Pitt
Virginia
No. 5 Pitt Set to Host Virginia Friday for Senior Night
10/24/2024 4:23:00 PM | Men's Soccer
PITTSBURGH – With just two matches remaining, and in the hunt for an ACC regular season title, the No. 5 ranked Pitt men's soccer team will return to Ambrose Urbanic Field to host league foe Virginia Friday evening.
Kickoff is slated for 7 p.m., and the match can be streamed via ACCNX.
Need to Know - Game 15
No. 5 Pitt (11-3-0, 5-1-0 ACC) vs. Virginia (7-4-3, 3-2-2 ACC)
Friday, Oct. 25, 2024 - 7 PM - ACCNX
Pittsburgh, Pa. – Ambrose Urbanic Field
Fan/Ticket Information
Single-match tickets can be purchased in advance HERE for $10 each. Tickets on match day will be sold at the Petersen Sports Complex ticket office for $12 each. Discounted group sale tickets are available for groups of 15+.
The Opening Kick
Senior Night
Six Panthers (Guilherme Feitosa, Casper Grening, Mateo Maillefaud, Felipe Mercado, Luis Sahmkow and Michael Sullivan) will be recognized prior to Friday's contest for senior night.
ACC Regular Season Title Hunt
Pitt would secure at least a share of the ACC regular season crown with a win on Friday. Of note, the Panthers could clinch the title outright as early as Saturday with losses or draws by No. 3 Clemson and No. 7 Stanford.
NCAA DI Men's Soccer Committee Rankings
A total of six ACC teams earned a spot in the NCAA DI Men's Soccer Committee's top 16 rankings. Pitt led the way at No. 2, followed by Stanford (4), North Carolina (6), Duke (7), SMU (10) and Clemson (16).
ACC Offensive Player of the Week
Graduate midfielder Arnau Vilamitjana was named the ACC Offensive Player of the Week, as announced by the league office Tuesday evening. With the honor, Vilamitjana became the first Panther to be tabbed ACC Offensive Player of the Week since Bertin Jacquesson in 2022 and the second Panther to garner an ACC weekly award this season – joining junior defender Casper Svendby.
Top 10 Marks
Pitt ranks sixth in the country in goals against average (.643) and ninth in goals (32). The Panthers also rank third nationally in goal differential (23).
Scouting the Cavaliers
- Friday will mark the 17th all-time meeting between Pitt and Virginia, as the Cavaliers own a 10-4-2 ledger.
- Virginia has compiled a 7-4-3 record this season, including a 3-2-2 mark in ACC play.
- The Cavaliers have won five-consecutive matches, marking their longest streak since 2019.
- Of note, their streak is the third longest in the country.
- Virginia ranks second in the ACC and 16th nationally with a goals against average of .786.
- Keeper Joey Batrouni leads the ACC and ranks 24th in the country with a save percentage of .800.
Last Time Out
Behind an 88th minute strike from Vilamitjana, Pitt stunned then-No. 7 North Carolina, 2-1, Saturday evening at Dorrance Field in Chapel Hill, N.C.
The victory snapped Pitt's two-match losing streak, while moving the Panthers into sole possession of first place in the ACC with just two regular season matches remaining. Additionally, Saturday's win improved the Panthers to a perfect 5-0 against ranked opponents this season.
Of note, Pitt has outscored its ranked opponents by an 11-2 margin, while holding three (then-No. 16 Georgetown, then-No. 17 Virginia Tech and then-No. 6 Denver) scoreless.
After the two sides played to a 1-1 draw over the first 80 minutes of action, Pitt began to pressure the Tar Heels' back line down the stretch, resulting in several near scoring opportunities.
With just under three minutes remaining, Vilamitjana, a native of Girona, Spain, received a pass from Feitosa just inside the box. Vilamitjana then fired a right-footed strike, past the goalkeeper, towards the far post for his second tally of the contest.
The Panthers held on defensively for the remainder of the match, securing their fifth ACC win and improving to 5-1 away from Ambrose Urbanic Field this season.
Panthers in the Polls
|
|
United Soccer Coaches |
TopDrawerSoccer |
NCAA RPI |
|
Preseason |
Unranked |
Unranked |
- |
|
Week 1 |
No. 3 |
No. 10 |
- |
|
Week 2 |
No. 8 |
No. 12 |
- |
|
Week 3 |
No. 7 |
No. 6 |
- |
|
Week 4 |
No. 2 |
No. 5 |
- |
|
Week 5 |
No. 1 |
No. 3 |
No. 1 |
|
Week 6 |
No. 1 |
No. 3 |
No. 1 |
|
Week 7 |
No. 1 |
No. 2 |
No. 1 |
|
Week 8 |
No. 4 |
No. 5 |
No. 2 |
|
Week 9 |
No. 5 |
No. 6 |
No. 1 |
Up Next
The Panthers will travel for the regular season finale at Syracuse next Friday, Nov. 1. Kickoff is slated for 7 p.m., and the match can be streamed via ACCNX.
