Pitt (1-3, 0-1 ACC) vs Virginia Commonwealth (3-2, 0-0 A10)
Wednesday, Sept. 12, 11 a.m.
SportsBackers Stadium in Richmond, Va.
GAME UPDATES
A PITT WIN!!! The Panthers close out their road stretch on a high note as they take a 1-0 victory over the Rams!
12:34 – 60′ 60′ | Pitt subs
Dexter IN, Kizza OUT
Townsend IN, Mane OUT
Walti IN, Peperak OUT
12:19 – 47′ | VCU with a shot early in the second half but it’s saved by Steinbach.
12:16 – second half resumes
11:59 – halftime
11:25 – Pitt 1, VCU 0
21′ | GOAL!!! PITT leads 1-0. Kizza nets his fifth goal of the season after a nice feed from Pimentel!
Wednesday 11 am
Gearing up for VCU. Only 15 minutes until match time!#H2P pic.twitter.com/F9bYs3JU4O
— Pitt Men's Soccer (@Pitt_MSOC) September 12, 2018
Tuesday – 9:15 pm
The Panthers and Rams were originally scheduled to face off Tuesday night at 7 p.m. at SportsBackers Stadium in Richmond, Va., but multiple lightning delays led to a rescheduling of the game.
The match is now set to be played Wednesday, Sept. 12 at 11 a.m.
Well, there you go… @Pitt_MSOC vs @VCUMensSoccer has been postponed! https://t.co/WuRZSnLbdr
— John Krysinsky (@PghSoccerScribe) September 12, 2018
Tonight's match versus VCU is currently in a lightning delay and will begin later than it's originally scheduled 7 p.m. start. #H2P
— Pitt Men's Soccer (@Pitt_MSOC) September 11, 2018
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LIVE STATS | WATCH (ESPN+ $) | GAME NOTES
LAST TIME OUT
· Pitt fell in double overtime to No. 5 North Carolina, 2-1, in its ACC opener Saturday, Sept. 8 at Koskinen Stadium on the campus of Duke University in Durham, N.C.
· The Panthers got out to an early lead after sophomore Edward Kizza found the back of the net in the 13th minute off a feed from redshirt seniorRobby Dambrot.
· North Carolina’s first goal didn’t come until the 73rd minute, sending the game into overtime. The Tar Heels ultimately prevailed in the match after a goal in the 109th minute gave them the 2-1 victory.
· Kizza finished the match with a team-high three shots and one goal, while Dambrot added a shot and assist. Senior Javi Perez, sophomore Marcony Pimentel and freshman Alec Townsend also recorded one shot apiece in the match.
KIZZA COMMANDING ATTENTION
· Sophomore Edward Kizza is off to a hot start in the 2018 season.
· Coming off a freshman season in which he scored four goals, Kizza has already matched that total just four games into the 2018 slate.
· The Kampala, Uganda native currently leads the team in shots (12), shots on goal (nine), points (eight) and goals (four).
· Kizza netted three goals in Pitt’s second match of the season against Delaware Monday, Aug. 27, making him just the 20th player in program history to record a hat trick.
· The sophomore’s goal in the opening minutes of the contest was also the quickest goal to start a game in school history, coming just 1:40 into the match and besting the previous record of 1:58 set in 2006.
SIZING UP THE 2018 SLATE
· Pitt faces some tough competition in the 2018 season, with a schedule that includes 12 NCAA Tournament teams from a year ago.
· The Panthers have already faced three ranked opponents this season in then-ranked No. 25 Colgate, No. 4 Akron and No. 5 North Carolina.
· Of Pitt’s remaining 13 matches, six teams are currently ranked in the top 25 of the United Coaches Poll, while two other squads are receiving votes.
THE SERIES – VCU
· The Panthers and Rams will be meeting for the first time in program history.
· During his time at Wake Forest, head coach Jay Vidovich amassed a 5-0-1 record against VCU.
SCOUTING THE RAMS
· VCU enters Tuesday’s match with a 3-2 record, most recently falling to No. 4 Indiana, 5-0, Friday, Sept. 7.
· The Rams finished the 2017 season with a 12-7 overall record, including a 6-2 mark against A-10 competition.
· The 2017 squad would go on to advance to the second round of the NCAA College Cup, where they would ultimately suffer defeat to Butler, 3-2.
· VCU is led by head coach Dave Giffard, who enters his ninth season with the program. Giffard has compiled a 76-60-26 (.549) record during his time with the Rams.
· Through five games, four different VCU players have recorded a goal. Junior Siad Haji leads the team with two goals, while redshirt seniors Joseph Gonnella and Eli Lockaby and sophomore Jared Greene have each added one score apiece.
· In goal, sophomore Mario Sequeira has started all five matches for VCU, collecting 11 saves while allowing seven goals.