Panthers Conclude West Coast Road Trip Sunday Against No. 6 Stanford

PITTSBURGH – The Pitt women's soccer team concludes its West Coast road trip Sunday afternoon against No. 6 Stanford at Cagan Stadium. The first-ever meeting between the two schools is slated for a 4 p.m. EST kickoff and will air live on ACC Network Extra.

FOLLOW ALONG

Sunday'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 15th overall in the NCAA RPI Ranking, while also sitting at No. 16 in the Top Drawer Soccer rankings. Stanford enters Sunday's match ranked No. 6 in both the US Soccer Coaches and Top Drawer Soccer polls. The Cardinal are also 14th in NCAA RPI.

THE SERIES

Sunday's match is the first meeting between the two schools. Pitt will be playing its fourth contest in the state of California. The Panthers defeated Loyola Marymount (3-0) and Cal St. Fullerton (2-0) earlier this season in non-conference play, before falling to Cal (1-0) on Thursday.

SCOUTING THE CARDINAL

Stanford held the No. 1 spot in the national polls earlier this season and is one of the top teams in the country. The Cardinal posted back-to-back shutouts following a 1-0 loss to No. 13 Wake Forest (Sept. 19). Stanford ranks in the top 10 in the country in goals against average (3rd - 0.27), save percentage (9th - .893), and shutout percentage (7th - .727). Haley Craig has been excellent in goal posting seven shutouts and ranking 13th in the NCAA with a .893 save percentage. Andrea Kitahata paces the offense with 14 points on five goals and four assists, while Charlotte Kohler has added seven points (2 goals, 3 assists).

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.

PITT IN THE STATISTICAL RANKINGS

The Panthers are currently ranked in the top-10 in the nation in assists per game (4th - 3.36), corner kicks per game (8th - 8.09), points per game (10th - 8.64), shots per game (4th - 24.55), shots on goal per game (4th - 10.91), total assists (2nd - 37), total points (5th - 95), and goal differential (9th - +21).

SCHUPANSKY THE STAR

Sarah Schupansky is in the midst of a fantastic senior season leading the country in assists (12) and assists per game (1.09), while also ranking third in the country with 22 points (5 goals / 12 assists) and 14th in points per game (2.00). She is just two assists shy of matching her own school record for most assists earned in a single season. Schupansky also ranks seventh in shots on goal per game (2.73) and sixth in shots per game (4.91).

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 106 saves over 40 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 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, went 75 minutes against No. 8 North Carolina, and came off the bench to play 55 minutes against Cal. 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 returns from its West Coast trip to host Clemson (Thursday, Oct. 6) and Syracuse (Sunday, Oct. 13) next week in a pair of key ACC contests.