NCAA Men’s Soccer – 51st ‘Backyard Brawl’
FINAL: PITT 3, WEST VIRGINIA 0
PSN Coverage Team: Dominic Campbell (reporting) & Ed Thompson (photography)
Match Day Updates
Check back here for in-game updates, highlights and post match reaction/recap
Update (9:08 PM)
Final! Big 3-0 for Pitt over WVU in the Backyard Brawl tonight. First win for Pitt in the rivalry since 2017 and just the second at Ambrose Urbanic Field.
Pitt travels to No. 14 Marshall on Friday to keep their undefeated streak going.
— Dominic Campbell (@DOMISMONEY) August 30, 2022
Update (9:00 PM)
'84 Noel and Jacquesson are subbed off and receive a standing ovation from the crowd.
— Dominic Campbell (@DOMISMONEY) August 30, 2022
Update (8:53 PM)
'76 Pitt Valentin Noel receives a yellow card for a harsh tackle. First for Pitt tonight
— Dominic Campbell (@DOMISMONEY) August 30, 2022
Update (8:35 PM)
'63 WVU junior midfielder Ryan Baer wipes out Jacquesson and receives a yellow card. Second for the Mountaineers tonight.
— Dominic Campbell (@DOMISMONEY) August 30, 2022
Update (8:18 PM)
Second half starts. WVU with a good chance, but Joe Van Der Sar with a good stop to clear it off the line.
— Dominic Campbell (@DOMISMONEY) August 30, 2022
Update (8:01 PM)
Brawled out in the first half.
3-0, 45 minutes to go‼️#H2P pic.twitter.com/jVCpaSG9Uc
— Pitt Men's Soccer (@Pitt_MSOC) August 29, 2022
Update (7:59 PM)
Halftime. Pitt leads rival WVU 3-0 at halftime in the Backyard Brawl. Brilliant execution from the Panthers so far gives them a sizable lead
— Dominic Campbell (@DOMISMONEY) August 29, 2022
Update (7:45 PM)
29' | PANTHERS GOOOALLL!@BertinJacquess4 dribbles nearly 40 yards and slots one into the lower left corner for his 2nd of the season!
No. 7 Pitt 3, No. 6 WVU 0 #H2P pic.twitter.com/pY1giUGLQ2
— Pitt Men's Soccer (@Pitt_MSOC) August 29, 2022
Update (7:40 PM)
'30 Goal Pitt! Bertin Jacquesson beats his defender, runs all the way down the line, moves down the line and delivers a thundering shot past the outstretching gloves of the keeper into the corner. 3-0 to Pitt now whose fans are absolutely rocking here.
— Dominic Campbell (@DOMISMONEY) August 29, 2022
Update (7:29 PM)
16' | ANOTHER ONE‼️@luucasfreeitas5 nets his first goal as a Panther to extend the lead to 2-0 early on.
No. 7 Pitt 2, No. 6 WVU 0#H2P pic.twitter.com/1WFN1ztF1C
— Pitt Men's Soccer (@Pitt_MSOC) August 29, 2022
Update (7:26 PM)
'17 Goal Pitt! A shot from Rodrigo Almeida hits off the post and Lucas Rosa springs in the box to put it away for a 2-0 lead early
— Dominic Campbell (@DOMISMONEY) August 29, 2022
Update (7:21 PM)
11' | PANTHERS GOAL!!!@Vlnt_Noel nets his 2nd of the season after a great cross from @BertinJacquess4.
No. 7 Pitt 1, No. 6 WVU 0#H2P pic.twitter.com/Vafn1rFpOY
— Pitt Men's Soccer (@Pitt_MSOC) August 29, 2022
Update (7:20 PM)
11' Goal Pitt! A cross from Bertin Jacquesson goes all the way through to find Valentin Noel coming across goal who scores at the post to make it 1-0 to the Panthers
— Dominic Campbell (@DOMISMONEY) August 29, 2022
Update (7:12 PM)
4' Yellow Card for WVU defender Dyon Dromers for a tough challenge
— Dominic Campbell (@DOMISMONEY) August 29, 2022
Update (7:03 PM)
Tonight's XI.#HailWV pic.twitter.com/LfE2NMSoKF
— WVU Men's Soccer (@WVUMensSoccer) August 29, 2022
Update (6:55 PM)
10 minutes to first kick. Check out our starting XI for tonight's match ⤵️
🆚 No. 6 WVU
🏟️ Ambrose Urbanic Field
📺 @accnetwork
💻 https://t.co/Q9B1pOUAWR
📊 https://t.co/NAVP80tznY#H2P pic.twitter.com/WJUGdZDhuZ— Pitt Men's Soccer (@Pitt_MSOC) August 29, 2022
Update (6:25 PM)
Head coach Jay Vidovich, Ideal Shefqueti and Filip Mirkovic will not be available for tonight’s game against No. 6 West Virginia due to COVID-19 protocols.
— Pitt Men's Soccer (@Pitt_MSOC) August 29, 2022
Big one tonight… you don’t want to miss it!
#7 @Pitt_MSOC vs. #6 WVU
⏰ 7 PM
🎟️ https://t.co/JZB1k6eB8F#H2P— Pitt Panthers (@Pitt_ATHLETICS) August 29, 2022
It starts with us 💼
🆚 No. 7 Pitt
📍 Pittsburgh, PA
⏰ 7 p.m. ET
📺 ACC Network#HailWV pic.twitter.com/LcP9XY9QnO— WVU Men's Soccer (@WVUMensSoccer) August 29, 2022
PSN’s Recent Pitt Men’s Soccer Coverage
Preview & Game Notes
No. 7 Pitt men’s soccer team (1-0-0) returns to Ambrose Urbanic Field Monday night as they welcome No. 6 West Virginia for a non-conference rivalry match. Monday’s match against the Mountaineers will kick off at 7:00 pm and will air live on ACC Network with Dalen Cuff and Devon Kerr on the call.
Monday’s matchup against West Virginia marks the second straight top-10 matchup for the Panthers to open the 2022 campaign. It is the first time in program history Pitt has played back-to-back top-10 opponents to open a season.
THE BACKYARD BRAWL – 51st EDITION
- This meeting marks the 51st game between the two rivals with West Virginia owning the 35-10-5 advantage in the all-time series.
- The Mountaineers have won each of the last two meetings by the same score, 2-1, including last season in Morgantown.
- The last victory for Pitt in the series came in 2017 as they handed West Virginia a 7-0 loss at Ambrose Urbanic Field.
- West Virginia holds the 18-7-2 advantage in games played in Pittsburgh all-time while the series is tied 1-1-0 at Ambrose Urbanic Field.
SCOUTING THE MOUNTAINEERS
- West Virginia enters Monday’s match ranked No. 6 in the United Soccer Coaches poll. They are 1-0-0 on the season as they opened up with a 1-0 victory over Robert Morris Thursday night at home.
- The Mountaineers lone goal was awarded as an own goal as they held the 8-2 lead in shots while placing four on goal in the win. Both teams only earned one corner each in the season opener.
- West Virginia was tabbed as the preseason favorite to win the Sun Belt Conference as they earned five first place votes while junior defender Bjarne Thiesen was selected to the Preseason All-Sun Belt Team.
- Thiesen was also named to the Mac Hermann Trophy Watch List on Thursday. He earned Third Team All-America honors following his strong 2021 campaign.
- They have 16 players who have earned at least one career start.
THE FRENCH CONNECTION
- The combination of midfielder Valentin Noel and forward Bertin Jacquesson has been deadly for the Panthers over the past three seasons.
- The two prolific scorers didn’t disappoint in the season opening win over No. 2 Georgetown as they scored both goals for the Panthers in the win.
- Jacquesson opened the scoring in the fifth minute of the game as he buried the tying goal into the upper left corner off a tough angle from right of the goal.
- Noel then got his first of the season just over six minutes later as he took a great cross by Jacquesson and placed a perfect shot under the crossbar for the game-winner.
- The two Frenchmen have combined to score 34 goals for Pitt over the last three seasons. The 34 goals are the most by any duo in the ACC over the last three seasons.
- Noel currently ranks fifth in program history in goals (25) and eighth in points (60).
- Jacquesson is currently third in program history in assists (19). He has also recorded 43 points in 39 career matches for the Panthers.
FACING RANKED OPPONENTS
- The Panthers are no stranger to nationally ranked opponents and they will face their second straight nationally ranked foe Monday night in Oakland as No. 6 West Virginia comes to town.
- Pitt opened the season with a 2-1 win over the No. 2 Georgetown Hoyas Thursday.
- Pitt is now 4-0-1 against top-5 opponents over the last two seasons as they downed North Carolina (No. 4), Clemson (No. 2) and Duke (No. 3) during the regular season and tied Notre Dame (No. 4) in the Elite Eight last season.
- Overall, Pitt is 5-0-1 against nationally ranked foes over the last two seasons.
- Over the last three seasons, Pitt owns a 9-3-1 record against ranked opponents.
HOME TURF ADVANTAGE
- The Panthers have been one of the best teams in the country on their home turf over the last four seasons as they own a 25-3-1 record at Ambrose Urbanic Field.
- Pitt held a 19-match home winning streak from Oct. 7, 2019 to Nov. 10, 2021, which at the time was the longest streak in the ACC and second longest unbeaten streak in the nation.
- Head coach Jay Vidovich is 31-16-3 at home in his seven seasons at Pitt.
- Since the start of the 2019 season, Pitt has outscored its opponents 86-29 at home including a 43-12 advantage last season.
ACC Home Win % Last 4 Seasons
1. Pitt 25-3-1 .879
- Clemson 31-3-4 .868
- Wake Forest 31-5-3 .833
- BC 15-2-5 .795
- Virginia 26-8-3 .743
UP NEXT
- Pitt hits the road for their first match away from home Friday, Sept. 2 as they travel to Marshall for a 7:00 pm first kick.
- Friday’s match against the Herd will be the fifth all-time between the two squads with Pitt owning the 2-0-2 advantage in the series.