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College Wrap-Around: Pitt, Duquesne & RMU men’s seasons hanging in balance

Photo credit - Alex Mowry, University of Pittsburgh athletics

It will be a do-or-die Wednesday for both Pitt and Duquesne men’s soccer teams, while Robert Morris faces St. Francis University on Saturday in its season finale.

REGULAR SEASON FINALE AT ROONEY FIELD

Duquesne (4-8-3, 2-3-2), which saw its three-match unbeaten streak snapped in a 3-2 defeat at St. Bonaventure on Saturday, returns home to face Davidson (8-6-2, 4-2-1) in the regular season finale Wednesday night at 7:00 p.m.

The Dukes need a win and some help to qualify for the 2018 Atlantic 10 Championship (the top eight finishers qualify, see latest A-10 standings here). The complete A-10 Championship bracket will be released at the conclusion of play Wednesday night.

PSN’s Zac Weiss will have coverage of the Dukes match vs Davidson.

BATTLE-READY PITT OPEN ACC TOURNAMENT VS VIRGINIA

Ending its regular season on Saturday with a 1-0 loss to Notre Dame, Pitt will be the 11 seed in the 12-team ACC men’s soccer tournament that begins Wednesday.

Despite many close losses to ranked opponents this year, senior captain Javi Perez believes the Panthers can make some noise in North Carolina.

“We feel like the ACC tournament is a new chapter. This is a new mentality,  and a fresh mind. We’re gonna walk in with a winning mentality and trying to win every game,” Perez told PSN’s Mark Goodman on Saturday. “But we have to focus on the first round first.”

Coach Jay Vidovich concurred and said “We’ve had a couple letdowns this season. But we’ve also gone toe-to-toe with some very good teams. And we haven’t been able to take that next step against teams. We’ve gotten in a nice fight with some people and punched them in the face, but eventually we got knocked out. I think that we’re battle ready, and that’s what you have to be going into the ACC tournament.”

The Panthers [7-10-0, 2-6-0 ACC] will face the Cavaliers [9-2-3, 3-2-2 ACC] in the first round of the tournament, with the winner facing No. 3 seed Duke in the quarterfinals Sunday, Nov. 4 at 1 p.m.

Pitt and Virginia met earlier this season, with the then-ranked No. 11 Cavaliers earning a 2-0 win over the Panthers Friday, Sept. 28 at Ambrose Urbanic Field.

Wednesday’s game will mark just the third trip to the tournament for Pitt since joining the conference.

See bottom of the page for the full ACC Championship schedule.

We will also have a game preview and live game day blog for each Pitt ACC playoff game.

RMU MEN HOLDING ON TO FAINT PLAYOFF HOPES TOO 

The Robert Morris University men’s team finally broke through with a conference win after three straight 1-0 setbacks.

The Colonials (5-10-1, 3-4 NEC) had a pair of players, Christopher Coridon. and  Riccardo Rota score their first career goals – including one coming in the 87th minute – to a 2-1 win over Mount St. Mary’s, 2-1, on Friday.

Robert Morris returns home for Senior Day on Friday, Nov. 2 at 1:00 p.m. against Saint Francis University with an outside chance of qualifying for one of the two remaining NEC playoff spots. They will need a win, and hope that both Fairleigh Dickinson and Bryant lose its games over the weekend.

The Colonials will honor the careers of Noah Elamin, Winter Fondi (Quaker Valley), Mason GeorgeKai OlguinOwen Pearce, and Zac Sherman prior to the contest.

LOCAL DIVISION I WOMEN’S TEAMS SEASONS OVER

All three Division I local programs, Pitt, Duquense and Robert Morris women’s teams seasons ended, with each unable to qualify for post season play.

Pitt ended a tough ACC campaign with 7-0 loss at Boston College, while both Duquesne and Robert Morris won conference finales against Fordham and LIU-Brooklyn respectively.

 

2018 ACC Men’s Soccer Championship
Wednesday, October 31 (Campus Sites)
Match 1 – #9 Boston College at #8 NC State, 7 p.m. (ACC Network Extra)
Match 2 – #12 Clemson at #5 Notre Dame, 7 p.m. (ACC Network Extra)
Match 3 – #11 Pitt at #6 Virginia, 7 p.m. (ACC Network Extra)
Match 4 – #10 Syracuse at #7 Virginia Tech, 7 p.m. (ACC Network Extra)

Sunday, November 4 (Campus Sites)
Match 5 – Match 1 Winner at #1 Wake Forest, 1 p.m. (ACC Network Extra)
Match 6 – Match 2 Winner at #4 Louisville, 1 p.m. (ACC Network Extra)
Match 7 – Match 3 Winner at #3 Duke, 1 p.m. (ACC Network Extra)
Match 8 – Match 4 Winner at #2 North Carolina, 1 p.m. (ACC Network Extra)

Wednesday, November 7 (Campus Sites)
Match 9 – Match 5 Winner vs. Match 6 Winner, 7 p.m. (ACC Network Extra)
Match 10 – Match 7 Winner vs. Match 8 Winner, 7 p.m. (ACC Network Extra)

Sunday, November 11 (Sahlen’s Stadium at WakeMed Soccer Park, Cary, N.C.)
Match 11 (ACC Championship Game) – Match 9 Winner vs. Match 10 Winner, Noon (ESPNU)

John Krysinsky has covered soccer and other sports for many years for various publications and media outlets. He is also author of 'Miracle on the Mon' -- a book about the Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC, which chronicles the club, particularly the early years of Highmark Stadium with the narrative leading up to and centered around a remarkable match that helped provide a spark for the franchise. John has covered sports for Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, DK Pittsburgh Sports, Pittsburgh Sports Report, has served as color commentator on Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC broadcasts, and worked with OPTA Stats and broadcast teams for US Open Cup and International Champions Cup matches held in the US. Krysinsky also served as the Head Men’s Soccer Coach at his alma mater, Point Park University, where he led the Pioneers to the first-ever winning seasons and playoff berths (1996-98); head coach of North Catholic boys (2007-08), associate head coach of Shady Side Academy boys (2009-2014).

Glory on the Grass

Riverhounds MF Kenardo Forbes

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