Abiodun, Schupansky Named to United Soccer Coaches Midfielders to Watch List
8/9/2024 3:02:00 PM | Women's Soccer
PITTSBURGH – The University of Pittsburgh sophomore Deborah Abiodun and senior Sarah Schupansky have been named to the United Soccer Coaches NCAA Division I Midfielder List, as announced by the organization Friday. The senior was among a group of 26 midfielders selected for the preseason.
Sophomore Abiodun started in 19 games out of 24 played last season – registering 1424 total minutes played. She recorded 15 points off of six goals and three assists – including the game winning goal against Ohio State in the First Round of the NCAA Tournament. The Oyo, Nigeria native wrote up an extensive freshman career resume as she earned a spot on the All-ACC Third Team and Freshmen Team, United Soccer Coaches All-Atlantic Region Team and TopDrawerSoccer Best XI Second Freshmen Team for her efforts last season.
Senior Schupanksy started in 22 out of a record 24 games played in the 2023 season – totaling 1633 minutes on the pitch. She finished tied for most goals on the team with her 11 on the season. The Pittsburgh, PA native currently holds the single season points record after registering those 11 goals and 14 assists to total 36 points. She racked in numerous honors last season including United Soccer Coaches Scholar All-American Second team, CSC Academic All-American honors, All-ACC First Team Top Drawer Soccer Best XI Second Team, College Sports Communicators Academic All-District Team and United Soccer Coaches All-Atlantic Region Second Team and a Top Drawer Soccer Post season ranking coming in at No. 13.
Pitt women's soccer, ranked No. 7 in the United Soccer Coaches Preseason Poll, is coming off their best season in program history after advancing to the NCAA Elite Eight and ACC Championship Semifinal stages for the first time. Pitt earned a top-25 ranking in eight of the 11 weeks of the United Soccer Coaches top-25 poll in the 2023 season. The Panthers finished the 2023 season at No. 6 in the United Soccer Coaches rankings with a 17-win season, finishing 17-6-1 with a 6-3-1 ACC mark. Pitt set program records for most wins overall (17), ACC wins (6), home wins (9), points (194), goals (64) and assists (68). The Panthers posted victories over Duke and North Carolina in the regular season, beating both for the first time in program history.
Pitt is set to play host to Michigan in their last exhibition game of the season this Saturday, Aug. 10 at Ambrose Urbanic Field at 5 p.m. Pitt will open their regular season on the road at Georgia on Thursday, Aug. 15.
United Soccer Coaches
Founded in 1941 and headquartered in Kansas City, Mo., United Soccer Coaches is the trusted and unifying voice, advocate and partner for coaches at all levels of the game. The largest community for soccer coaches in the world, we unite coaches of all levels around the love of the game and we elevate the game through advocacy, education and service. To learn more visit UnitedSoccerCoaches.org.
2024 NCAA Division I Watch List – Midfielders
|
Name |
Class |
School |
Hometown |
|
So. |
University of Pittsburgh |
Oyo, Nigeria |
|
|
Jasmine Aikey |
Jr. |
Stanford University |
Palo Alto, Calif. |
|
Simi Awujo |
Sr. |
University of Southern California |
Atlanta, Ga. |
|
Colby Barnett |
Sr. |
Santa Clara University |
Alamitos, Calif. |
|
Hannah Bebar |
GR-5 |
Duke University |
Naperville, Ill. |
|
Meg Boade |
GR-5 |
UCLA |
Lone Tree, Colo. |
|
Sam Courtwright |
So. |
Texas Tech University |
Dallas, Texas |
|
Teresa Deda |
Sr. |
Bucknell University |
Rochelle, N.Y. |
|
Baylee DeSmit |
Sr. |
Loyola University Maryland |
Towson, Md. |
|
Justina Gaynor |
GR-5 |
Michigan State University |
Shelby Township, Mich. |
|
Josefine Hasbo |
Sr. |
Harvard University |
Runstad Kyst, Denmark |
|
Macey Hodge |
Sr. |
Mississippi State University |
Douglasville, Ga. |
|
Taylor Huff |
Sr. |
Florida State University |
Mansfield, Ohio |
|
Kristina Kelly |
GR-5 |
University of Maine |
Lincolnville, Maine |
|
Katie Krohn |
Jr. |
University of Minnesota |
Schoharie, N.Y. |
|
Sally Menti |
Sr. |
Santa Clara University |
Seattle, Wash. |
|
Lexi Missimo |
Sr. |
University of Texas |
Southlake, Texas |
|
Avery Murdzek |
Sr. |
South Dakota State University |
Hudson, Wis. |
|
Vanessa Murray |
GR-5 |
University of Denver |
Glenview, Ill. |
|
Momo Nakao |
Sr.. |
University of Memphis |
Imzai City, Japan |
|
Leah Pirro |
Jr. |
Texas A&M University |
Simi Valley, Calif. |
|
Bella Recinos |
Sr. |
University of Massachusetts |
Winter Park, Fla. |
|
Helna Sampaio |
Sr. |
University of Southern California |
Porto Alegre, Brazil |
|
Sr.. |
University of Pittsburgh |
Pittsburgh, Pa. |
|
|
Regan Zimmers |
GR-5 |
University of Nebraska-Omaha |
Omaha, Neb. |
|
Erika Zschuppe |
Jr. |
Florida Gulf Coast University |
Kirtland, Ohio |
