
ACC Men’s Soccer
Pitt (7-3-4, 3-2-2 ACC) vs Notre Dame (8-6-1, 3-4-0 ACC)
Friday, October 28, 2022 | 7 p.m. | Ambrose Urbanic Field
ACC Network Extra HERE | Match Stats HERE
Match Updates
Look for updates from PSN’s Dom Campbell from Ambrose Urbanic Field.
Update (9:06 p.m.)
Final. Pitt draws 1-1 with Notre Dame in their final regular season home game. Tiebreakers and other will results who Pitt will play at home on Wednesday
— Dominic Campbell (@DOMISMONEY) October 29, 2022
Update (9:00 p.m.)
'85 Pitt substitution
Luchini in for Feitosa— Dominic Campbell (@DOMISMONEY) October 29, 2022
Update (8:57 p.m.)
'82 Notre Dame midfielder Matthew Radivosja is shown a yellow card. His first, team third.
— Dominic Campbell (@DOMISMONEY) October 29, 2022
Update (8:55 p.m.)
'80 Van der Sar with a brilliant save. He found himself one-on-one with Roou who got a great through pass, but saved it with his left foot to keep it 1-1.
— Dominic Campbell (@DOMISMONEY) October 29, 2022
Update (8:47 p.m.)
'73 Pitt M Jackson Walti with a powerful shot that required Notre Dame GK Dowd to punch it over the net for a corner.
— Dominic Campbell (@DOMISMONEY) October 29, 2022
Update (8:42 p.m.)
'69
Pitt substitution
Pitt first-year defender Noah Hall comes in for Luchini— Dominic Campbell (@DOMISMONEY) October 29, 2022
Update (8:41 p.m.)
End-to-end action here. Lots of chances for both teams to take the lead.
— Dominic Campbell (@DOMISMONEY) October 29, 2022
Update (8:34 p.m.)
'61 Jacquesson gets on the cross and passes it to Mirkovic, whose shot is weak and saved easily.
— Dominic Campbell (@DOMISMONEY) October 29, 2022
Update (8:32 p.m.)
'60 Russo's shot is dealt with by Van der Sar, who uses his legs to keep it out. Matthew Roou's shot is blocked to keep the score 1-1.
— Dominic Campbell (@DOMISMONEY) October 29, 2022
Update (8:31 p.m.)
'59 Mirkovic's cross on the ensuing free kick finds Gallina, but he skies it over the goal.
— Dominic Campbell (@DOMISMONEY) October 29, 2022
Update (8:28 p.m.)
'58 Goal for Notre Dame
Eno Nto delivers a cross into the box and no Pitt defender gets to it. Junior forward Daniel Russo does and puts it in the back of the net to tie the match at 1-1.— Dominic Campbell (@DOMISMONEY) October 29, 2022
Update (8:24 p.m.)
'53 Pitt looks more vulnerable as Notre Dame takes two shots on. GK Joe van der Sar deals with both well and keeps Notre Dame scoreless.
— Dominic Campbell (@DOMISMONEY) October 29, 2022
Update (8:20 p.m.)
'49 Pitt sub
Henrique Gallina comes on for Michael SullivanLooks like Pitt want to go more defensive here to ensure the victory.
— Dominic Campbell (@DOMISMONEY) October 29, 2022
Update (8:17 p.m.)
'48 Leerman fouls KK Baffour and receives a second yellow card, giving him a red card and sending him to the bench. Looks furious with the decision on the sideline.
Pitt is down to 10 men. Baffour looked to take a big hit on the play and is injured.
— Dominic Campbell (@DOMISMONEY) October 29, 2022
Update (8:14 p.m.)
Second half kickoff starts at 8:13 p.m.
— Dominic Campbell (@DOMISMONEY) October 29, 2022
Update (8:13 p.m.)
Pitt D Yanis Leerman received a yellow card for unsportsmanlike behavior after the first half. Second Yellow card for Pitt.
— Dominic Campbell (@DOMISMONEY) October 29, 2022
Update (7:55 p.m.)
Halftime. Pitt leads Notre Dame 1-0 at the end of the first half. Good defense for the Panthers, but they probably should've scored more goals.
— Dominic Campbell (@DOMISMONEY) October 28, 2022
Update (7:52 p.m.)
'42 Two chance for Pitt here in the box. Noel shoots it point blank and it is saved and then Jacquesson's shot is saved as well. Still 1-0 to Pitt
— Dominic Campbell (@DOMISMONEY) October 28, 2022
Update (7:50 p.m.)
'41 Yanis Leerman with a shot for Pitt on a corner, but it's dealt with by the Notre Dame defenders.
— Dominic Campbell (@DOMISMONEY) October 28, 2022
Update (7:44 p.m.)
'35 Mirokvic's curling free kick is saved by the GK. Almost creeped in to the bottom corner there.
— Dominic Campbell (@DOMISMONEY) October 28, 2022
Update (7:43 p.m.)
'34
Pitt Subsitutions
M Rodrigo Almeida comes in for Sullivan
M Guilherme Feitosa comes in for Luchini— Dominic Campbell (@DOMISMONEY) October 28, 2022
Update (7:37 p.m.)
'27 Mirkovic shot is parried by the goal keeper and Michael Sullivan's shot is blocked, keeping Pitt's lead at 1-0.
— Dominic Campbell (@DOMISMONEY) October 28, 2022
Update (7:36 p.m.)
'26 Goal Pitt! Bertin Jacquesson drives down the sideline, into the box andshoots on his weaker left foot. His shot deflects off of ND defender Reese Mayer into the back of the net to give the Panthers a 1-0 lead.
— Dominic Campbell (@DOMISMONEY) October 28, 2022
Update (7:32 p.m.)
'23 Luchini with another great chance at the back post from a cross by Filip Mirkovic, but he shoots it into the side netting. Still 0-0 here.
— Dominic Campbell (@DOMISMONEY) October 28, 2022
Update (7:26 p.m.)
'18 Yellow card for ND KK Baffour. First Yellow card for Notre Dame in the game.
— Dominic Campbell (@DOMISMONEY) October 28, 2022
Update (7:24 p.m.)
'17 Noel Shown a yellow card for a tough foul. First Pitt yellow card in game.
— Dominic Campbell (@DOMISMONEY) October 28, 2022
Update (7:19 p.m.)
'12 Off the bar! Luchini with a great chance right in front of goal, but his shot hits off the cross bar.
— Dominic Campbell (@DOMISMONEY) October 28, 2022
Update (7:11 p.m.)
'4 Cross in from Lucas Rosa to the center of the box finds no one and again goes out for a throw in.
— Dominic Campbell (@DOMISMONEY) October 28, 2022
Update (7:09 p.m.)
'1 Valentin Noel almost makes a great play as he pressures the goal keeper and almost steals the ball, but it goes out for a throw in.
— Dominic Campbell (@DOMISMONEY) October 28, 2022
Update (7:07 p.m.)
'1 Kickoff starts at 7:07 p.m. here
— Dominic Campbell (@DOMISMONEY) October 28, 2022
Update (7:07 p.m.)
Pitt with the win, will solidify the No. 5 spot in the ACC Tournament for their hosted game next Wednesday.
If they lose, they could fall as low as 8. If they draw, then tie breakers could determine where they finish.
— Dominic Campbell (@DOMISMONEY) October 28, 2022
Update (6:58 p.m.)
Senior Night starting XI vs. Notre Dame ⬇️
First kick in 10 minutes from Ambrose.#H2P pic.twitter.com/dGnrqsMrLm
— Pitt Men's Soccer (@Pitt_MSOC) October 28, 2022
Update (6:55 p.m.)
Senior night for the Panthers, 10 here who are being honored
GK Joe van der Sar
D Mohammad Abualnadi
D Yanis Leerman
D Henrique Gallina
M Lucas Rosa
M Valentin Noel
M Rodrigo Almeida
M Ideal Shefqeti
M Jackson Walti
F Josh Luchini— Dominic Campbell (@DOMISMONEY) October 28, 2022
Update (6:49 p.m.)
Covering No. 23 @Pitt_MSOC vs. Notre Dame tonight at 7 p.m. at Ambrose Urbanic Field for @pghsoccernow
Stay tuned for updates and info throughout pic.twitter.com/X4P76P0Gda
— Dominic Campbell (@DOMISMONEY) October 28, 2022
It’s gameday & we’re honoring our seniors tonight!
Last but certainly not least ➡️ @JacksonWalti
🔹 #24
🔹 Midfielder
🔹 St. Augustine, Florida 🇺🇸🇨🇭#H2P pic.twitter.com/zMgtl5PZ5a— Pitt Men's Soccer (@Pitt_MSOC) October 28, 2022
Preview / PSN Coverage of Pitt men’s soccer
Prior to Friday’s match, the Panthers will honor their 10 seniors as part of their Senior Day festivities at Ambrose Urbanic Field. These seniors have all played a key role in the revival of Pitt men’s soccer program into a national brand over their storied careers.
In addition, the Panthers can secure a 5th seed in the upcoming ACC Tournament with a win against last season’s nemesis, Notre Dame.
Earlier Friday, we featured one of those seniors, Jackson Waltri, who has worn the captain’s armband for the good part of the past four seasons.
Game Notes
THE SERIES – NOTRE DAME
- This meeting marks the 32nd meeting of all-time between the two programs with Notre Dame owning the 20-7-4 edge in the series.
- Notre Dame won all three meeting against the Panthers a season ago including in the NCAA Tournament as they advanced 4-2 on penalty kicks in the Elite Eight.
- The Fighting Irish are 9-2-2 all-time in games played in Pittsburgh.
- The last win for the Panthers in the series came on April 3, 2021 when they secured a 2-0 home victory over the Fighting Irish.
SCOUTING THE FIGHTING IRISH
- Notre Dame enters Friday with a 8-6-1 overall record and a 3-4 ACC mark as they have won three straight.
- The Fighting Irish are currently the No. 8 seed in the upcoming ACC Tournament but can move up or fall depending on Friday’s result.
- Notre Dame is led offensively by Daniel Russo who has five goals, four assists and 14 points on 30 shots while Matthew Roou has four goals, four assists and 12 points with a team-high 33 shots. Paddy Burns is enjoying a strong campaign with five goals (two game-winners) for the Irish.
- In goal, Bryan Dowd has made 15 starts and owns a 8-6-1 record with a 1.31 goals-against average, .642 save percentage and two shutouts.
FACING RANKED OPPONENTS
- The Panthers are no stranger to nationally ranked opponents. Pitt has played a total of nine nationally ranked opponents through their first 14 games of the season for the first time in program history.
- Pitt opened the season with back-to-back wins over top-10 programs for the first time in program history as they downed No. 2 Georgetown 2-1 and No. 6 West Virginia 3-0.
- Pitt is 4-0-2 against top-5 opponents over the last two seasons as they downed Georgetown (No. 2), Clemson (No. 2), Duke (No. 3) and North Carolina (No. 4) during the regular season and tied Notre Dame (No. 4) in the Elite Eight last season and Duke (No. 2) this season.
- Overall, Pitt is 7-2-5 against nationally ranked foes over the last two seasons.
- Over the last three seasons, Pitt owns a 11-5-5 record against ranked opponents.
- The Panthers have played more ranked foes than any other ACC team this season. Pitt’s strength of schedule is #8 in the country while their opponent’s strength of schedule is #2.
SCORING FIRST A MUST FOR PITT
- One of the keys to victory for the Panthers over the last four seasons has been scoring the first goal of the match.
- Since 2019, Pitt owns a 39-1-2 overall record when they record the first goal of the match.
- The Panthers are 6-0 this year when scoring the first goal while being just 1-3-3 when allowing the first goal of the match.
- Pitt hasn’t lost a game when scoring the first goal since falling to #2 Indiana 3-2 in double overtime on August 30, 2019.
Season Record Win %
2022 6-0-0 1.000
2021 11-0-2 .923
2020-21 14-0-0 1.000
2019 8-1-0 .889
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 28-4-4 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 34-17-6 at home in his seven seasons at Pitt.
- Since the start of the 2019 season, Pitt has outscored its opponents 104-38 at home including a 20-10 advantage this season.
- The Panthers win percentage (.838) at home over the past four seasons is the best in the ACC and 7th best overall in the NCAA.
Home Win % Since 2019
# TEAM RECORD %
1. Georgetown 36-2-5 .895
2. Missouri State 32-3-2 .892
3. New Hampshire 29-2-4 .886
4. Washington 32-4-2 .868
5. Kentucky 33-3-5 .866
6. Campbell 28-2-6 .861
7. Pitt 29-4-4 .838
8. Cornell 15-2-3 .825
9. Clemson 35-7-4 .804
10. Yale 13-3-2 .778
PANTHERS PLACE FIVE PLAYERS IN TOP DRAWER SOCCER MIDSEASON TOP-100 LIST
- Top Drawer Soccer released their midseason Top-100 player rankings last week and the Panthers were well represented on the list.
- In all, Pitt had five representatives on the list led by junior midfielder Filip Mirkovic who ranked #4. Valentin Noel was #8, Bertin Jacquesson was #14, Rodrigo Almeida was #46 and Jackson Walti was #53.
- Pitt was the only team in the nation to have five players ranked inside the top-53 in the country.
UP NEXT
- Pitt will host an ACC Tournament First Round match on Wednesday, Nov. 2 at Ambrose Urbanic Field.
- The Panthers have not secured a seed or opponent for the conference tournament.
- With a win over ND, Pitt will be the #5 seed and host #12 Virginia Tech.
