Pitt Men’s Soccer got back to their winning ways on Saturday, stunning the No. 7 North Carolina Tar Heels 2-1 in Chapel Hill thanks to an 88th minute goal from graduate midfielder Arnau Vilamitjana.
The winning tally marked Vilamitjana’s third of the season and gave him a brace for the first time in his Panthers’ career as Pitt (11-3, 5-1 ACC) snapped a two game losing skid and picked up their fifth ranked win of the season.
The Panthers and Tar Heels played to a 0-0 deadlock in the first half, each recording three shot attempts: Pitt’s defense kept goalie Cabral Carter clean, holding UNC without a shot on goal until the 48th minute.
From there, the game blew wide open, with the Tar Heels pouring 11 shots in Carter’s direction, four of which went on target. Despite the furious Tar Heels rally, it was Vilamitjana who struck first, ending a scoreless streak that lasted more than 270 minutes for the Panthers when he headed in a corner kick from Guilherme Feitosa.
Let's go, @arnauvc_8 👏
📺 https://t.co/qS9Yfzi788 https://t.co/zCqdQSay6U pic.twitter.com/5IP5ZA6yxQ
— Pitt Men's Soccer (@Pitt_MSOC) October 19, 2024
UNC responded 145 seconds later with a penalty kick off the boot of Junior midfielder Sam Williams.
Once again, Pitt’s defense prevented quality looks, helping Carter weather the storm.
Rather than play for the draw with time ticking away, Feitosa slipped free from traffic down the right sideline before slotting another feed to Vilamitjana. The first-year Panther let Feitosa’s pass bounce toward him, gearing up for a kick that beat Tar Heels keeper Andrew Cordes wide with less than three minutes to play.
The winner 😮💨@arnauvc_8 | #H2P https://t.co/vfa0aWnrge pic.twitter.com/z1eqjhzhBm
— Pitt Men's Soccer (@Pitt_MSOC) October 20, 2024
Pitt Men’s Soccer will return home at 7pm on Friday, October 25 when they host the Virginia Cavaliers.