Connect with us

Uncategorized

Pulse of Pittsburgh Soccer: Time to brace for insense postseason drama

The Pulse of Pittsburgh Soccer is back as we set the table for what is always one of the most exciting stretches of the year for soccer in our region.

There’s already been plenty of postseason drama, mostly coming in the form of WPIAL Soccer playoffs, as we often see matches going into extra time with both golden goals and penalty kick shootouts.

The Riverhounds SC capped an amazing finish to their regular season, to earn a playoff berth for the seventh straight season and will be facing Old Guard Shield rivals Charleston Battery on Saturday night (6:30 p.m.) in the Holy City.  Meanwhile the college teams are seeing the regular season come to a close and high school soccer postseason continues both WPIAL (District 7) playoffs culminating at Highmark Stadium, as the WPIAL Boys and Girl Championship games will be played across eight classifications and PIAA Tournament already underway with play-in matches, then the proper tournament begins on Tuesday.

College Teams Eye Postseason

Here’s a quick snapshot of where the remaining college teams stand, as only one Division I program season has officially concluded, as Duquesne ended its season with a 1-1 draw vs St. Joseph’s.

Pitt Men

With one game to go (Friday at Syracuse) The Panthers (12-3-0 overall, 6-1 in ACC) are in a great position to take the ACC regular season title, following an impressive 4-1 win against Virginia, as they lead in the Standings with 18 points.  Stanford (3-0-3) and Clemson (4-2-0) are behind them with 12 points.

This week, they moved back up to No. 3 spot in the United Soccer Coaches poll, further look at their standing Nationally and in the NCAA tournament field, keep in mind that Pitt is still the top team in the RPI and the NCAA Tournament Seeding Committee, which revealed its first preliminary seeding last week, has Pitt second among the 16 teams that made the cut.

Duquesne Men 

The Dukes saw its four game winning streak snapped on the road at UMass last Saturday.  Duquesne are now tied with Saint Louis (both on 15 points), three points behind George Mason in the Atlantic 10, as each team has one league match remaining.

The Dukes are hoping that their strong run of play at home will help get them back on track, as they host Fordham in the regular season finale on Saturday, while George Mason travels to take on VCU, and Saint Louis is at Dayton.

Robert Morris Women

While the Colonials are in the Horizon League postseason, the can improve their chances of hosting a home playoff match for the second straight season with a result against Youngstown State at home.

RMU’s first-year Head Coach Michelle Rick joined me on Sounding Off on Soccer Podcast to talk about her ‘Never-Say-Die’ squad, as they completed an impressive come-from-behind win against Wright State on Saturday.

Pitt Women

The ACC is about as tough a conference in Women’s Soccer as anywhere in any collegiate sport, and the Panthers experienced a tough setback against No. 2 Wake Forest on Thursday and have been eliminated from qualifying for the always-tough-to-get-in ACC six-team postseason tournament.

Now, Pitt will wrap up the regular season at Notre Dame on Thursday.

Currently the Panthers (9-5-3 overall) are on the bubble as a contender for an at-large NCAA tournament berth, dropping four spots to 36th in the RPI, following the loss to Wake Forest.

The NCAA women’s tournament consists of a 64-team field, with 30 automatic bids, so the Panthers are on the edge of that.  A win would be a boost, but even a draw at Notre Dame might help their RPI, and give them a fighting chance to earn an at-large bid to the Big Dance.

Robert Morris Men

With two matches left, the Colonials are now in second place in the Horizon League standings (4-2-1, 13 points), following a tough loss at Oakland last Saturday.

Head Coach Jonathan Potter was a guest on Sounding Off on Soccer Podcast last week before that match.

Now, the Colonials will face Detroit Mercy on Friday at home (3 p.m.) then travel to Northeast Ohio to wrap up the season on Tuesday when they face Cleveland State.

Detroit Mercy is currently in sixth place, battling for one of the last playoff spots, while Cleveland State sits in last place, but a couple of wins could catapult them forward into a playoff spot.   Essentially, just as it was last year, the Horizon League standings could see a lot of movement in the final week.

 

PITTSBURGH SOCCER SCHEDULE (10/30 – 11/5)

Oct 30 (Wed) 3:00 PM Home RMU W Youngstown State Moon Township, Pa. (North Athletic Complex)
6:00 PM PIAA-Play-In Allderdice (Boys) Dubois Cupples Stadium
Oct 31 (Thurs) 6:00 PM WPIAL FINALS 1A Girls * Highmark Stadium
7:00 PM Away PITT W Notre Dame South Bend, IN
8:00 PM WPIAL FINALS 1A Boys * Highmark Stadium
Nov 1 (Fri) 3:00 PM Home RMU M Detroit Mercy Moon Township, Pa. (North Athletic Complex)
6:00 PM WPIAL FINALS 4A Girls * Highmark Stadium
7:00 PM Away PITT M Syracuse Syracuse, NY
8:00 PM WPIAL FINALS 4A Boys * Highmark Stadium
Nov 2 (Sat) 11:00 AM WPIAL FINALS 2A Girls * Highmark Stadium
1:15 PM WPIAL FINALS 2A Boys * Highmark Stadium
3:30 PM WPIAL FINALS 3A Girls * Highmark Stadium
5:45 PM WPIAL FINALS 3A Boys * Highmark Stadium
6:30 PM RIVERHOUNDS ** at Charleston Patriots’ Point Stadium
7:00 p.m. Home DUQ M Fordham Pittsburgh, Pa. / Rooney Field
Nov 3 (Sun) PIAA BRACKET SELECTIONS
ACC WSOC 1st RD
Nov 5 (Tue) 2:00 PM Away RMU M Cleveland State Cleveland, Ohio
PIAA FIRST ROUND PLAYOFFS

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).

Click to comment
Subscribe
Notify of
guest

0 Comments
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments

Subscribe to PGH Soccer Now

Enter your email address to subscribe to PGH Soccer Now and receive notifications of new posts by email.

Riverhounds MF Kenardo Forbes

PSN’s Featured Community Partner: Open Field International

More in Uncategorized