NCAA Men’s Soccer – ACC Men’s Soccer
FINAL: Pitt 1, Boston College 0
SUMMARY
The Panthers came out of the gates quickly, as Petkovic took a ball from right to left inside the 18-yard box from Löeffelsend and used his left foot find the back left portion of the net. Pitt had a second opportunity minutes later, as sophomore Valentin Noel took a cross from left to right at the six-yard line and headed it on goal, but the ball hit the cross bar and the Eagles cleared it before Noel could get a foot on the rebound.
Pitt totaled nine shots and recorded four corner kicks in the first half. Boston College (0-2, 0-2 ACC) had five shots, four corners and five saves in the first 45 minutes of play.
The Panthers kept most of the possession throughout the second half of play. Boston College had a chance to tie it in the 87th minute, as Kristofer Konradsson hit a strike on goal, but Campuzano made a diving stop to his right and forced a corner kick. The Panthers cleared the corner and held on to win, 1-0.
Petkovic finished with two shots, one shot on goal and a score. Both senior Alexander Dexter and freshman Bertin Jacquesson had three shots and two shots on goal,
Pitt tallied 13 shots and eight shots on goal for the contest. Both teams had five corner kicks for the evening.
GAME NOTES
– Sophomore Veljko Petkovic scored the lone goal of the game in the third minute, his sixth of the season.
– Graduate student Jasper Löeffelsend tallied an assist on the goal, his seventh of the season. He entered the contest third in the country in total assists and second in the ACC in assists per game (0.67).
– Pitt improves to 9-2 overall, 1-1 in spring Atlantic Coast Conference play and its overall ACC record is now 5-1 on the year. The five league victories this season is the most for a Pitt team in the ACC for a single year. The Panthers joined the ACC in 2013, with its previous high being four ACC wins in 2019.
– Graduate student goalkeeper Nico Campuzano tallied four saves for the evening and his second clean sheet in three games. Campuzano entered the game fourth in the country in total saves (32).
GAMEDAY
FINAL – PITT WINS 1-0.
Veljko Petkovic’s early goal proves to be just enough as No. 8 Pitt improves to 9-2 overall and 1-1 in spring ACC play.
The Panthers hold on in a match where they controlled possession for much of the second half after a pretty open-ended first half. The Panthers outshot the Eagles, 13-9, with goalkeeper Nico Campuzano making four big saves.
88′ – Campuzano makes an incredible saves to deny BC’s TyShawn Rose!
A clutch challenge from Souza prevents a Pitt scoring chance😤
💻: https://t.co/UlO3R9zx8q
📊: https://t.co/guD4QWmOnd pic.twitter.com/ZMgdFsnq0W— BC Men's Soccer (@BC_MSoccer) March 14, 2021
HALF — PITT 1, BC 0
Veljko has the only goal of the match, but both teams have been getting forward and creating shot opportunities. Both keepers have been busy, including Pitt’s Nico Campuzano with three saves.
Pitt with six shots on goal, BC with three. Both sides with four corner kicks.
27′ – YELLOW CARD – Jasper Loeffelsend — on a slide tackle near sideline.
Here’s the goal…
Jasper ➡️ Veljko
Veljko connects for his sixth goal of the season‼️#H2P pic.twitter.com/99PIIahob9
— Pitt Men's Soccer (@Pitt_MSOC) March 14, 2021
2′ – GOAL PITT – PETKOVIC!!
Lineups and game updates will be posted here.
THE SERIES
– The Panthers are 5-12-2 all-time against the Eagles, with Boston College winning four of the last five meetings.
– Pitt won the last outing, 2-0, Sept. 20, 2019 in Newton, Mass. Both Veljko Petkovic and Alexander Dexter scored in the shutout.
– The Panthers’ last victory prior to 2019 came in 2003 at home in 1-0 fashion.
– Head Coach Jay Vidovich is 6-6-2 all-time against the Eagles.
SCOUTING THE EAGLES
– Boston College enters the season 0-1 both overall and in ACC play. The Eagles did not participate during the fall season.
– The Eagles lone loss was to nationally ranked Wake Forest, who scored two goals in the last 10 minutes to edge BC, 3-2.
– Junior Kristofer Konradsson and sophomore Stefan Sigurdarson each tallied a goal against Wake, while Konradsson added an assist to his stat line.
– Junior Christian Garner totaled three saves between the pipes in a complete game effort.
THE FIRST NOEL
– Sophomore Valentin Noel finished the fall as one of the best goal scorers in the country, leading the Panther offense in goals, points, shots and shots on goal.
– The Niort, France, native has not scored yet this spring, but is still atop the ACC rankings in major offensive categories, including total goals (1st – 8), points per game (2nd – 2.00), goals per game (3rd – .89), total points (2nd – 18) and shots on goal per game (5th – 1.56).
– On Nov. 15 vs. Duke, Noel set a school record for consecutive games played with a goal at four. The streak finished at six games, as he scored Pitt’s lone goal in the ACC Championship Final against Clemson Nov. 22.
ACC’S NO. 1 SCORING OFFENSE
– Pitt enters the Boston College match with the number one scoring offense in the conference, averaging 2.40 goals per game.
– The Panthers have totaled 24 goals this season, which is tied for first in the nation (Georgia State/Clemson). Pitt also leads the country in total points (74) and total assists (26).
– Pitt’s 7.40 points per game mark also ranks first in the conference, while its .559 shot accuracy is second.
DEXTER SECOND ALL-TIME IN ASSISTS
– Senior Alexander Dexter moved into second place all-time in school history in assists Sunday, Nov. 15, with his 15th career assist against Duke.
– The Bronx, N.Y., native is tied for third on the team with three assists this season, and sits 11 back from Eric Prex’s record of 26 career assists (1991-1994).
UP NEXT
– Pitt hits the road for two straight, beginning Friday, Mar. 19 at Duke.
– Game time is set for 7 PM on the ACCNX.