Pitt
North Carolina
Panthers Host North Carolina Thursday in Battle of Top 10 RPI Teams
9/18/2024 10:59:00 AM | Women's Soccer
PITTSBURGH – The Pitt women's soccer team hosts No. 8 North Carolina Thursday evening at Ambrose Urbanic Field. The ACC matchup between a pair of teams ranked in the top 10 in the initial NCAA RPI released Monday is slated for a 7 p.m. kickoff and will air live on the ACC Network Extra.
FOLLOW ALONG
- Thursday night's ACC matchup will be streamed live on the ACC Network Extra.
- Live stats for the game will be available HERE.
- Live updates throughout the game will be posted on X (formerly known as Twitter) by following the Pitt women's soccer account @Pitt_WSOC.
IN THE POLLS
Pitt ranks ninth overall in the first RPI Ranking and also returned to the national polls at No. 13 in the Top Drawer Soccer rankings. North Carolina enters Thursday's contest ranked fourth in RPI, eighth by US Soccer Coaches, and sixth by Top Drawer Soccer.
THE SERIES
Thursday's match will be the ninth meeting between the Panthers and the Tar Heels with North Carolina holding the 7-1 edge in the series. Pitt topped the third-ranked Tar Heels, 2-1, in the ACC Championship Quarterfinals in the lone meeting between the two schools, last season. Ellie Coffield scored in the 72nd minute with a header off a feed from Landy Mertz and Amanda West tallied the second goal with Mertz and Sarah Schupansky earning assists on the scoring sequence at the end of the first overtime period.
SCOUTING THE TAR HEELS
North Carolina opened ACC play with a 1-0 win over Wake Forest Thursday, Sept. 12. The Tar Heels have won two consecutive matches since their lone defeat to Duke (1-0) in a non-conference match Sept. 5. North Carolina also has a 4-3 win over No. 16 Georgia on its ledger this season. Junior Kate Faasse leads the Tar Heels with six goals and 13 points, while goalie Clare Gagne has five clean sheets and is allowing just 0.78 goals per game.
PITT IN THE STATISTICAL RANKINGS
The Panthers are currently ranked in the top-10 in the nation in assists per game (3rd - 4.11), corner kicks per game (8th - 8.44), points per game (5th - 10.56), shots per game (3rd - 27.11), shots on goal per game (4th - 12.22), total assists (2nd - 37), total goals (3rd - 26), total points (2nd - 95), and goal differential (4th - +23).
SCHUPANSKY THE STAR
Sarah Schupansky is off to a fantastic start to her senior season leading the nation in assists (12), assists per game (1.33), and shots on goal per game (3.22). She is just two assists shy of matching her own school record for most assists earned in a single season. Schupansky also ranks second in the country with 22 points (5 G / 12 A) and third in shots per game (5.22).
The Pittsburgh, Pa., native matched a program record with four assists in a 6-1 win over Dartmouth (Sept. 5) and became the second player in Pitt history to record 100 career points during the 7-0 win over Mercyhurst.
BREECH ONE WIN AWAY
Junior Ellie Breech matched a program record with her 22nd career victory in goal for the Panthers in the 3-1 win over Louisville. The Mechanicsburg, Pa., native has 105 saves over 38 career contests for the Panthers.
LAST TIME OUT
Pitt topped the Louisville Cardinals, 3-1, Saturday, Sept. 14 at Ambrose Urbanic Field to open their ACC campaign. The Panthers started things off strong – putting their names on the board first in the 11th minute. Senior Keera Melenhorst found an opening between the Cardinal keeper and the net after a few quick clean passes from Chloe Minas and Lola Abraham. The Cardinals tied the game on a penalty kick and the match entered the half tied at 1-1, despite the Panthers holding the 14-2 edge in shots and 6-1 edge in shots on goal. The Panthers came out of the locker room ready for more. Samiah Phiri had an electric second half – scoring two goals for the second brace of her career. In the 72nd minute, Phiri danced around a couple of Cardinal defenders to find her opening in the back of the net – putting Pitt up, 2-1. Just over ten minutes later, Phiri secured her second goal of the night off a penalty kick to secure the win for the Panthers. Pitt did what they do best – dominating the pitch in all aspects. The Panthers held the edge in total shots, 27-5, shots on goal, 12-2, corner kicks, 4-2 and overall possession, 58%.
UP NEXT
The Panthers head west for a pair of first-time conference games next week beginning with a Thursday, Sept. 26 match at Cal (7 p.m.). Pitt will also play at Stanford Sunday, Sept. 29 (4 p.m.) as part of their second trip to California this season. The Panthers scored early season road wins over Loyola Marymount and Cal State Fullerton.
