No. 2 Seed Panthers Face Vermont Saturday in National Quarterfinals

PITTSBURGH – Following consecutive wins to open the national tournament, the No. 2-seeded Pitt men's soccer team will host Vermont Saturday at Ambrose Urbanic Field, with the winner advancing to the 2024 NCAA Men's College Cup.

Kickoff is slated for 3 p.m., and the match can be streamed via ESPN+.

Need to Know - Game 20 (NCAA Quarterfinals)
No. 2 Pitt (14-5-0, 6-2-0 ACC) vs. Vermont (14-2-5, 4-1-2 America East)
Saturday, Dec. 7, 2024 - 3 PM - ESPN+
Pittsburgh, Pa. – Ambrose Urbanic Field

Fan/Ticket Information

Tickets can be purchased 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
Seeking History
Pitt is one of only four programs nationally with two College Cup appearances since 2020. With a win on Saturday, the Panthers will become the lone team nationally with three during that span.

Vilamitjana Coming Alive
Graduate midfielder Arnau Vilamitjana is the lone Panther with multiple goals in the NCAA Tournament. Over the last six matches, Vilamitjana has accumulated nine points.

Under Vidovich
Under head coach Jay Vidovich, Pitt is now 12-4-1 in NCAA Tournament games, including a 7-1-0 ledger at home. The Panthers have also now reached the national quarterfinals in four of the last five seasons.

Back on the Attack
Against Kansas City, Pitt posted its first goal in the run of play and its first multi-goal match since the 4-1 win over Virginia on Oct. 25.

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

4. Corner Kicks Per Game (6.68)
10. Goal Differential (24)
14. Scoring Offense (2.11)
15. Total Goals (40)
16. Total Points (119)
16. Team GAA (0.838)
19. Points Per Game (6.26)
24. Assists Per Game (2.05)

Scouting the Catamounts

Sunday will mark the first-ever meeting between Pitt and Vermont.
Vermont has compiled a 14-2-5 ledger this season, including a 4-1-2 mark in America East play.
The Catamounts defeated Iona (5-0), No. 7 Hofstra (2-1) and San Diego (1-0 OT) en route to the national quarterfinals.
- In the round of 16, Yaniv Bazini scored on a penalty kick in overtime to down San Diego.
- The Catamounts have now reached the national quarterfinals in two of the past three seasons.
Vermont is led offensively by Bazini as he's logged 12 goals and two assists for 26 points. Sydney Wathuta has also played a major role offensively, recording a team-high 14 assists.
In goal, Niklas Herceg has registered five shutouts, while compiling a 0.68 GAA.

Last Time Out - vs. Kansas City
Sophomore forward Albert Thorsen scored the game-winning goal in the 98th minute as Pitt secured its fourth NCAA Quarterfinal appearance in the past five seasons with a 3-2 win over Kansas City Sunday evening at Ambrose Urbanic Field.

Casper Grening netted a first half goal to help erase an early one-goal deficit and Vilamitjana scored for the second consecutive match as Pitt improved to 14-5-0 on the season. Vilamitjana along with Niklas Soerensen assisted on Thorsen's game-winner.

The Panthers dominated the run of play throughout the contest 65 percent of the possession in the game. Much of Pitt's time on the ball came on the attacking end of the field and resulted in a 22-5 shot advantage.

Kansas City got an early goal from Gabriele Galluccio in the sixth minute and erased a 2-1 Pitt lead with a set piece goal less than five minutes after Pitt had taken the lead in the second half. Julien Le Bourdoulous recorded assists on both goals for the Roos who concluded the season with a 14-5-3 record, while making their first NCAA Tournament.

Up Next
The winner of Saturday's match will advance to the 2024 NCAA Men's College Cup.