Second-Half surge fuels No. 10 Pitt to 3-0 Victory Over 10-Man Virginia Tech

NCAA Men’s Soccer 

FINAL: Pitt 3, Virginia Tech 0

Match Stats 

Match Summary

For 73 minutes, Virginia Tech went toe-to-toe with No. 10 Pitt at Ambrose Urbanic Field on Friday night.

Then one challenge changed everything.

The Hokies had the better of a scoreless first half — a back-and-forth 45 minutes in which Pitt had its chances, but Virginia Tech created the half’s best look, a shot from inside the six-yard box.

The breakthrough came in the 73rd minute. Pitt challenged a missed foul on a goal-scoring opportunity, and video review upheld it: penalty to the Panthers, and a straight red card to Virginia Tech, leaving the Hokies down to 10 men.

Albert Thorsen stepped to the spot and buried it for his third goal of the season, then broke out the backflip celebration to send the home crowd into it.

“Somebody asked me, ‘Do you want to take it?’ Of course I do,” Thorsen said — the answer of a player who never doubted the moment was his.

From there, it was all Pitt. Freshman Mamadou Tall — the team’s leading scorer — doubled the lead in the 79th minute, finishing off Anders Bordoy’s corner kick at the far post for his team-high fifth goal of the season.

“There was a corner and everybody was crowding the first post,” Tall said of reading the service. “I was like, ‘Yeah, let me just go to the back post.’ And luckily the ball came and I just finished.”

Santiago Ferreira capped the night in the 87th, finishing a feed from Bruno Bertran with Tall picking up the assist for his first goal of the season. Goalkeeper Jack Moxom preserved the shutout with one save, earning his seventh win of the season.

The victory was Pitt’s ninth straight over Virginia Tech and sixth straight at home against the Hokies. The Panthers move to 7-2-2 overall and 3-1-1 in ACC play.

Pitt continues its homestand Tuesday, hosting Duquesne at 7 p.m. at Ambrose Urbanic Field in the Steel City Clash.

By the Numbers

Pitt controlled the tempo from start to finish, outshooting the Hokies 10-4 on the night and placing four shots on frame while limiting Virginia Tech to a single shot on target. Redshirt freshman goalkeeper Jack Moxom recorded one save on the evening to notch the clean sheet—his seventh win of the season in net.

The victory improves Pitt to 7-2-2 overall and 3-1-1 in ACC play, keeping the Panthers firmly near the top of the conference standings.

Up Next

Looking ahead to Tuesday’s crosstown rivalry match against Duquesne, Head Coach Jay Vidovich emphasized the importance of the local showdown.

“The Duquesne match is exciting for the city,” Vidovich shared.

“With the quality they’re having, they’re having a tremendous season… I really am dialed into Duquesne because it’s going to be a big match. I hope that Steel City comes and supports it for college soccer in the city.”

Pitt continues its four-game homestand on Tuesday, Oct. 13, welcoming crosstown rival Duquesne to Ambrose Urbanic Field for a 7:00 p.m. kickoff.