NCAA Women’s Soccer
FINAL: Pitt 3, Ohio 0
Pitt Panthers put on a clinic in high-pressing execution on Thursday afternoon at Chessa Field, dismantling the Ohio Bobcats with a stunning three-goal blitz in the opening 24 minutes en route to a emphatic 3-0 victory.
Sophomore forward Adi Bianchin recorded her first collegiate brace to lead the charge, while senior Sage Stelzer pulled the strings with a pair of assists. With their third consecutive win, Ben Waldrum’s squad extended their unbeaten streak to five matches (5-1-1 overall) and notched their most dominant performance of the 2026 campaign.
Match Narrative & Tactical Breakdown
The Panthers set the tempo from the opening whistle, pinning Ohio deep in their defensive third and drawing a corner kick within the first three minutes. That unrelenting high line paid immediate dividends during a pair of corner sequences in the ninth minute. After the second clearance fell to the top of the box, Sage Stelzer picked up the ball and re-entered a pinpoint pass into the 18-yard box, finding a darting Adi Bianchin, who slotted it past the Bobcat goalkeeper for her first career collegiate goal.
Pitt doubled down on the pressure and struck again in the 22nd minute. Stelzer once again unlocked the Ohio defense, playing another accurate ball into the box for Sofia Doheny, who buried her second goal in as many games following her game-winner at Cornell on Sunday.
Less than two minutes later, the Panthers put the match completely out of reach: Katie Ellermeyer picked up possession in the central third and chipped a delicate ball over Ohio’s defensive line. Bianchin timed her run to perfection, gathering the pass in stride and calmly placing her finish into the back of the net in the 24th minute to secure her brace and extend Pitt’s lead to 3-0 before the intermission.
Though Pitt outshot Ohio 10-0 in the second half with three shots on target, they couldn’t add a fourth, but the defensive block was impenetrable. The Panthers outshot the Bobcats 24-4 over the full 90 minutes and did not allow a single shot on goal, giving freshman keeper Elli Johnson and the backline a dominant, stress-free clean sheet.
The comfortable lead also allowed Waldrum to deploy squad depth, handing collegiate debuts to Elle Jaramillo, Addison Roemer, Sofia Iori, and Maya Bruce.
Post-Match Takeaways & Notes
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Bianchin Breaks Out: Adi Bianchin’s two-goal performance marked her first career collegiate goals and vaulted her to the top of Pitt’s points leaderboard this season with 6 points.
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Season-High Attack: The 3-0 tally represents the most goals scored by Pitt in a single match in 2026 and their highest goal output since defeating Dayton by the same 3-0 margin on August 24, 2025.
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Defensive Perfection: Holding an opponent to zero shots on target over 90 minutes highlights the incredible organization of Pitt’s backline—anchored by captain Katie Zailski, Claire Jones, and Mya Archibald.
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Deep Roster Integration: With four collegiate debuts on Thursday, Pitt continues to expand its rotation and build match sharpness across the roster heading into ACC play.
Senior Day & Non-Conference Finale Up Next
Pitt returns home to Ambrose Urbanic Field on Sunday, September 6 to wrap up non-conference action against Atlantic 10 contender Dayton.
Prior to kickoff, the program will celebrate Senior Day, honoring eight senior leaders: Mya Archibald, Sofia Doheny, Sofia Iori, Claire Jones, Olivia Lee, Mariama Dabo, Sage Stelzer, and Lucia Wells.
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