Pitt
Cleveland State
No. 7 Pitt Prepped for Midweek Clash With Cleveland State
9/16/2024 4:29:00 PM | Men's Soccer
PITTSBURGH – Coming off two-straight wins, No. 7 Pitt will travel to face Cleveland State Tuesday evening at Krenzler Field in Cleveland, Ohio.
Kickoff is slated for 7 p.m. ET, and the match can be streamed via ESPN+.
Need to Know - Game 7
No. 7 Pitt (5-1-0, 2-0-0 ACC) at Cleveland State (2-2-2, 0-1-0 Horizon)
Tuesday, Sept. 17, 2024 - 7 PM - ESPN+
Cleveland Ohio – Krenzler Field
The Opening Kick
Sahmkow's Brace
Senior forward Luis Sahmkow recorded a brace in the ACC home opener against Louisville. Of note, Sahmkow ranks 36th nationally in goals per game (.67).
Dahl's Hot Start
Freshman forward Lasse Dahl leads the ACC and ranks ninth nationally with four assists this season. He also ranks 17th nationally in assists per game (.67).
Defense Shines
The Panthers have allowed only five goals this season and rank 32nd nationally with a .833 goals-against-average.
Scouting the Vikings
- Cleveland State has opened the season with a 2-2-2 ledger, including an 0-1 mark in Horizon League play.
- Most recently, the Vikings fell to Oakland, 2-1.
- Cleveland State was picked to finish second in the Horizon League Preseason Poll, entering the 2024 campaign.
- Head coach Sinisa Ubiparipovic is in his sixth year as the head coach at Cleveland State.
- During his tenure, the Vikings are 37-35-13 overall and 22-17-7 in league play.
- Individually, Cleveland State has been led by Bojan Kolevski and Matteo Correia, as the duo has combined for four goals this season.
Series History
- Tuesday will mark the 21st all-time meeting between the Panthers and Vikings as the series is currently tied, 8-8-4.
- Pitt has won each of the last two meetings by a combined score of 6-1.
Last Time Out
Behind a brace from Sahmkow, Pitt remained unbeaten in ACC play, knocking off Louisville, 3-2, Friday evening at Ambrose Urbanic Field.
With the victory, Pitt improved to 33-5-7 at home over the past five seasons, while starting 2-0 in ACC play for the second time in the past three years.
Additionally, the Panthers avenged last season's, 2-1, double overtime loss to the Cardinals in the ACC Tournament.
Senior midfielder Guilherme Feitosa opened the scoring in the 18th minute as he slotted home his third goal of the season. Pitt remained on the attack over the ensuing six minutes of action, resulting in senior forward Casper Grening being taken down inside the box.
Sahmkow then stepped to the spot and blasted a shot past Louisville's keeper, giving the Panthers a 2-0 advantage just over 25 minutes into the contest.
Louisville narrowed its deficit in the 62nd minute as a scramble resulted in the ball ricocheting into the net.
In the 81st minute, freshman midfielder Miguel Bertran found Sahmkow streaking down the pitch. Sahmkow then displayed a variety of moves before finishing his second goal of the contest and securing the brace.
Pitt's defense held on for the remainder of the match to notch the Panthers' second-consecutive victory.
Panthers in the Polls
|
|
United Soccer Coaches |
TopDrawerSoccer |
|
Preseason |
Unranked |
Unranked |
|
Week 1 |
No. 3 |
No. 10 |
|
Week 2 |
No. 8 |
No. 12 |
|
Week 3 |
No. 7 |
No. 6 |
|
Week 4 |
TBA |
No. 5 |
Up Next
Pitt will return home to face ACC foe Boston College on Fri., Sept. 20. Kickoff is slated for 7 p.m. ET, and the match can be streamed via ACCNX.
