Connect with us

College Soccer

Preview: Pitt vs NJIT, 1 p.m.

NCAA Women’s Soccer 

Pitt (3-0-0) vs NJIT (0-3-0) 

 Live Stream: WatchESPN/ACCNX

Gameday Updates 

Look for lineups and highlights/updates to be posted here

PSN’s Coverage of Pitt women’s soccer

FINAL: Pitt 5, Cleveland St. 0

Pitt’s Amanda West named ACC Offensive Player of the Week

Pitt Women’s 2021-22 Season Preview

Pitt Game Notes 

SCOUTING NJIT

  • The Highlanders have been shutout in all three games played with losses to Seton Hall (0-2) and Monmouth (0-2) and at St. John’s (0-3).
  • Picked eighth (second to last) in the America East Coaches’ Preseason Poll, the NJIT returns 21 letterwinners from last year’s squad that went 2-6-1 (0-5-1 AE) in a spring-only schedule.

THE SERIES

  • This is the first matchup for Pitt against NJIT.
  • The Panthers are 2-2-0 against current America East Conference members: Binghamton 1-0-0, UMBC 1-1-0, and Hartford 0-1-0.

SUCCESSFUL HOME-OPENER

  • Pitt opened home play at Ambrose Urbanic Field Thursday with a 5-0 shutout victory over Cleveland State in the first matchup between the two schools.
  • The win had the most goals and biggest margin of victory for a home-opener in program history.
  • Pitt has started 3-0 the last two years under Waldrum.
  • Sarah Schupansky recorded her first collegiate brace after coming off the bench.
  • Amanda West claimed another school record, recording her 10th career game-winning goal with the game’s first score in the 16th minute.
  • Bri Hilsenteger scored her first collegiate goal in the 47th minute, and Emily Yaple (20th minute) produced a goal for the second-straight game.
  • 28 Panthers played in the game, including collegiate debuts by Elena HinksonLacey BernickKatelyn KauffmanSara Darlington and Madison Vukas.

IN THE POLLS

  • Pitt was slotted at No. 23 in the first week’s TopDrawerSoccer rankings.
  • The Panthers received the most votes (53) outside the top-25 poll in the main poll, the United Soccer Coaches’ Poll and were eight votes behind No. 25 USC.
  • Last year, Pitt earned its first ranking in the United Soccer Coaches’ Poll in program history, debuting at No. 12 in the first poll of the season on Sept. 22 and then No. 14 in the next week’s poll.
  • The only other time in program history Pitt was ranked was in 2009, selected No. 25 by Soccer America after starting 4-0.
  • Head coach Randy Waldrum has led five schools to be nationally ranked: Tulsa men’s and women’s soccer, Baylor and Notre Dame in addition to Pitt.

HOMETOWN HEROES DEBUT

  • Freshmen and Pittsburgh locals Ellie Coffield and Sarah Schupansky made instant impacts in starting in their first two collegiate games.
  • Coffield scored the game-winning goal over Tulsa on her first career shot in the 17th minute with Schupansky getting her first point with the primary assist.
  • Coffield finished with another assist on the final goal against the Golden Hurricane.
  • Schupansky scored the golden goal at Oklahoma State for her first collegiate goal, notching the game-winner 30 seconds into overtime, and also assisted on the tying goal in the second half to send the game into overtime.
  • She was named to the TopDrawerSoccer Team of the Week, and is just the third Panther to earn the award (Amanda West and Leah Pais).
  • Both were decorated prep players.

o   Coffield led Mars High School to two WPIAL and PIAA AAA Championships with a No. 1 national ranking last fall and won the Gatorade Pennsylvania Player of the Year in her last two years, was named All-American by Top Drawer Soccer and played in National All-Star Game as a senior, tabbed the Post-Gazette and Tribune Review Girls Soccer Player of the Year in 2020 and earned the inaugural Moe Rosensteel Most Outstanding WPIAL Player of the Year in 2019.

o   Schupansky guided North Allegheny High School to win the 2020 and 2019 WPIAL AAAA Championships and won the 2020 Moe Rosensteel Award, was named to the 2020 and 2019 United Soccer Coaches All-East Region and PCSA All-State Teams … selected to the All-WPIAL AAAA Team her last two seasons and the WPIAL Big 56 All-Section Team the last three years.

THE PROGRAM’S GOAT, AMANDA WEST

  • In just a little over two years, Amanda West has proven to be the best player in the program’s history.
  • This preseason West became the first Panther to be selected the All-ACC Preseason Team.
  • To start the season, she earned the first ACC Offensive Player of the Week award.
  • She scored a goal to break the school record in goals along with an assist in the win over Tulsa and then notched the tying goal in the 3-2 overtime win of then-No. 16 Oklahoma State.
  • She has been selected for the weekly award in each of three seasons.
  • She has scored in each of the first three games in all three years.
  • In season-openers, she has averaged four points per game (seven against Loyola Marymount in 2019, two at App State and three against Tulsa).
  • With only 37 career games played, she already ranks among the top all-time scorers in program history.
  • First in points (69), 13 ahead of Roosa Arvas (2012-14).
  • First in career goals (26), three ahead of Ashley Cuba (2009-12).
  • Third in assists (17), one behind Katelyn Ruhe (2008-11) and three behind Arvas.
  • Tied for first in career game-winning goals (nine) with Ashley Habbel (2006-09).
  • First in career three-points plus games (10), thee ahead of Cande Ruiz (1998-01).
  • First in points per game (1.87) and goals per game (.70).
  • Other “program firsts” accomplished by West in her first two years:

o   2020-21: United Soccer Coaches’ All-Atlantic Region First-Team, All-ACC Second Team, multiple All-ACC Academic Team selections, multiple ACC Offensive Player of the Week honors (Aug. 27. 2019, Oct. 13, 2020), multiple TopDrawerSoccer Team of the Week selections (Sept. 15 and Sept. 22), TopDrawerSoccer Team of the Month (September)

o   2019: United Soccer Coaches’ All-Atlantic Region Third-Team, All-ACC Third-Team, All-ACC Freshmen Team

  • Last year West ranked in the nation: third in points (33), fifth in goals (13), 10th in game-winning goals (four), 14th in goals per game, 17th in shots (4.12) and shots on goal per game (2.12) and 25th in assists (seven).
  • She broke the program record for points, which she set as a freshman with 29.
  • She hit the ground running in the fall of 2020, with a goal in the first seven games for the longest goal-scoring streak in program history.
  • Her 13 goals were most in a single-season, three ahead of her total last year and Cande Ruiz (1998).
  • She has recorded nine 3+ point games, the most in school history.
  • She tied Pitt’s single-season assists record (nine) as a freshman and recorded seven last year with two less games played due to COVID.

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