Pitt to return to action as top-seed in ACC tournament, face Duke on Sunday

No. 1 ranked Pitt men’s soccer team earned the number one seed out of the North Region Friday evening for the ACC Men’s Soccer Championship, clinching the top spot with 12 points.

The Panthers will face Duke, the number four team from the South Region in the quarterfinals Sunday, Nov. 15 at 6 PM. The game will be played on the campus of North Carolina State.

The ACC tournament berth is the fifth in program history and fifth-straight since 2016, head coach Jay Vidovich’s first year at the helm. The number one seed is also the highest in school history.

“We are happy to be here after missing two games,” said Vidovich. “This is a big statement from our guys to earn this spot. We look forward to the first game and continuing what we have been doing this season.”

Due to travel restrictions caused by COVID-19, all eight teams will play at one of four North Carolina based schools, including Duke, North Carolina, North Carolina State and Wake Forest for the quarterfinal and semifinal rounds. The championship game will be played at WakeMed Park in Cary, N.C.

PSN Coverage 

Look for more from us this week, as we take a closer look at Pitt’s roster, as they prepared for the ACC tournament.  Both Mark Goodman and I will be taking turns looking at this team by position.

ACC Tournament History

• Pitt is 2-3-1 all-time in the ACC Men’s Soccer Tournament.
• The two ACC Tournament victories include a 2-0 defeat of Virginia in the quarterfinals in 2018 and a 2-1 overtime victory over NC State last season in the quarterfinals. The win over NC State was also the first tournament game hosted by the Panthers in ACC history and their subsequent trip to the semifinal was the first in program history.
• Thirteen players have been named to the All-ACC Tournament team, including a school record six in 2019.
• The Panthers are 0-0-1 against Duke in the ACC Tournament, losing 4-3 in penalty kicks in 2018 in the quarterfinal round.

All quarterfinal games will be played on Sunday, Nov. 15 beginning at 12 PM/2 PM/4 PM/6 PM followed by the semifinals on Wednesday, Nov. 18 at 6 PM and 8 PM. The championship will begin at 12 PM on Sunday, Nov. 22. Both the quarterfinal and semifinal rounds will be aired on the ACC Network, with the championship on ESPNU.

2020 ACC Men’s Soccer Championship

Quarterfinals

• Virginia Tech (#2 North) vs. Clemson (#3 South) | Noon | Durham, N.C. | ACC Network
• North Carolina (#2 South) vs. Notre Dame (No. 3 North) | 2 p.m. | Chapel Hill, N.C. | ACC Network
• Wake Forest (#1 South) vs. Virginia (#4 North) | 4 p.m. | Winston-Salem, N.C. | ACC Network
• Pitt (#1 North) vs. Duke (#4 South) | 6 p.m. | Raleigh, N.C. | ACC Network

Semifinals

• Wake Forest/Virginia vs. Virginia Tech/Clemson | 6 or 8 p.m. | ACC Network
• Pitt/Duke vs. North Carolina/Notre Dame | 6 or 8 p.m. | ACC Network

Final

Advancing Teams from Semifinals | Noon | Cary, N.C. | ESPNU