Panthers Head West to Play ACC Newcomer Cal Thursday

PITTSBURGH – The Pitt women's soccer team opens a two-game West Coast road trip Thursday, Sept. 26 against Cal at Edwards Stadium. The Panthers (7-2-1, 1-1-0 ACC), led by NCAA assists leader Sarah Schupansky, had a six-match win streak snapped in their last outing, while the Bears (8-1-2, 1-0-1) earned a 2-2 draw against Wake Forest to extend their unbeaten streak to nine games.

FOLLOW ALONG

Thursday night's ACC matchup will be streamed live on 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 is 11th overall in the NCAA RPI Ranking, while also sitting at No. 16 in the Top Drawer Soccer rankings. Cal enters Thursday's content ranked No. 22 by Top Drawer Soccer.

THE SERIES

Thursday's match is the first meeting between the two schools. Pitt will be playing in California for the third time this season. The Panthers defeated Loyola Marymount (3-0) and Cal St. Fullerton (2-0) earlier this season in non-conference play.

SCOUTING THE BEARS

Cal has a nine-match unbeaten streak and is 7-0-2 in that span with a 1-0-1 mark in ACC play. The Bears earned a 3-1 win over NC State and battled back from a two-goal deficit to earn a 2-2 draw with No. 13 Wake Forest last week. Senior forward Karlie Lema leads the NCAA in both points (31) and goals (13). She collected five points in the win at NC State and has five multi-goal games this season. Kelly McManus has been strong in goal for the Bears with 29 saves and a 7-0-2 record.

PITT VERUS RANKED OPPONENTS

The Panthers are 5-7-1 in their past 13 matches against ranked opponents. Pitt is 0-1-1 this season against teams ranked in the top 25 of the US Coaches Poll.

PANTHERS DROP HARD FOUGHT BATTLE WITH NO. 8 NORTH CAROLINA

Pitt controlled the action for a large portion of the contest and outshot the eighth-ranked North Carolina Tar Heels, 15-9, but was unable to find the back of the net in a 1-0 loss last Thursday at Ambrose Urbanic Field. North Carolina scored the lone goal in the 26th minute on its only shot on goal of the contest.

Pitt had an official attendance of 1,490 for the contest with a lot of four-legged friends also on hand for its Pups at the Pitch promotion. The crowd was the second largest in program history at Ambrose Urbanic Field, topped only by a matchup with North Carolina during the 2021 season.

PITT IN THE STATISTICAL RANKINGS

The Panthers are currently ranked in the top-10 in the nation in assists per game (4th - 3.70), corner kicks per game (8th - 8.44), points per game (7th - 9.50), shots per game (2nd - 25.90), shots on goal per game (3rd - 11.50), total assists (2nd - 37), total goals (8th - 26), total points (4th - 95), and goal differential (6th - +22).

SCHUPANSKY THE STAR

Sarah Schupansky is off to a fantastic start to her senior season leading the nation in assists (12) and assists per game (1.20), while ranking fourth in shots on goal per game (2.90) and fifth in shots per game (5.20). She is just two assists shy of matching her own school record for most assists earned in a single season. Schupansky also ranks third in the country with 22 points (5 G / 12 A), third in shots per game (5.22), and 11th in points per game (2.20).

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.

Schupansky holds the school record for career assists (40) and is chasing Pitt records for career points, shots, and shots on goal.

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 39 career contests for the Panthers.

PHIRI ROAD

Senior Samiah Phiri recorded the second brace of her career with two second half goals in a 3-1 win over Louisville to open ACC play. Phiri leads the Panthers and ranks fourth in the ACC (23rd nationally) with seven goals on the season.

Phiri ranks fourth with 21 career goals and fifth with 52 career points at Pitt.

ABIODUN WORKING HER WAY BACK

Sophomore standout Deborah Abiodun returned to action for ACC play after missing six games due to injury. She played 55 minutes in her return against Louisville and went 75 minutes against No. 8 North Carolina. A 2023 All-ACC (3rd) and ACC All-Freshman Team selection, Abiodun recorded 15 points on six goals and three assists a year ago.

Abiodun competed for her home country of Nigeria at the 2024 Paris Olympics.

UP NEXT

The Panthers play at Stanford Sunday, Sept. 29 (4 p.m.) as part of their second trip to California this season.