NCAA Men’s Soccer Tournament: Rematch with Notre Dame awaits for Pitt in the Elite Eight

In his postgame interview after defeating Pitt in the ACC Men’s Soccer semifinal earlier this month, Notre Dame men’s soccer head coach Chad Riley likened that battle between two ACC teams on the level of an NCAA Quarterfinal round-type of match.

The teams will meet again, in the — yes you guessed correcly — the NCAA Tournament’s Quarterfinal round.

This match will be played this coming Saturday ( 5 p.m. EST kickoff at Alumni Stadium in South Bend, Indiana ).

The Fighting Irish shut out Pitt in the match Riley was referring to en route to winning the ACC Tournament Championship on November 5, and the Panthers (13-5-1) also lost to the Irish (14-5-3) at South Bend, 1-0, in extra time at South Bend earlier this season.

“For me, what’s circled is getting to the Elite Eight, and getting to the Final Four,” Pitt’s Head Coach Jay Vidovich said. “Notre Dame’s had success against us this year, but if you look back at the history, in the years before, we’ve done quite well at them.  And the guys are confident enough now, that they’re going to be up for  the challenge.”

The Irish advanced by defeating Wake Forest, 2-0, on Sunday, while Pitt will have an extra day’s rest after an impressive 4-0 win against Hofstra on Saturday night.

Meanwhile, West Virginia will face Georgetown after upsetting No. 6 Tulsa in overtime on Saturday night. as the former Big East rivals will play the first match next weekend.

Clemson remains the only other ACC team after defeating Kentucky, 2-1, with a late goal Sunday evening.  They’ll have to travel west to take on No. 1 Oregon State, who defeated a tough challenge from New Hampshire, 1-0, also on Sunday.

Rounding out the Elite Eight match-ups will be Atlantic 10 Champion Saint Louis, who knocked out Duke in the Sweet 16, in an exciting, 4-3 result, while No. 2 Washington will host the match following its 3-2 overtime win against last season’s NCAA runner-up, Indiana.

Here’s the full schedule of the NCAA Men’s Soccer tournament quarterfinal round

NCAA Men’s Soccer Elite Eight (Quaterfinal Round) Schedule

Saturday, December 4

• Noon:  No. 11 WVU at No. 3 Georgetown, Noon
• 5 p.m.:  No. 5 Pitt at No. 4 Notre Dame
• 8 p.m.:  No. 2 Washington vs No. 10 Saint Louis
• 9 p.m.:   No. 1 Oregon St. vs No. 8 Clemson

Look for more coverage throughout the week on Pitt-Notre Dame plus more on the NCAA tournament, including West Virginia men’s soccer coverage on West Virginia Sports Now.

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NCAA Men’s Soccer action as the Sweet 16 saw most of the favorites advance, with two lower seeds (Saint Louis and West Virginia) winning on the road.

NCAA Men’s Soccer Third Round (Sweet 16) Scoreboard

Sunday, November 28, 2021 

• FINAL: No. 1 Oregon State 1, No. 16 New Hampshire 0 
• FINAL: No. 3 Georgetown 4. Providence 1 
• FINAL: No. 8 Clemson 2, No. 9 Kentucky 0
• FINAL: No. 4 Notre Dame 2, Wake Forest 0

Saturday, November 27, 2021 

• No. 2 Washington 3, No. 15 Indiana 2 (OT)
• No. 5 Pitt 4,  Hofstra 0 

FINAL: Pitt 4, Hofstra 0 (NCAA Men’s Soccer Tournament 3rd Round)

• No. 10 Saint Louis 4, No. 7 Duke 3
• No. 11 West Virginia 1, No. 6 Tulsa 0 (2OT)

WVU men’s soccer headed to Elite Eight with 2OT win at Tulsa