Panthers Set to Face No. 19 Virginia
10/15/2015 12:00:00 AM | Men's Soccer
Oct. 15, 2015
PITTSBURGH - The Pitt men's soccer team (5-5-3, 0-4-1 ACC) dives back in to ACC play as the Panthers travel to Charlottesville, Va., to take on the 2014 reigning College Cup Champions and No. 19 Virginia (7-3-2, 2-2-1 ACC) on Friday, Oct. 16, at 8 p.m. Fans can view the game live on ESPN3.
In their last meeting, Pitt lost to Virginia 3-0 at Ambrose Urbanic Field. The Cavaliers lead the all-time series 4-0-0 heading into Friday's match.
LAST TIME OUT
Pitt fell to Cleveland State 1-0 on a goal in the 70th minute by Dan Koniarczyk on Tuesday. The Panthers out -shot the Vikings 12-6, but it wasn't enough to get the win.
HOME COOKING
The Panthers recently finished off its five-game home stand with a record of 1-2-2. The 2015 schedule features 11 total home games at Ambrose Urbanic Field and just six away matches. After completing nine home games thus far, the Panthers have walked away with four wins, three losses and two ties. The final two home matchups include Harvard on Oct. 20, and Duke on Oct. 24, for Senior Night.
PANTHERS LAND AMONG TOP TEAMS
As of Oct. 12, Pitt posted an RPI rank of 75th in the country. The Panthers 2015 slate features some of the nation's top teams including recent College Cup champions Virginia (2014), Notre Dame (2013), and North Carolina (2011). The conference was well represented in the report as ACC teams clinched four of the top five spots in the RPI rankings (No. 1 Wake Forest, No. 2 North Carolina, No. 4 Notre Dame, No. 5 Clemson).
I AM THE CAPTAIN NOW
Senior captain and goalkeeper Dan Lynd continues to add to his prolific career at Pitt. Below is a snapshot of where Lynd's career numbers rank in program history:
- 1st - Goalie Minutes Played (4,320)
- 1st - Goals Against Average (1.58)
- 4th - Shutouts (15)
- 6th - Saves (213)
- 8th - Save Percentage (.737)
SCOUTING THE CAVALIERS
Virginia has won two of the last six College Cups (2014, 2009), which is the most in that span. The Cavaliers boast a record of 6-1-1 at home this season with their only loss coming earlier this week against American. Despite its impressive record, Virginia comes into this game on a two game losing streak.
Virginia is led by junior Patrick Foss and sophomore Jake Rozhansky. Foss leads the Cavaliers in points and assists with nine and five respectively. He was also named ACC Defensive Player of the Week for the week of Oct. 6. Rozhansky leads Virginia's well balanced attack with three goals so far this season. Defensively, the net is manned by sophomore goalkeeper Jeff Caldwell. Caldwell ranks sixth in the ACC in shutouts with four and his 31 saves are good for sixth in the conference as well. Even with their national ranking and outstanding record, the Cavaliers rank in the bottom half of nearly every statistical category in the ACC.
UP NEXT
The Panthers will head back to Ambrose Urbanic Field to take on Harvard (4-4-2, 2-0 IVY on Tuesday, Oct. 20. Kickoff is set for 3:30 p.m. The game will be broadcast live on ESPN3.
#H2P
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