Pitt
Duke
Pitt Set to Open Road Swing at No. 9 Duke
10/2/2025 1:17:00 PM | Men's Soccer
PITTSBURGH – Seeking its first win over a ranked foe this season, the Pitt men's soccer team travels to face No. 9 Duke Friday evening at Koskinen Stadium in Durham, N.C.
The match will air nationally on ACC Network, with Joe Malfa (play-by-play) and Devon Kerr (analyst) on the call. Kickoff is set for 8 p.m.
Need to Know - Match 11
Pitt (4-4-2, 0-2-1 ACC) at No. 9 Duke (6-0-3, 2-0-1 ACC)
Friday, Oct. 3, 2025 – 8:00 p.m. – ACC Network
Durham, N.C. – Koskinen Stadium
The Opening Kick
- Pitt is seeking its first ACC win of the season while looking to become the first team to knock off the unbeaten Blue Devils.
- Health has been a major storyline for the Panthers, as several key starters have missed time due to injury.
- Against NC State, Pitt conceded just two minutes into the match but quickly responded in the 12th minute with a header from graduate midfielder Arnau Vilamitjana.
- Vilamitjana enters the weekend tied for seventh in the ACC in goals (5) and ranked eighth in points per game (1.3). He leads the Panthers with 13 points overall—remarkably, all five of his goals have come via headers.
- Pitt currently sits 62nd in RPI, with several opportunities still ahead to strengthen its postseason résumé.
The Series
- Friday will mark the 15th all-time meeting between Duke and Pitt.
- The Panthers own a 4-6-4 ledger against the Blue Devils; however, since 2019, Pitt is unbeaten at 4-0-2.
- Individually, head coach Jay Vidovich is 12-16-9 against Duke all-time.
Scouting the Blue Devils
- Duke enters Friday's match unbeaten at 6-0-3 overall and 2-0-1 in ACC play.
- The Blue Devils are riding a four-match winning streak, having outscored opponents by a dominant 21-0 margin during that stretch.
- Offensively, Alessandro Arlotti paces Duke with a team-high 17 points on six goals and five assists. On the defensive side, the Blue Devils boast one of the stingiest back lines in the nation with a 0.56 goals-against average.
Last Time Out (vs. NC State)
Vilamitjana netted the equalizer in the 12th minute as Pitt battled then-No. 1 NC State to a 1-1 draw Friday evening at Ambrose Urbanic Field.
The result marked the Panthers' first conference point of the season and extended their unbeaten streak against NC State to 4-0-1 since 2018.
The Wolfpack struck first less than two minutes into the match when national scoring leader Donavan Phillip tallied his 13th goal of the year.
Undeterred, the Panthers struck back in the 12th minute to level the match. Freshman defender Jacob Redenfors swung a corner to the far post, and Vilamitjana shook free on a pick from redshirt senior midfielder Tomas Bedouret to nod it home.
From there, the Panthers' defense weathered 18 NC State shots and a relentless second-half push. Junior goalkeeper Jack Moxom turned in a season-high six saves, including four after the break, while Pitt's back line blocked four more attempts.
The Panthers managed five shots overall, including late looks from Vilamitjana and sophomore forward Lasse Dahl, but settled for a point against the unbeaten Wolfpack.
Panthers in the Polls
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United Soccer Coaches |
TopDrawerSoccer |
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Preseason |
7 |
5 |
|
Week 1 |
3 |
4 |
|
Week 2 |
10 |
12 |
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Week 3 |
NR |
21 |
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Week 4 |
NR |
NR |
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Week 5 |
NR |
NR |
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Week 6 |
NR |
NR |
Up Next
Pitt concludes its road swing at No. 3 Stanford on Saturday, Oct. 11. Kickoff is slated for 9 p.m. ET.
