Pitt Men’s Soccer slides to No. 5 in coaches poll, makes D1 NCAA Tournament Committee debut at No. 2

Although Pitt Men’s Soccer snapped a two game losing streak this past weekend, logging a thrilling last-second win over the then-No. 7 North Carolina Tar Heels at Chapel Hill on Saturday, their return to winning ways didn’t reflect in the latest edition of the United Soccer Coaches Poll, which saw the Panthers fall to the No. 5 spot… down one slot from last week’s No. 4.

Graduate midfielder Arnau Vilamitjana earned ACC Offensive Player of the Week honors for his effort against the Tar Heels, netting a brace that included the deciding goal in the 88th minute.

In doing so, the Panthers improved to 11-3 on the season and 5-1 in the ACC, good for the top seed in the conference. Even so, they got leapfrogged by Ohio State, Maryland and conference foe Clemson in the rankings.

In other polls, the D1 Committee—which helps determine the playoff field, which teams receive a first round bye and home field advantage as far as the quarterfinal round—released this season’s inaugural Top 16, slotting the Panthers in at No. 2 behind Ohio State.

The NCAA Men's Soccer Committee announces its Top 16 teams for results through October 17, 2024.#NCAASoccer pic.twitter.com/vs16R1GzYx

— NCAA Soccer (@NCAASoccer) October 20, 2024

RPI, which calculates strength of schedule and win quality, still clocks Pitt as the No. 1 team in the nation.

Despite the ranked road win, Top Drawer Soccer’s poll dropped the Panthers from No. 5 to No. 6.

The other local team in the polls, Duquesne, moved up one spot, from 24 to 23 in the United Soccer Coaches poll.

Dukes on the rise 🎩 pic.twitter.com/CtJrLLTaBH

— Duquesne Men's Soccer (@DuqMSoccer) October 22, 2024

Pitt Men’s Soccer will play just one game this week, hosting the Virginia Cavaliers for their regular season home finale at 7pm on Friday, October 25.

Griffin Floyd