Pulse of Pittsburgh Soccer: Albert Dikwa returns, Pitt men begin play in expanded ACC and Mercyhurst making rounds as new DI school

The first full week of September on the Pittsburgh soccer schedule will feature the return of Albert Dikwa to Pittsburgh on Saturday when Rhode Island FC comes to Highmark Stadium to face the Riverhounds in a crucial last quarter of the season match with significant playoff implications.

Dikwa exploded last season, leading the Riverhounds with 21 goals in all competitions (and USL Championship leading 20), to earn league’s Most Outstanding Player award while helping the Hounds win their first-ever Players Shield.  In the off season, Dikwa opted to bounce to Rhode Island, where he found a sweeter deal along with the opportunity to play for a coach that he grew close to during his time as a teen when he was with Orlando City SC organization.

In April, when Dikwa was still getting his footing in New England, with a new club, we profiled the Cameroonian striker who made Pittsburgh his home for four seasons (2020-23).

Former Riverhounds scoring leader Albert Dikwa remains in top form with new Rhode Island FC ‘family’

To this point in the season, Dikwa is no where near his 2023 pace, as he boasts seven goals with his new club, but still remains a dangerous threat and is a terrific two-way player for a team that has been pretty disciplined and solid defensively.

For the Pitt Panthers’ men’ soccer team, Saturday night will signal the start of Conference play in a new, expanded ACC conference, which has become quite a mega-conference for men’s soccer.  The ACC has already been the best men’s soccer conference in the country, boasting the last two National Champions (Syracuse and Clemson) to back that up. Now, with the addition of Pitt’s opponent on Saturday, Southern Methodist University (better known as SMU) along with both Stanford and Cal, the conference now has top-level programs from sea to shining sea.

You also may have noticed early in the college season that some of the Pittsburgh area Division I programs have been playing regular season, non-conference matches against Mercyhurst.   If you didn’t know by now, Mercyhurst has moved up from NCAA Division II to NCAA Division I in all sports, going from being one of the best athletic programs in the PSAC to the Northeast Conference, where Robert Morris previously competed prior to moving to the Horizon League.

For Mercyhurst’s soccer programs, both men and women’s teams, which have an abundance of student athletes from the Pittsburgh area, it’s been a growing experience thus far.  The women’s team lost 6-2 in its first-ever DI match at Duquesne a few weeks ago, and they’ll be facing Pitt on Sunday.  Through the first five matches, the Lakers are 0-5-0.   WPIAL alums and Pittsburgh area student-athletes on Mercyhurst’s women’s squad include: Alyssa Poleski (Kiski Area),  Mia Lacenere (Central Valley), Teagan Mehalko (Bethel Park), Aly Cooper (Mars), Emily Ehrman (Seneca Valley), Annabel Arhin (Plum), Morgan Keller (Freedom), Helen Bossart (Linsly School / Hounds Academy) and Rylee Kumer (North Catholic).

As for the men’s team,  they’ve been very competitive thus far, losing to Pitt, 2-0, before venturing on a California trip where they lost to UC Irvine and San Diego State by respective 2-1 and 3-1 scores.  The Lakers have four student-athletes from the Pittsburgh area: Dylan Greggs (North Catholic), Nicholas Kristian (Hopewell), Riley Kutschbach (Chartiers Valley), Drezdan Gesalman (Greensburg Salem) and Ben Conti (University School).  Next up for the Lakers men’s squad, they’ll play back-to-back Horizon League opponents when they face Cleveland State on Thursday, then Robert Morris on Sunday at North Athletic Complex.

Look for more to come from Pittsburgh Soccer Now’s team as we preview both the Riverhounds’ big match vs expansion Rhode Island, who have pushed ahead of the rest of the teams battling around the playoff line in the USL Championship’s Eastern Conference.

Pittsburgh Soccer Schedule (9/4/2024 – 9/8/2024)

Wednesday, September 4, 2024 

**WPIAL (High School) — Girls Section Play continues in Class 2A and 3A plus kicks off in Class 1A and 2A

4 p.m. — Robert Morris (men) vs St. Francis (PA) – North Athletic Complex

Thursday, September 5, 2024 

4 p.m. — Robert Morris (women) vs Akron – North Athletic Complex

7 p.m. — Duquesne (men) vs Niagara – Rooney Field

7 p.m. — Pitt (women) vs Dartmouth – Ambrose Urbanic Field

Saturday, September 7 

**WPIAL (High School) — Non-Conference matches only on boys and girls schedules

7 p.m. — Riverhounds SC vs Rhode Island FC – Highmark Stadium

8 p.m. – Pitt (men) at SMU – Dallas, TX (ACC Opener)

Sunday, September 8 

1 p.m. — Robert Morris (women) vs Dartmouth – North Athletic Complex

1 p.m. — Pitt (women) vs Mercyhurst – Ambrose Urbanic Field

4 p.m. — Robert Morris (men) vs Mercyhurst – North Athletic Complex

John Krysinsky

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).