Pitt Primed For Pivotal Matchup With Syracuse

PITTSBURGH – The Pitt men's soccer team hosts ACC foe Syracuse in a key Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) clash Saturday evening at Ambrose Urbanic Field.

The match can be streamed via ACCNX with kickoff slated for 7 p.m.

Need to Know - Match 14
Pitt (4-6-3, 0-4-1 ACC) vs. Syracuse (6-4-2, 3-2-0 ACC)
Saturday, Oct. 18, 2025 – 7:00 p.m. – ACCNX
Pittsburgh, Pa. – Ambrose Urbanic Field

The Opening Kick

Pitt has gone 348 minutes, 13 seconds without a goal, dating back to Sept. 26 against NC State.
The Panthers were limited to zero shots on goal for the first time since the 2018 campaign against Denver. In their previous match at Stanford, Pitt managed just one shot attempt, its fewest since Oct. 11, 2016.
Pitt has faced the nation's No. 1-ranked team in two of its last four matches.
Graduate midfielder Arnau Vilamitjana leads the Panthers with 13 points overall—remarkably, all five of his goals have come via headers.
Pitt currently sits 67th in RPI.

The Series

Saturday will mark the 28th all-time meeting between Pitt and Syracuse. The series is tied, 11-11-5.
The Orange has won two straight, including a 2-0 victory over the Panthers in the regular season finale last year.
Individually, head coach Jay Vidovich owns a 4-4-1 record against Syracuse.

Scouting the Orange

Syracuse enters Friday's match with a 6-4-2 overall record, including a 3-2-0 mark in ACC play.
The Orange has won four straight, highlighted by a 2-0 victory over then-No. 25 SMU in its most recent outing.
During the four-match winning streak, Syracuse has not conceded a goal while outscoring opponents 8-0.
The Orange has allowed just eight goals all season, with its 0.67 goals-against average ranking fourth in the ACC.
Carlos Zambrano leads the Syracuse attack with four goals and an assist for a team-best nine points.

Last Time Out (vs. Denver)
Despite controlling much of the possession, Pitt battled Denver to a scoreless draw Tuesday evening at Ambrose Urbanic Field.

With the result, Pitt remained unbeaten in the all-time series at 3-0-2.

Of note, the Panthers outshot the Pioneers 9-6 but were held without a shot on goal for the first time since Oct. 2018.

Pitt dictated the tempo early, maintaining possession and probing patiently, but both defenses held firm as the first half produced only four total shots. Coming out of the break, the Panthers pressed forward, applying sustained pressure on Denver's back line with several quality runs.

Pitt created a handful of promising chances in the second half, including efforts from junior forward Albert Thorsenand sophomore forward Lasse Dahl, but couldn't find the breakthrough.

Dahl, from his left winger position, consistently challenged Denver's fullbacks and delivered several crosses into the box.

The Panthers' best opportunity came in the 81st minute, when freshman midfielder Grayson Carter lofted a ball over the top to Thorsen, whose header sailed just wide of the left post.

Junior goalkeeper Jack Moxom made two saves to secure his third shutout of the season.

Up Next
The Panthers host Wake Forest in the regular season home finale on Oct. 24.