Connect with us

College Soccer

FINAL: Pitt 2, Georgetown 1 (NCAA Women’s Soccer Tournament)

Photo courtesy Pitt Athletics
2022 NCAA Women’s Soccer Championship Second Round

FINAL: Pitt  2, Georgetown 1

Match Stats

 

Match Summary

Pitt women’s soccer team will continue to dance on — as they’ve reached the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Division I Women’s Soccer Tournament with a reslient 2-1 victory against Georgetown at Seminole Soccer Complex in Tallahassee, FL on Friday afternoon.

North Allegheny alum Sarah Schupansky and Katie Zailsky scored for the Panthers in a back-and-forth first half.  In the second half, Pitt clamped down, dug in and fought there way through moments of pressure to pull through to keep the Hoyas off the board.

“Excited about moving on, the result for sure,” Pitt’s Head Coach Randy Waldrum said. “If it were a regular season game, I would say that I was not happy with how we played in the second half. It’s not the regular season, its playoff time, and you just find ways to grind out results, and with that, I am estatic.”

Zailsky’s goal came two minutes after Georgetown leveled the contest in the 36th minute.

The Panthers will now face the winner of Florida State-LSU match that will follow at 5:30 p.m. at Seminole Soccer Complex.

POST MATCH EDITION OF SOUNDING OFF ON SOCCER PODCAST

Look for a more detailed recap and post-match reaction to follow here. 

FINAL STATS 
TEAM Shots SOG Saves Fouls Corners OffSides
12 5 2 12 3 1
9 4 4 11 6 0

Match Updates

90′ — GAME OVER, Pitt Panthers win 2-1 over Georgetown! They will advance to face the winner of Florida State vs. LSU, which kicks off at 5:30 p.m. ET!

85′ — SUB for Pitt: Caitlyn Lazzarini forced to come off after a non-contact injury. Ellie Breech, the sophomore, subs in.

81′ — SUB for Pitt: Mackenzie Evers out, Landy Mertz is in.

80′ — Shot by Emma Davis goes wide.

79′ — SUB for Pitt: Fleming Dean out, Anna Bout in.

78′ — Shot by Natalie Means goes wide.

77′ — SUB for Georgetown: Cyanne Doyle out, Erika Harwood in.

76′ — SUBS for Pitt: Landy Mertz and Samiah Phiri out, Leah Pais and Mackenzie Evers in.

72′ — SUB for Pitt: Emily Yaple out, Fleming Dean in.

71′ — SAVE by Caitlyn Lazzarini on Maja Lardner.

70′ — Foul by Samiah Phiri of Pitt.

70′ — SUB for Georgetown: Gia Vicari out, Cyanne Doyle is in.

69′ — SUB for Georgetown: Tatum Lenain out, Emma Davis in.

69′ — Shot taken by Katie Zailsky, up and over the crossbar.

68′ — Foul by Gia Vicari from Georgetown.

67′ — Foul by Hailey Davidson from Pitt.

65′ — Foul by Samiah Phiri from Pitt.

63′ — Foul by Maya Alcantara from Georgetown.

63′ — SUB for Pitt: Anna Bout out, Emily Yaple in.

63′ — Yellow card for Georgetown.

58′ — Foul by Keera Melenhorst from Pitt.

58′ — SUB for Pitt: Leah Pais out, Samiah Phiri in.

56′ — Shot by Georgetown’s Natalie Means goes wide.

55′ — Shot by Georgetown’s Maya Fernandez-Powell goes wide.

52′ — Shot by Georgetown’s Maja Lardner.

47′ — Foul by Julia Leas from Georgetown.

46′ — SUBS for Georgetown: Lardner, Vicari and Martin are back in.

46′ — SUBS for Pitt: Schupanky, Mertz, Bout and Melenhorst back in.

46′ — Second half is underway!

45′ — HALF: Pitt 2, Georgetown 1.

43′ — Foul by Mackenzie Evers from Pitt.

41′ — Foul by Erika Harwood from Georgetown.

39′ — SUB for Pitt: Sarah Schupansky out, Dean Fleming in; Landy Mertz out, Bri Hilsentger in; and Anna Bout out, Mackenzie Evers in.

38′ — GOOOOOOOOOOOOAL, Pitt Panthers! Immediate response from the Panthers on a corner kick, with Katie Zailsky going completely unmarked at the far post. Sarah Schupansky took the corner and gets the assist.

36′ — GOAL, Georgetown. Claire Manning hits a wicked shot and it curls into goal. Tied game.

34′ — SUB for Pitt: Keera Melenhorst out, Emily Yaple in.

33′ — SUB for Georgetown: Maja Lardner out, Sofie Fox in.

30′ — Foul by Julia Leas from Georgetown.

29′ — Foul by Ellie Coffield from Pitt.

27′ — Foul by Eliza Turner from Georgetown.

25′ — Foul by Keera Melenhorst from Pitt.

25′ — SUB for Georgetown: Gia Vicari out, Erika Harwood in.

24′ — SUB for Pitt: Samiah Phiri out, Leah Pais in.

24′ — SAVE by Caitlyn Lazzarini against Julia Leas.

23′ — SUB for Georgetown: Erin Martin out, Emma Davis in.

21′ — SAVE by Allie Augur against Sarah Schupansky.

20′ — SAVE by Caitlyn Lazzarini against Maya Alcantara.

19′ — Foul by Hailey Davidson from Pitt.

18′ — GOOOOOOOOAL, Pitt Panthers! Sarah Schupansky scores her seventh goal of the season, after a cross from Landy Mertz. Samiah Phiri started off the play with a through-ball to Mertz. Pitt leads, 1-0.

17′ — Shot by Landy Mertz, who hits the crossbar.

16′ — Two shots taken by Sarah Schupansky of Pitt.

15′ — Shot by Keera Melenhorst.

14′ — Foul by Erin Martin of Pitt.

13′ — Shot by Claire Manning on goal, saved by Caitlyn Lazzarini. Immediately responded with another shot by Gia Vicari, which goes over the crossbar.

12′ — SAVE by Georgetown goalkeeper Allie Augur against Pitt striker Samiah Phiri.

11′ — Foul by Keera Melenhorst of Pitt.

9′ — Foul by Sarah Schupansky of Pitt.

8′ — Corner kick for Pitt goes wide.

7′ — Foul by Natalie Means of Georgetown.

1′ — Game is underway.

Lineups are below!

Preview / PSN Pitt Women’s Soccer Coverage 

The No. 4 seeded Panthers made history by winning their first NCAA Tournament game in their first try, blanking Buffalo, 1-0, in First Round action last Saturday in front of the home crowd at Ambrose Urbanic Field. The No. 5-seeded Hoyas advanced to the Second Round by way of a 1-0 win over Hofstra last Saturday.

The winner of the matchup between Pitt and Georgetown will take on either No. 1 overall seed Florida State or No. 8-seeded LSU in the Third Round Sunday at 5 p.m. in Tallahassee.

Leah Pais’ late winner lifts No. 4 Pitt over Buffalo in 1st Round of the NCAA Tournament

Sounding Off on Soccer: NCAA Tournament Fever PITT-ch

Pitt Game Notes 

SCOUTING GEORGETOWN

Friday’s Second Round matchup pits a pair of former Big East Conference foes against each other. Pitt and Georgetown will be facing off for the 17th time, with the Hoyas holding an 8-6-2 lead in the all-time series. The Panthers last met Georgetown on Sept. 30, 2012, falling by a score of 8-0. Pitt has lost four in a row to Georgetown, with the Panthers’ last win over the Hoyas coming on Oct. 19, 2008 – a 2-1 double overtime victory.

Dave Nolan is in his 19th season as the head coach at Georgetown, with the Hoyas going 258-89-54 during his tenure. Georgetown has not lost since the third game of the season on August 25 – a 1-0 home setback to Virginia. The Hoyas claimed an automatic bid to the NCAA Championship field by winning the Big East after 1-0 wins over both Creighton and Xavier in the conference tournament.

The Hoyas have outscored the opposition 33-8 this season and are coming off three-straight 1-0 wins. Georgetown leads the country in goals against average (.381) and shutout percentage (.762) while ranking 13th in saves percentage (.855).

Julia Leas was unanimously selected as the Big East Defensive Player of the Year while Allie Augur was named Big East Goalkeeper of the Year. Augur leads the nation in both goals against average (.182) and save percentage (.909) and has tallied 20 saves while permitting just two goals. Gia Vicari leads the Hoyas with 16 points off a team-high six goals. Maja Lardner leads Georgetown with six assists.

PICK UP THE PAIS

Leah Pais lifted Pitt to the 1-0 victory over Buffalo with a header goal in the 85th minute. The game winner marked her second such goal this season and increased her team lead in goals scored to eight. Her eight goals mark the most scored in a single season by a Pitt senior. She increased her career goal total to 17, which is tied for the sixth most in program history. Her 21 points in 2022 rank as the most by a senior in a single season in program history and are tied for the sixth most in a single season in program history.

Anna Bout assisted on the game winner by Pais, tying her for the team lead with seven helpers this season. Bout is fourth in program history with 17 career assists.

HISTORY MADE

Pitt has been growing accustomed to making history.

The Panthers qualified for both the ACC Championship and NCAA Championship fields for the first time in program history in 2022. Pitt joined New Mexico State and Omaha as first-time participants in the NCAA Tournament this season.

Pitt clinched its first-ever berth in the ACC Championship field courtesy of a 0-0 draw with Clemson to close out the 2022 regular season. The Panthers had last appeared in postseason play in 2010 – a 1-0 loss at DePaul in the Big East Tournament First Round.

Pitt fell to No. 4-ranked Notre Dame in a penalty kick shootout, 5-4, in the 2022 ACC Championship First Round after playing to a 1-1 draw following two overtime periods. Freshman Katie Zailski came up clutch for Pitt in the 70th minute, converting on a scramble in front of the net to ultimately send the game to overtime. Leah Pais assisted on the game-tying goal.

BUILDING THE PROGRAM

The Panthers are now 44-38-7 under the leadership of fifth-year head coach Randy Waldrum. After going 9-22-4 in the first two years of a massive rebuild, Pitt has gone 35-18-3 over the last two-plus seasons.

PILING UP POINTS

Pitt has set a program record for points in a single season with 131 (45 goals, 41 assists). The previous high-water mark was shared by the 2020-21 and 1998 teams with 104. The Panthers’ 131 points are tied for 21st in NCAA Division I while their 6.55 points per game rank 21st.

OFFENSIVE ONSLAUGHT

Pitt has outscored the opposition 45-17 so far in 2022. The Panthers’ 45 goals are a program record and are tied for the 18th-most in NCAA Division I this season. Pitt is 21st in the nation in scoring offense with 2.25 goals per game.

FINDING BALANCE

The Panthers have seen 13 different players find the back of the net so far this season. Leah Pais is pacing Pitt, scoring a team-high eight goals. Amanda West, who is out for the rest of the season following an injury in the win over Cincinnati, is tied for second on the team with Landy Mertz and Sarah Schupansky with six goals. Mertz has compiled a team-high four game winners, which is tied for most among ACC players. Ellie CoffieldSamiah Phiri and Katie Zailski round out Pitt’s top seven goal scorers. Fleming DeanBri Hilsenteger and Emily Yaple have each cashed in twice. Anna BoutMackenzie Evers and Ashton Gordon have each found the back of the net once.

HOW MAY WE ASSIST?

Eleven different Panthers have distributed assists this season, with Anna Bout and Sarah Schupansky leading the way with seven apiece, tying them for 54th in the country and ranking them fifth among ACC players. Leah Pais has distributed five assists to rank third on the squad while Landy Mertz has tallied four to rank fourth. Ellie CoffieldAshton GordonKeera MelenhorstSamiah PhiriAmanda West and Emily Yaple have each dished out three assists while Ashley Moon has logged one helper. Pitt’s 41 assists rank as the second-most in program history behind the 2021 squad’s 47. The Panthers are currently tied for 29th in the country in total assists and tied for 29th in the nation in assists per game with 2.05.

HOME IS WHERE THE WINS ARE

Pitt has gone 8-1-1 at home this year, setting a new program record for home victories in a single season.

SHUT IT DOWN

The Panthers opened the 2022 season by earning a pair of shutout victories at the Rumble in the Rockies in Missoula, Mont. Pitt blanked Gonzaga, 1-0, in the season opener, then stifled host Montana, 2-0, three days later. The Panthers started a new season with back-to-back shutout victories for the first time since 2017. Pitt has added seven more shutouts to its total courtesy of a 6-0 rout of Cleveland State, a 7-0 romp over Kent State, a 2-0 blanking of Cincinnati, a 1-0 win over Louisville, a 2-0 victory over Syracuse, a 0-0 tie with Clemson and last Saturday’s 1-0 win over Buffalo in the NCAA Championship First Round. Pitt’s nine shutouts are tied for the second-most in a single season in program history.

 

The sport of soccer is Rachael Kriger's area of expertise. Kriger covers Steel City FC for Pittsburgh Soccer Now and provides various columns, with occasional work with Pitt Women's Soccer. Elsewhere, Kriger is the co-managing editor of Last Word on Soccer and the social media coordinator and lead Liga MX Femenil writer for Equalizer Soccer. She is a member of the official NWSL Media Association and the North American Soccer Reporters, serving as the NASR's Vice President after two years in the role of Communications Director.

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