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Pitt women’s soccer ranked 7th in United Soccer Coaches Preseason Poll

Photo courtesy Pitt Athletics

Pitt women’s soccer Head Coach Randy Waldrum said recently that he’s a big believer in that there’s a difference in building a program of exellence vs having a program that’s successful.

“We had a successful year last year. Individual players had a successful season,” Waldrum said recently on Sounding Off on Soccer podcast.

“But what we want to do is keep adding to that success, and over time, we want to build something of excellence.”

The Panthers will be looking to take more steps forward in 2024 toward building excellence.

On Tuesday it was announced that Pitt has been slotted with its highest preseason ranking in program history, coming in at No. 7 in the United Soccer Coaches Preseason Poll.

This is the second time the Panthers have been ranked in the United Soccer Coaches Preseason Poll, and the second highest such ranking in the program’s history (they finished 2023 ranked No. 6 in the Final USC Poll).

The Panthers top-25 ranking in eight of the 11 weeks of the United Soccer Coaches top-25 poll in the 2023 season.

Pitt will be looking to continue building momentum from an unprecedented 2023 campaign, as they set countless records on its way to their first NCAA tournament Elite Eight and ACC Tournament Semifinal appearances, wins against five top-25 programs, including three in the top 10.

“Right now we’re still building,” Waldrum added.

“The key is going to be getting back to the NCAA tournament. Be successful in the ACC. We want to get into the postseason each year, and see what happens.”

The Panthers finished at No. 6 in the United Soccer Coaches rankings with a 17-win season, finishing 17-6-1 with a 6-3-1 ACC mark. Pitt set program records for most wins overall (17), ACC wins (6), home wins (9), points (194), goals (64) and assists (68). The Panthers posted victories over Duke and North Carolina in the regular season, beating both for the first time in program history.

The Panthers began full team training sessions last week and played their first scrimmage on Sunday against West Virginia, in Morgantown.

In the 2024 Preseason Poll, Florida State was predicted No. 1 after receiving all eight first place votes with Stanford, Bringham Young, Penn State, Clemson and Nebraska falling into the top-7. Filling out the top-25 were North Carolina, Texas Tech, Memphis, UCLA, Saint Louis, Michigan State, Georgia, Notre Dame, Arkansas, Texas, Mississippi State, Wisconsin, Alabama, South Carolina, Duke and Iowa, totaling seven ACC teams in the top-25.

“The ACC went from being the best conference in the country, to being even better,” Waldrum exclaimed.

Although Pitt is ranked seventh, they’re the fourth among the ACC field in the pecking order of the United Soccer Coaches Poll.

“It’s going to be a really fun year.  I am excited about it. I know we lost some great players. But talking with the staff, we’re real excited about some new recruits coming in.  You don’t ever replace those players, in what they could do, but you replace the talent.  The team, I’m excited about it. You always need a little luck. You want to stay healthy. But I think we have a great chance to carry on, building what we’ve done the past two or three years.”

For the full United Soccer Coaches Preseason Poll, click here.

Pitt’s first home exhibition of the season is slated for Saturday, Aug. 10 vs. Michigan before opening the regular season at Georgia on Aug. 15.

Pittsburgh Soccer Now’s Rachael Kriger visited training at Ambrose Urbanic Field on Tuesday, and will have much more to come with players and Assistant Head Coach Ben Waldrum later in this week and early next week.  

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John Krysinsky has covered soccer and other sports for many years for various publications and media outlets. He is also author of 'Miracle on the Mon' -- a book about the Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC, which chronicles the club, particularly the early years of Highmark Stadium with the narrative leading up to and centered around a remarkable match that helped provide a spark for the franchise. John has covered sports for Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, DK Pittsburgh Sports, Pittsburgh Sports Report, has served as color commentator on Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC broadcasts, and worked with OPTA Stats and broadcast teams for US Open Cup and International Champions Cup matches held in the US. Krysinsky also served as the Head Men’s Soccer Coach at his alma mater, Point Park University, where he led the Pioneers to the first-ever winning seasons and playoff berths (1996-98); head coach of North Catholic boys (2007-08), associate head coach of Shady Side Academy boys (2009-2014).

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