Preview: Pitt vs Kentucky (women), 1 p.m.

Photo courtesy Pitt Athletics

NCAA Women’s Soccer 

Pitt (10-5-0) vs Kentucky (1-5-3) 

Monday, March 29, 2021 | Ambrose Urbanic Field | 2 p.m. kickoff

LIVE STREAM | LIVE STATS

Gameday

For live game updates and a recap click here.

Recent PSN Pitt women’s soccer coverage

Pitt wins City Game, beating Duquesne, 3-0

https://pittsburghsoccernow.com/college-soccer/pitt-womens-soccer/#google_vignette

Pitt Game Notes 

A CHANCE FOR HISTORY

It’s the season finale for Pitt women’s soccer (10-5-0) as they conclude its regular season against Kentucky (1-5-3) Monday at 2 p.m. at Ambrose Urbanic Field. Ironically, it’s the first match of the spring for Kentucky in this very unusual year.

• Despite playing less games than usual due to COVID, Pitt has a chance to become the winningest team in program history.
• Going 9-5-0 overall in the fall and winning the spring season debut in the City Game on March 1, one more win would surpass the 1995 team (10-7-1) for the most wins in a single season
• This year’s team is already guaranteed to have the highest winning-percentage in program history and is only the third to ever post a winning record (8-5-5 in 2009).

 

TOP MARKS IN THE COUNTRY

• With the strong start to the season, the team ranks among the best in Division I in several categories.
• The Panthers rank in the nation second in total points (91) and goals (33) and 13th in assists (25).

LEADING SCORER IN THE NATION, AMANDA WEST

• West leads the nation in points (30) while ranking second in goals (13) and fifth in game-winning goals (four).
• With 30 points on the season, she broke the program record for points, which she set last year with 29.
• She hit the ground running this season, just like she did last year, with a goal in the first seven games for the longest goal-scoring streak in program history.
• With only 31 career games played, she already ranks among the top all-time scorers in program history.

o   First in points (59), eight ahead of Ashley Cuba (2009-12).

o   Tied in career goals (23) with Cuba.

o   Tied for third in assists (13) with Liz Carroll (2007-10).

• She has recorded nine 3+ point games, the most in school history.
• Her 13 goals this fall are most in a single-season, three ahead of her total last year and Cande Ruiz (1998).
• In assists, she tied with Charity McClure (1998) and Katelyn Ruhe (2010) for the single-season record.

ACC HONORS

• With the league deciding to give out season awards after the conclusion of the fall, West was selected to the All-ACC Second Team.
• She became the first-ever Panther to be selected as high as the second team for the annual conference accolade, as last year she became the first in program history to ever earn an All-ACC honor by being picked to the third team.
• Also in 2019 she was named to the United Soccer Coaches’ All-Atlantic Region Third-Team, becoming the second-ever Panther to receive all-region honors.

 

A NEWCOMER’S HOMETOWN ARRIVAL

• A transfer from Dayton eligible for the spring season, the hometown native Landy Mertz made quite the impact in her Panthers’ debut with two goals in the team’s 3-0 shutout victory I the City Game.
• The sophomore forward got her first goal in the 61st minute when Chloe Minas launched a ball from midfield over the defense to a streaking Mertz, who pushed the ball at the top of the box past the goalkeeper and easily shot the ball into an open net.
• Mertz’s second goal came in the 80th minute. A few yards above the middle of the box, Emily Yaple fed Mertz to the right, who lofted a shot over the goalkeeper into the top left corner of the net.
• Mertz was named the ACC Offensive Player of the Week.
• A graduate of Upper Saint Clair High School, last year Mertz was named to the Atlantic 10 All-Rookie Team
• Starting all 19 matches as a midfielder, she scored three goals along with two assists for eight points and led the team with 22 of 43 shots on goal.

SCOUTING KENTUCKY

• Playing strictly SEC competition in the fall, Kentucky went 1-5-3 with three games against opponents currently ranked in the top-25 and five versus schools receiving votes.
• This is the only scheduled game of the spring season for the Wildcats.
• Sophomore forward Jordyn Rhodes was selected to the 2020-21 Hermann Women’s Watch List after concluding the fall season leading the SEC in points (21), points per game (2.33), goals (10), goals per game (1.11) and shots per game (3.78).
• Redshirt-senior Brooke Littman played every single minute for the Wildcats with an average of 6.22 saves per game, .718 save percentage and 2.26 goals against average.

THE SERIES

• The two teams have never played each other.