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FINAL: Pitt 2, Virginia Tech 1, OT

Photo courtesy of University of Pittsburgh
ACC Men’s Soccer

FINAL: Pitt 2, Virginia Tech 1, OT 

GAME STATS

MATCH SUMMARY

For the second week in a row, the No. 5 University of Pittsburgh men’s soccer team prevailed in double overtime, this time off the foot of senior forward Alexander Dexter to defeat Virginia Tech, 2-1, on the road Saturday evening.

“I am very proud of the resilience demonstrated from the group tonight,” said head coach Jay Vidovich. “We started out with the goal in the first half but we let the game slip in the second half in a very critical moment, but they showed the mental toughness and intensity to come back in overtime and win the game. To do that on the road with all the delays that happened today I am just really proud of their mental toughness and the way they stayed in the game.”

Pitt recorded three shots in the first 40 minutes compared to Virginia Tech’s (6-4-2, 3-5-2 ACC) one. Noel scored the first goal of the game in the 43rd minute, taking a pass from freshman Luke Peperak for his 11th goal of the season. The assist for Peperak was the first point of his collegiate career. The Panthers led, 1-0, after 45 minutes.

Pitt had a 6-1 advantage in shots in the first half. Both teams had zero corner kicks.

The score remained 1-0 through 40 minutes of action in the second half. The Hokies scored the equalizing goal in the 86th minute, as Jacob Labovitz tied the game up at 1-1. It remained tied after regulation. The shot total was flipped in the second half of play, with Virginia Tech leading in shots, 6-1.

Both teams played 10 minutes of scoreless ball in the first overtime and forced a second overtime, the second double OT game for the Panthers in as many games. Just two minutes into the second OT, senior Alexander Dexter received a pass from freshman Filip Mirkovic and scored the game-winning goal, giving Pitt a 2-1 victory. The goal was Dexter’s third of the season and 14th of his career, while the assist was Mirkovic’s second of the year.

Pitt outshot the Hokies, 11-5 for the game and led in saves 4-3. Both teams registered three corner kicks.

The Panthers return home and finish out the spring regular season with two straight home contests. Pitt’s next match is Saturday, April 3 against Notre Dame at 7 p.m., followed by a mid-week contest against Virginia Thursday, April 8 at 7 p.m. Both games will be live on the ACCNX.

GAMEDAY

FINAL:  PITT 2, VT 1 (OT)

The Panthers improve to 11-2 overall (7-1 in ACC regular season) and will now finish the Spring campaign with two matches at home as they continue to make a quest to earn a high seed in the NCAA tournament.

The 11 wins is the most in program history since 2000.

102′ | GOAL – PITT WINS IT

Alexander Dexter scores. Filip Mirkovic with the assist.

END OF REGULATION – PITT 1, VA TECH 1

85′ | GOAL VT ties it up!

Jacob Labovitz

70′ | Still 1-0 Pitt — the Panthers out shooting VT 7-5, Pitt’s Nico Campuzano with three saves.

43 | GOAL PITT 1, VT 0

Valentin Noel scores again.

Assist from Luke Peperak!

30′ | Valentine Noel with 2 shots, Jasper Loeffelsend and Jackson Walti with 1 each for Pitt.

13′ | Header flicked on by Sivert is handled by Pitt’s keeper. Rain has the ball moving quick on the pitch this evening.

6:30 p.m.  after a 5-hour delay, the teams are back at it resuming play in the early part of the first half.

2:30 p.m. the match has now been pushed back to an early evening (6:30 p.m.) restart…

1:45 p.m.  WEATHER DELAY

Here’s Pitt’s lineup for today’s match at Virginia Tech…

Noteable: First start of the season for junior Rodrigo Almeida with Veljko Petkovic sitting out after being sent off last week vs Duke.

Look for lineups and gameday updates to be posted here.

THE SERIES

–        Pitt leads the all-time series 15-5-1. The Panthers recently defeated the Hokies, 4-2, at home Oct. 10.

–        Graduate student Jasper Löeffelsend and freshman Bertin Jacquesson each tallied three assists in the game, a mark tied for second in school history for a single game.

–        Virginia Tech’s last win against Pitt came in Blacksburg Oct. 12, 2018 winning 3-1.

SCOUTING THE HOKIES

–        Virginia Tech enters the contest 4-5-2 overall and 3-4-2 in ACC play. The Hokies currently sit in sixth-place in the Coastal Division.

–        Senior Jacob Labovitz leads the team in goals (5) and points (11) along with shots (32) and shot percentage (.156). Labovitz ranks first tied for first in the ACC and tied for fifth in the nation in game-winning goals with three.

–        Junior Sivert Haugli leads the back line for the Hokies, totaling 1,029 minutes in 11 games played. Haugli has one goal, three shots and one shot on goal for the year.

A THRILLING 2OT VICTORY IN DURHAM

–        The Panthers and Blue Devils played 107 minutes Mar. 19 in Durham, N.C., with Pitt prevailing 4-3 in double overtime off a game-winning header from sophomore Arturo Ordoñez.

–        Pitt trailed, 1-0, early before scoring three unanswered goals to take a 3-1 lead in the second half. Duke came back with two unanswered goals of their own and tied it 3-3 after regulation. Ordoñez’s goal in the 107th minute was his second of the season and second game-winning header of the year, previously doing so at Virginia Oct. 18, 2020 in the 103rd minute.

–        Sophomore Valentin Noel scored two goals on two shots, while freshman Filip Mirkovic registered his second goal of the year. Freshman Bertin Jacquesson tallied an assist.

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 scored his first two goals of the spring campaign Mar. 19 at Duke in Pitt’s 2OT thrilling victory over the Blue Devils. Noel ranks among the best in the nation in major offensive categories, including total goals (2nd – 10), points per game (12th – 2.00), goals per game (15th – .91), total points (2nd – 22) and shot accuracy (28th – .640).

–        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.

THE ACC NO. 1 SCORING OFFENSE

–        Pitt enters the Virginia Tech match with the number one scoring offense in the conference with a 2.42 goals per game mark.

–        The Panthers have totaled 29 goals this season, which leads the nation. Pitt also leads the country in total points (86) and total assists (28).

–        Pitt’s 7.17 points per game mark and .567 shot accuracy rank first in the conference.

JASPER SENDS IT IN

–        Graduate student Jasper Löeffelsend has emerged as one of the best passers in the country, finding his teammates on seven different occasions this season for goals.

–        The Cologne, Germany, native’s seven assists are tied for first in the ACC and second in the nation.

–        Löeffelsend recorded an assist vs. Boston College Mar. 13 in the lone goal of the 1-0 shutout for his first of the spring campaign.

–        Löeffelsend tallied three assists against Virginia Tech Oct. 10, tying him for second all-time in a single-game in program history. Freshman teammate Bertin Jacquesson also had three assists in that same game.

–        Löeffelsend’s seven assists currently rank tied for ninth in a single-season in program history.

CAMPUZANO MAKING THE STOPS

–        Graduate student goalkeeper Nico Campuzano finished the ACC Tournament with 15 saves and ended the fall season with 31 total saves.

–        Campuzano’s seven saves in the ACC Championship Final earned him a new career-high.

–        Campuzano has registered six games with four or more saves and three games with six or more stops on the year.

–        Campuzano delivered a clean sheet against Boston College at home Saturday, Mar. 13, making four stops for his second shutout of the season.

–        The Cantabria, Spain, native has 38 saves on the season and two shutouts to his credit. His 38 total saves is first in the ACC and seventh in the nation.

NOEL HONORED BY ACC, TopDrawerSoccer

–        Sophomore Valentin Noel garnered ACC Co-Offensive Player of the Week honors this past week for his two goal performance at Duke Mar. 19.

–        The midfielder totaled two shots, two shots on goal and two goals, his third multi-score game of his career.

–        The accolade is his second of the season, previously earning Co-Offensive recognition Oct. 19, 2020.

–        Noel was also recognized by TopDrawerSoccer, earning a spot on the Honorable Mention Team of the Week. The honorable mention spot is his second of the season, previously doing so Oct. 13, 2020.

UP NEXT

–        Pitt returns home for its final two games of the season. The Panthers host Notre Dame Saturday, April 3 at 7 PM and Virginia Thursday, April 8 at 7 PM.

–        Both games will be live on the ACCNX.

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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