Pitt men begin ACC tournament seeking another upset in rematch vs Irish

From University of Pittsburgh athletic department report / Julie Jurich 

Pitt men’s soccer team opens the 2017 ACC Men’s Soccer Tournament Wednesday, Nov. 1 at Notre Dame. The first round is set to get underway at 7 p.m. at Alumni Stadium in Notre Dame, Ind.

 Pitt enters the tournament as the No. 10 seed and finished the regular season 8-9 overall with a 2-6 mark against conference foes. The Fighting Irish enter the first round as the No. 10 seed, finishing the regular season 9-5-2 overall and 3-3-2 in ACC play.

Playing for each other tonight, especially for this group of seniors.#H2P pic.twitter.com/yIp3SCEMG3

— Pitt Men's Soccer (@Pitt_MSOC) November 1, 2017

 HOW TO FOLLOW

– Wednesday’s game will be broadcast live on the ACC Network Extra and may be viewed on WatchESPN/WatchESPN app by clicking here.
– Live stats can be found by clicking here.
– Fans can also follow along with live updates by following Pitt men’s soccer on Twitter.

 

REMATCH OF PITT’s UPSET OF 7th RANKED IRISH ON OCT. 13

– The two teams meet for the second time in 2017 and 23^rd in program history.

– Notre Dame leads the all-time series 15-4-3 with the first meeting dating back to 1995.

– In their last meeting Oct. 13, 2017, the Panthers upset the then-ranked No. 7 Irish, 1-0, on the road.

– Freshman Alexander Dexter netted his fifth goal of the season in the 52nd minute that would be enough for Pitt to hold on for the win.

– The Panthers’ victory marked the first over a top-10 opponent since the 2000 season when they upset then-ranked No. 2 St. John’s.

– Pitt reached the eight-win mark on the season for the first time since 2002 when the Panthers finished 8-9-1 overall.

– The win was the first over a conference opponent on the road since 2008 when Pitt defeated Seton Hall as members of the Big East.

– The Panthers defeated Notre Dame for the first time since 2002 when the Irish were ranked 16th. The win is Pitt’s fourth over the long-time opponent.

– The win snapped the 14-game win streak the Irish held over the Panthers.

– Head coach Jay Vidovich is 4-3-1 all-time versus Notre Dame.

 

LAST TIME OUT

– Pitt dropped a 3-0 decision to Virginia Tech Friday, Oct. 27 in the regular season finale.

– The Hokies struck first in the 22^nd minute and tacked on two more goals in the second half to secure the win.

PITT IN THE ACC TOURNAMENT

– Although joining the conference in 2013, Wednesday marks just the second year that the Panthers are playing in the ACC Tournament.

– The Panthers first ACC postseason game a year ago resulted in a 4-0 loss at Syracuse.

– Pitt was the No. 12 seed in its first ACC Tournament and is the No. 10 seed this year.

SCOUTING THE IRISH

– Notre Dame finished the regular season with a 3-0 loss to No. 3 North Carolina Friday, Oct. 27.

– The Irish have not won a game since Oct. 10 when they defeated No. 24 Michigan. The Panthers their three-game win-streak Oct. 13.

– Notre Dame ranks 16^th in the nation in the latest United Soccer Coaches Poll and are No. 10 in the RPI.

– Senior forward Jon Gallagher continues to lead the way for the Irish with 10 goals on the year with two assists for a team-best 22 points.

– In goal, graduate student Chris Hubbard has started and played in every game this season. Hubbard owns a 0.96 goals against average and has made 39 saves.

 

LOOKING AHEAD

– The winner of the first round game between Pitt and Notre Dame will take on the No. 2 seed North Carolina Sunday, Nov. 5. The quarterfinal match will take place in Chapel Hill, N.C., at 7 p.m.

 

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