Pitt Men’s Soccer Releases 2023 Regular Season Schedule

Pitt men’s soccer released their 2023 regular season schedule on Thursday, which features many great opponents in both the ACC and non-conference slates, respectively.

The Panthers are coming off a fantastic season in 2022, where they made it to their third straight Elite Eight and to their second College Cup in the past three seasons. Head coach Jay Vidovich is heading into his eighth season with the program and has turned the team around from the worst in the ACC to one of the best in the country.

Pitt faces off against Cleveland State on the road on Saturday, Aug. 12 and then Michigan State at home on Friday, Aug. 18 to finish their two exhibition matches.

The first game of the regular season is also their home opener at Ambrose Urbanic Field and it comes against rival Penn State on Thursday, Aug. 24. Pitt is 8-24-3 against Penn State all-time, but 2-2 since Vidovich took over and both teams will compete for superiority in the rivalry to begin 2023.

They then host both Howard on Monday, Aug. 28 and Marshall on Tuesday, Sept. 5. Pitt has defeated Howard twice under Vidovich at home in 2019 and 2022, with an aggregate score of 11-0. Marshall beat Pitt 2-1 in Huntington, Wv. last season and made it as far as the Sweet 16, where they lost to Indiana.

Pitt will travel to Washington D.C. to face Georgetown on Friday, Sept. 1. Pitt defeated Georgetown 2-1 last season at home, but lost their last road matchup against them, 5-0, in the Round of 32 in the 2019 NCAA Tournament.

The schedule then shifts to ACC games and non-conference matchups interspersed throughout the rest of the schedule.

Pitt will host their first ACC game against Wake Forest on Saturday, Sept. 9 and then travel to take on Boston College on Friday, Sept. 15. Vidovich coached for 21 seasons at Wake Forest from 1994-2014 and he has never beaten his former program in three games against them. Pitt has won their last two matchups against Boston College since Vidovich has been in charge, both in 2019 and 2021.

They will return home for four of the next five games. This includes two non-conference opponents in Fairleigh Dickinson on Monday, Sept. 18 and Denver on Monday, Sept. 25. This will serve as the first matchup ever between Pitt and Fairleigh Dickinson. It will also be the third matchup against Denver, all at home, with Pitt winning once and settling for a draw last season.

Denver head coach Jamie Franks played under Vidoivch from 2005-08 at Wake Forest. He has built a talented program at Denver, who lost to Duke in the Round of 32 last season.

The next two home games are against ACC coastal foes in North Carolina on Friday, Sept. 29 and Virginia Tech on Friday, Oct. 6. Pitt will also travel to rival Syracuse on Friday, Sept. 22, as they take on the reigning National Champions.

The remaining games include two road matches against the other two ACC coastal foes in Virginia on Friday, Oct. 13 and Notre Dame on Friday, Oct. 27. There are also two home games against rival Duquesne on Tuesday, Oct. 17 and Duke on Saturday, Oct. 21.

This will serve as the third straight season that Pitt and Duquesne have faced off in the City Game, with Pitt winning the past two seasons at home.

Pitt men’s soccer will need to play at their best if they are to have another great season in 2023. This regular season schedule provides them with many opportunities to do just that.