as he netted his first career hat trick. After converting on a PK in the fourth minute, he netted two goals in the second half just over two minutes apart.
He is the first Panther since Edward Kizza in 2018 (twice) to net a hat trick.
For his career, Sahmkow now has 10 goals and 24 points in 30 games. His .80 points per game over his career currently ranks 6th best in program history.

NEXT UP

Pitt returns home Monday night as they welcome No. 19 Denver to Ambrose Urbanic Field for a non-conference tilt. Monday's match will kick at 7:00 pm and air live on ACC Network.

Pitt Focused on Big Road Test Friday At No. 7 Syracuse

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Cabral Carter

Guilherme Feitosa

Luka Kozomara

Filip Mirkovic

Luis Sahmkow

Joao Souza

Abdoulaye Toure

Pitt Focused on Big Road Test Friday At No. 7 Syracuse

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Cabral Carter

Guilherme Feitosa

Luka Kozomara

Filip Mirkovic

Luis Sahmkow

Joao Souza

Abdoulaye Toure

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