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NCAA Men’s Soccer Tournament Notebook: Pitt playing dangerous games of red card roulette

After Pitt men’s soccer team advanced in the NCAA tournament on Sunday night, Head Coach Jay Vidovich and his team were able to breathe a sigh of relief.    For the third time in its last five NCAA tournament matches, the Panthers had a player sent off with a red card.

The Panthers escaped the NCAA Second Round match with a narrow, 1-0 win against Cornell at Ambrose Urbanic Field.

FINAL: Pitt 1, Cornell 0 (NCAA Men’s Soccer Tournament Second Round)

“Hats off to Cornell, tremendous team, tremendous season and a very difficult opponent,” Pitt’s Head Coach, Jay Vidovich said after the match.

“I am really excited about the win and the performance by our guys and the result in being alive for another day of play and training go forward.”

Vidovich may be feeling good because his very talented team, which earned a No. 2 overall seed thanks largely due to its impressive showing against other highly ranked teams during the regular season, will have an opportunity to display what he preaches all the time — to get one percent better each day.

The Panthers will now face another dangerous unseeded team that is in very good form: Kansas City.  The Roos snuck into the NCAA tournament by upsetting Denver in the Summit League Championship game, then parlayed that into wins against A10’s Saint Louis (2-0) and Missouri State (2-1).

Yet, for Pitt, it feels like we still haven’t seen the best that this team has to offer in the postseason.

As a program that has made it to two College Cups in a three year span, three straight Elite Eights and won the ACC regular season championship, expectations are naturally going to be very high.

When they ran into some adversity this past Sunday, this year’s group showed they can respond.

It Was An Early Struggle vs Cornell

Late in a scoreless first half, team captain and defender Jackson Gillman came charging to prevent Cornell forward Alioune Ka from getting forward, and into the box.  Gillman chose to come in sliding.  While the junior All-ACC defender didn’t make contact, he slid in with both studs up, disrupting Ka’s possession and run forward into the box, forcing the Cornell attacker to flip forward.

The officials turned to Video Assistant Referee (VAR), ultimately confirming the call on the field, that Gillman’s attempt was too dangerous, forcing him to be sent off.

For the second straight NCAA tournament game, Gillman earned a red card, which was his first booking all season, but his second red card in as many postseason matches, as he was also sent out of the match in last year’s first round loss to James Madison, in the 71st minute, with the Panthers trailing 3-2.   Usually a disciplined player, Gillman has only received five yellow cards in his three seasons (three in 2022, two in 2023).

Even before the red card, Pitt had a sluggish start to the first half.  Cornell, who had defeated Fordham, 4-2, thanks to a late flurry of goals a few nights earlier, picked up that form early on in the 9th minute against Pitt, as a deflection off Ka found its way to sophomore forward Alex Harris,who broke through a sizeable gap in the Pitt back line, then beat Cabral Carter for what appeared to be a go-ahead goal.  The sequence though, was called offside.

From that point forward, Pitt started to take control by out-possessing The Big Red, but getting throttled in their attempts in the final third.  This was something that they’ve struggled with toward the back end of the season, when teams start to crowd the box, they were relegated to earning a handful of set pieces, both corners and a pair of free kicks.  Mateo Maillefaud sailed one of his shots just over the crossbar in the run of play, and also on a pair of free kicks.

Down to 10 men, with five minutes left in the half, Pitt realized it needed to turn up the pressure before Cornell could start to settle into stretching the field out.

The Panthers continued to bring pressure before the end of the half.

Freshman forward Lasse Dahl’s effort from the far right side caught the outstretched arm of Cornell freshman defender Aidan Martin — earning Pitt a gift in the form of a penalty kick chance.

Taking the halftime lead vs Cornell was massive.

“The game changed drastically with the red card, but I was proud how we responded,” Vidovich said.

“We were able to get get Lasse forward, push into the box, with a goal scoring opportunity, and the PK that followed.  We knew at halftime we’re were going to have to work our rear ends off, stay disciplined and find ways to get forward.”

This gave Vidovich and his coaching staff a chance to reset the deck for the second half and prepare the team for the ebbs and flows for playing with 10-men.

Sure enough, Big Red came out with a sense of urgency putting pressure on the Panthers.  While Pitt had to endure some dicey moments, with Cabral Carter making a few solid saves and getting some help (Michael Sullivan’s coming to his knees save moment in the 77th minute was the most glaring).

‘The guys were warriors. Vidovich added.

“They got a tremendous result and I am proud of them.”

Three Red Cards in Past Five NCAA Tournament Matches

While the Panthers are 2-1 in the past three NCAA tournament matches playing down a man for any significant amount of time in a match, this is not exactly a good recipe for making a deep tournament run.

If you need some context, the previous two times Pitt played with 10-men included the aforementioned 3-2 loss against James Madison in last year’s first round.

Pitt Falls to James Madison, 3-2, in First Round of NCAA Tournament

Prior to that, Pitt went on the road in the 2022 tournament, where they faced No. 1 seed Kentucky, coming away with a thrilling 2-1 win.

Encore Élite: Ten-Man Pitt stuns No. 1 Kentucky on late Jacquesson strike

That night, with 12 minutes remaining in regulation, the score knotted at 1-1, Henrique Gallena was sent off.  Still, on the counter attack, with an opening at the top of the box after getting a terrific feed from Josh Luchini, it was Bertin Jacquesson who was the hero, drilling a beautiful strike that gave Pitt the lead and 2-1 win in Lexington.

Can the Panthers Find Another Gear in its Attack

Make no mistake, the Panthers can’t afford to keep shooting themselves in the foot.

Gillman is a key contributor, as the team’s leader from the back line, the All-ACC Third Team defender will have to sit out the next match.   This will force Vidovich and his staff to shuffle the deck a bit.  Sullivan can drop to the back line as needed.

Pitt’s depth has been a bit of a question mark this season.  When injuries and illness beset the group, that’s when they struggled a bit, dropping matches to Cal and High Point at home after holding the No. 1 ranking in the United Soccer Coaches poll at midseason.

Vidovich added midfielder Felipe Mercado to the 10-man unit that started the second half to strengthen the Panthers up the middle, in favor of winger Albert Thorsen, and moving Sullivan to the back line.  Miguel Bertan, Mercado, Eben McIntyre and Dahl were the only players used off the bench for Pitt on Sunday.

Now, one of the lingering questions looking ahead, will the Panthers be able to display what they’re really capable of doing on the ball and getting into the attack?

From the start of ACC play (a 3-1 win at SMU) through its impressive 2-0 win vs Denver, the Panthers outscored the opposition, 24-5.   In the past seven matches, Pitt (3-4-0 in this stretch) has a net zero goal differential (8 goals and 8 goals allowed).

Vidovich admitted that his team wasn’t able to show what they were able to do on the ball as much in the win vs Cornell, but are savoring what’s in front of them.  With this Sunday’s match-u vs Kansas City and potentially two NCAA contests at home with an opportunity to reach its third College Cup in five seasons, the Panthers will certainly not hold back from playing aggressively getting forward.

Leading scorers, Luis Sahmkow (9 goals) and Albert Thorson (6) have been focal points at the top of the attack this season.  On Sunday, Sahmkow was extending a lot of energy defending (didn’t register a shot in the match), using his frame to defend on set pieces in the box, while Thorson (two shots, one on frame) wasn’t on the field as much (just 38 minutes) as the Panthers had to consolidate, playing with 10 men.

Still, the Panthers were only able to generate one shot on frame that required a save against Cornell, so being more efficient in the final third is certainly going to be an area where they’ll look to be sharper.

The Roos of Kansas City

This week, we’ll learn a lot more about Pitt’s opponent on Sunday, Kansas City University’s Roos, who have made history by advancing to the NCAA Tournament Round of 16 for the first time ever.

The past few weeks have provided dramatic victories and stunning performances, as Kansas City has showcased the resilience and skill that has defined their season. In the opening round of the NCAA Tournament, the Roos made a statement with a convincing 2-0 win over Saint Louis. With goals from Guille Munoz and Jeremy Francou and a shutout performance in the net from Brandon McGaugh, KC was able to pick up its second NCAA Tournament win in program history.

The real drama unfolded in the second round when the Roos faced off against #15 Missouri State. After falling behind 1-0 early, Kansas City dug deep and mounted a remarkable comeback. Goals from Sora Shibata and Ales Kohoutek turned the tide, securing a 2-1 victory and propelling the Roos to their first-ever appearance in the third round of the NCAA Tournament.

“It’s pretty special,” Head Coach Ryan Pore said after the win over the Bears. “To be able to get to this point in the season says a lot about the guys, their belief in each other and their belief in the coaches.”

Pitt will have a tough match-up for sure, as the Roos rely on depth, with 19 different goal scorers on the season, Kansas City has proven that they are not reliant on any one player to carry the load. Summit League Offensive Player of the Year Elie Kisoka has been a constant threat, breaking program records for single-season goals and points, but he is far from alone. Summit League Tournament MVP Julien Le Bourdoulous, who has logged at least one assist in each of the past four games, has tied the program record for single-season assists, playing a pivotal role in the team’s offensive surge.

Look for a more detailed scouting report on the Roos, as PSN will preview this Sunday’s match, with Mark Goodman weighing in on this thoughts on the match-up.  PSN’s Griffin Floyd will also provide on site coverage Sunday from Ambrose Urbanic Field.
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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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