No. 2 Seed Panthers Face Kansas City Sunday in NCAA Round of 16

PITTSBURGH – Seeking its fourth national quarterfinal appearance in the last five seasons, No. 2 seed Pitt will host Kansas City on Sunday evening at Ambrose Urbanic Field.

Kickoff is slated for 5 p.m., and the match can be streamed via ESPN+.

Need to Know - Game 19 (NCAA Round of 16)
No. 2 Pitt (13-5-0, 6-2-0 ACC) vs. Kansas City (14-4-3, 5-2-1 Summit League)
Sunday, Dec. 1, 2024 - 5 PM - ESPN+
Pittsburgh, Pa. – Ambrose Urbanic Field

The Opening Kick
Advanced Playing a Man Down
Despite playing a man down for majority of the contest, Pitt knocked off Cornell, 1-0, Sunday evening at Ambrose Urbanic Field to reach the round of 16. The shutout marked Pitt's first since the 2-0 win over Denver on Oct. 7. Additionally, the Panthers became only the second team to shutout the Big Red this season. Of note, Cornell came into Sunday's match ranking sixth nationally in scoring offense.

Under Vidovich
Under head coach Jay Vidovich, Pitt is now 11-4-1 in NCAA Tournament games, including a 6-1-0 ledger at home. The Panthers have also now reached the round of 16 in five of the last six seasons and are seeking their fourth national quarterfinal appearance in the last five years.

Scoring First is Key
One of the keys to victory for the Panthers over the last six seasons has been scoring the first goal of the match. Since 2019 (six seasons), Pitt owns a 59-3-3 overall record when they record the first goal of the match.

Balanced Attack
Pitt has seven players with 10 or more points this season and three (Luis Sahmkow, Guilherme Feitosa and Albert Thorsen) with 15 or more.

Feitosa Facilitates
Feitosa ranks 16th nationally in total assists with nine. His tally is the fifth most in a single season in program history.

Carter's Consistency
In goal, Cabral Carter has had one of the best seasons in program history, notching a 0.92 GAA. If the season ended today, he would be the lone keeper in program history to finish a season with a GAA below 1.00.

National Marks
As a team, the Panthers rank in the top 25 nationally in eight statistical categories.

6. Corner Kicks Per Game (6.61)
9. Team GAA (0.778)
11. Goal Differential (23)
17. Scoring Offense (2.06)
20. Points Per Game (6.17)
20. Total Goals (37)
24. Assists Per Game (2.06)
24. Total Points (111)

Scouting the Roos

Sunday will mark the first-ever meeting between Pitt and Kansas City.
Kansas City netted a pair of second half goals to stun No. 15 Missouri State en route to its first-ever round of 16 appearance.
- The Roos previously defeated Saint Louis in the first round.
Kansas City has compiled a 14-4-3 record this season, including two wins over No. 3 seed Denver.
- Notably, the Roos defeated Denver 2-1 to capture the Summit League title.
Offensively, Kansas City is led by Elie Kisoka - who has tallied 12 goals and eight assists for 32 total points. Julien Le Bourdoulous leads the Roos in assists with 10 on the year.
Raphael Kistmann has had a solid season in the midfield, logging eight goals and six assists for 22 points.
In goal, Brandon McGaugh has accumulated 71 saves, while owning a 1.35 GAA.

Last Time Out - vs. Cornell
Pitt knocked off Cornell, 1-0, Sunday evening at Ambrose Urbanic Field.

The Panthers were forced to play down a man after junior defender Jackson Gilman was issued a red card in the 40th minute. Shortly after, Cornell was called for a handball inside the box – resulting in a penalty kick for Pitt.

Graduate midfielder Arnau Vilamitjana then stepped to the spot and buried the penalty kick, giving Pitt a 1-0 lead.

Despite facing relentless pressure in the second half, Pitt's defense – anchored by junior keeper Cabral Carter held on to preserve the clean sheet as the Panthers defeated the Big Red, 1-0.

Up Next
The winner of Sunday's match will advance to the national quarterfinals to face either Vermont or San Diego.