Connect with us

College Soccer

Final: Pitt 4, Appalachian State 0

FINAL: Pitt 4, Appalachian State 0 

STATS 

RECAP

Pitt women’s soccer shut out Appalachian State 4-0 for its biggest-ever margin of victory in a season-opener Thursday evening at Ted Mackorell Soccer Stadium. The Panthers took control of the game in the second half, scoring three goals to cruise away from the Mountaineers.

Leah Pais scored the first goal for Pitt in the 22nd minute. Pais headed in a ball in the top right corner of the net off a free kick by Kate McKay.

Pais added another goal in the 58th minute. After Amanda West streaked down the left side with the ball and sent a cross into the box, Pais was stopped on her first shot but quickly tapped in the rebound.

West got into the scoring action in the 70th minute. Once again going down the left side after receiving a pass from Pais, she evaded an App State defender with a move and chipped a shot to the right of the diving goalkeeper.

Nyla Allen got the last goal in the 78th minute, the first of her collegiate career. Sarah Sinnott headed a volley by McKay to Allen, who timed it well to sprint past the defense and put her shot into an open net before the goalkeeper collided into her.

The two teams play again Sunday at noon.

Notes

  • Katherine Robinson started as Pitt’s goalkeeper and made one save. Caitlyn Lazzarini relieved her for the last 14 minutes of the game.
  • West moved into ties for eighth-place with Megan Beasley (1996-99) for career goals and with Corina Sebesta (2003-06) for 10th place in career points in program history.
  • West has scored in both of the season-openers in her Panther career. Last year she recorded a hat-trick and assist in a 5-4 win over Loyola Marymount (Aug. 23).
  • Pais recorded the second-most points (five) in a Panther’s debut, behind West’s 10 points last year.
  • Pitt is 3-0 in season-openers under Waldrum.
  • The Panthers had not defeated an opponent by 4+ goals since a 6-1 victory over St. John’s on Oct. 9, 2011.
  • Pitt had a big advantage in corner kicks (9-1) and also outshot App State 13-5.
  • Pais and West both placed four of five shots on goal.
  • McKay recorded the first multi-assist game of her collegiate career.
  • The game was the first-ever matchup between the two programs.
  • Emily Yaple and Chloe Minas both started in the midfield for their collegiate debuts.
  • Hailey Davidson and Pais, both transfers, started in their first game as a Panther.
  • Five freshmen played in their first collegiate game: Eva FrankovicHannah Knych, Yaple, Minas and Allen.

GAMEDAY UPDATES

FINAL — Pitt wins 4-0, with three second half goals.

Sophomore transfer Leah Pais scored twice, Amanda West and Nyla Allen each added a tally for the Panthers.

Here’s a look at that wild fourth goal for Pitt…

70′ – GOAL – PITT 4-0

Nyla Allen makes a well-timed run — and then while she gets a foot on ball to beat the keeper in a hard collision — still manages to get her shot attempt on target as the ball rolls into the goal!

65′ – GOAL – PITT 3-0

This time it’s Amanda West with some fantastic technical ability in getting into the box to beat one defender, then delivers a clinical right footed finish just inside the right post.

53′ – GOAL – PITT 2-0

It’s Pais again!  This time on a terrific second effort after her first shot attempt was stopped.  Cross came in from Amanda West’s outside right foot.

5:08 pm – Second half has kicked off

23′ – GOAL – PITT

Free kick redirected into goal by #8. Leah Pias — her first goal as a Panther.  Pais, a sophomore, transferred from Albany.

15′ – two corner kicks and a free kick from 30 yards are part of early pressure from the Panthers, but still no clear-cut chances.

You can follow Rachael Kriger’s commentary/updates on Twitter too!

PSN COVERAGE OF PITT WOMEN’S SOCCER

Here’s Rachael Kriger’s feature on Pitt’s women’s team including plenty from Head Coach Randy Waldrum, who enters his third season at the helm.

Randy Waldrum, Panthers women’s soccer ready for unusual 2020 season

More on Pitt’s busy Fall schedule…

Pitt women’s soccer reveals Fall 2020 schedule

MORE GAME NOTES FROM PITT ATHLETICS… 

LAST SEASON

  • Pitt went 5-10-3 overall and 2-6-2 in ACC play under head coach Randy Waldrum’s second year leading the program.
  • Picked to finish second-to-last in the preseason coaches’ poll, the Panthers proved to be no pushover as they finished three spots higher in the final standings.
  • With 21 newcomers and a 17-player freshmen class, the young squad improved throughout the season, with nine freshmen combining to start 92 matches in the season.
  • The Panthers beat Boston College 2-1 in overtime at Ambrose Urbanic Field that snapped a three-year ACC winless streak.
  • Pitt went on to beat NC State 2-1, who advanced to the Sweet 16, later at home.
  • The Panthers rallied from a two-goal second half deficit at No. 16 Clemson to force overtime after doing so the previous game at Wake Forest.

RETURNING FOR PITT

  • The Panthers return seven starters and eight other letterwinners.
  • Amanda West and Mackenzie Edwards started every game last season as freshmen, and Athalie Palomo started in every game played with one game missed due to an injury.
  • Junior Kate McKay, a transfer from Elon, started in all but one game.
  • Sophomores Krystyna Rytel and Anna Bout combined for 26 starts in the midfield and will look to fill the void of last year’s team captain Juliana Vazquez, who graduated.
  • This year’s team still ranks as one of the youngest in the ACC with only six upperclassmen. Dixon Veltri is the team’s lone senior.

THIS YEAR’S NEWCOMERS

  • Pitt welcomes 10 new players to this year’s rosters with two transfers and eight freshmen.
  • Hailey Davidson came from Oklahoma, where she started two years as a defender and had four goals and an assist as a freshman in 2018.
  • Leah Pais won the 2019 America East Rookie of the Year while at Albany, where she tied for the team-lead in goals (five) and tallied 12 points.
  • Coach Waldrum brought in one of the most talented recruiting classes in program history, an eight-member class: Nyla Allen, Ione Fetsko, Eva Frankovic, Hannah Knych, Chloe Minas, Chantelle Parker, Emily Yaple and Zaria Stevenson.
  • Davidson, Minas and Yaple all joined the team for last year’s spring semester.

SCOUTING APP STATE

  • The Mountaineers went 5-10-3, 2-6-2 in the Sun Belt to finish 10th in the standings in 2019.
  • Finishing 10th in the 11-member Sun Belt Conference last year, the 2020 coaches’ preseason poll slots the team at the spot.
  • App State returns seven starters and seven other letterwinners, including All-Sun Belt Preseason Team selection Kerry Eagleston. The goalkeeper ranked second in the Sun Belt and led all freshmen with 77 saves, while her 4.28 saves per game were third in the league and first among first-year goalkeepers.
  • Averaging 1.28 goals per game last season, App State lost its top-scorers and only players who had double-digit points, Ava Dawson (five goals and 12 points) and Kristin Brown (two goals and 11) points, to graduation.

THE SERIES

  • This will be the first and second-ever meetings between the two programs.

WHAT DOES WEST HAVE IN STORE FOR YEAR TWO?

  • Amanda West accomplished things in 2019 that no other Panther has done in program history.
  • West was named to the United Soccer Coaches’ All-Atlantic Region Third-Team, becoming the second-ever Panther to receive all-region honors.
  • She became the first Pitt women’s soccer player to receive All-ACC honors when she was named to the third and all-freshmen teams.
  • She broke the school’s all-time single-season points record last year with 29.
  • Also, she passed Cande Ruiz (1998) at 26 for the most and also tied Ruiz for the most goals in one year with 10.
  • In assists, she tied with Charity McClure (1998) and Katelyn Ruhe (2010) for the single-season record and already ranks tied for eighth in career assists.
  • With a goal or two more points, she can tie Corina Sebesta (2003-06) for the 10th most career points.

2019 SEASON OPENER

  • Pitt topped Loyola Marymount 5-4 at home to open last season in a wild, back-and-forth game.
  • Palomo scored her first collegiate goal off a set piece for the game’s first goal in the 11th minute, but LMU responded with two goals to take the lead at halftime.
  • Trading goals the rest of the game, the Panthers tied the game up three times before West recorded the game-winning goal in the 84th minute.
  • She opened up her career with the best debut in program history with a hat-trick and an assist. Her seven points are the most in a game by a Pitt player since 2001 and most in Ambrose Urbanic Field history by a Panther.
  • West became just the second Panther in program history to earn ACC Offensive Player of the Week honors and the first freshman to do so. The last Panther to earn the weekly recognition was Taylor Pryce in 2015 when she was Co-Offensive Player of the Week.

NEW STARTING GOALKEEPER

  • The Panthers must replace two-year starting goalkeeper Amaia Pena, who signed a professional contract with Athletic Club Femenino (Spain).
  • Pitt has three goalkeepers on the roster: Katherine Robinson, Caitlynn Lazzarini and Gabriella Neibart.
  • Robinson is the most experienced of the trio with eight starts in 12 games played over the last two seasons. Last year she registered a 0-1-1 record with a 2.20 goals against average and eight saves.
  • Lazzarini played in three games last year as a freshman and recorded a 1-2-0 record, 0.95 goals against average and eight saves.

A DIFFERENT SCHEDULE THAN USUAL

  • With the majority of D-I soccer deciding to not play this season, the Panthers and ACC Conference had to be creative with their scheduling the fall season.
  • Pitt is slated to play 15 games with eight in league play, instead of the usual 10 conference games.
  • The Panthers are set to play more games than any other team in the ACC and the only squad to play a non-ACC member this fall.
  • Syracuse plays Pitt twice this season, with one matchup not counting as a league game.

 

 

Glory on the Grass

Riverhounds MF Kenardo Forbes

Subscribe to PGH Soccer Now

Enter your email address to subscribe to PGH Soccer Now and receive notifications of new posts by email.

More in College Soccer