Sunday, October 21
Pittsburgh, Pa.
1 PM
Pitt
vs
Notre Dame
Panthers to Celebrate Six Seniors, Host Notre Dame
10/20/2018 12:05:00 PM | Women's Soccer
Head Coach Randy Waldrum to Face His Former Team
PITTSBURGH – The University of Pittsburgh women's soccer team concludes the home portion of its 2018 season, hosting Notre Dame at Ambrose Urbanic Field.
The Panthers and Fighting Irish are set for a 1 p.m. kickoff as the Panthers celebrate Senior Day.
TICKETS & PROMOTIONS
HOW TO FOLLOW
THE MATCHUP
Pitt (4-10-1, 0-8-0 ACC) concludes the home portion of its 2018 season hosting Notre Dame at Ambrose Urbanic Field. The game will serve as the Panthers' Senior Day celebration as Pitt honors Clare Beahn, Alli Higgs, Ashley Moreira, Taylor Pryce, Mikayla Schmidt and Bel van Noorden. The contest will also be the first for first-year head coach Randy Waldrum against his former team – a squad in which he cultivated into a national powerhouse for 14 seasons.
On the year, Anna Rico leads the offense with three goals, followed by Aiden O'Donoghue, Ashley Moreira and Madeline Gravante, who have each netted two apiece. Pitt has tallied 11 goals on the season as six different Panthers have found the back of the net.
Freshman Katherine Robinson made her fifth start of the season Thursday against Florida State, marking the seventh game of the season in which she's appeared. On the year she's tallied 28 saves. Redshirt sophomore Amaia Pena has started 10 contests on the season, tallying nearly 1,000 minutes in her 13 games. She has registered 59 saves and owns a .692 save percentage.
SCOUTING NOTRE DAME
Notre Dame (7-9-0, 3-5-0 ACC) enters the game after a tough 2-1 loss to Virginia Tech in Blacksburg, Va., Thursday evening. The Fighting Irish are in the midst of a three-game roadtrip, kicking their travel off with an impressive 5-1 victory over Syracuse. Notre Dame has captured ACC victories over Syracuse, NC State and Wake Forest on the season.
In the 2018 campaign, Karin Muya has led the Fighting Irish, tallying seven goals and one assist for 15 points. Notre Dame has recorded 22 goals on the season, with eight different players finding the scoresheet and six accounting for multiple goals.
Junior Brooke Littman has earned the start in 10 games on the year, seeing action in 11. She's recorded 27 saves and owns a .600 save percentage with a 1.75 goals against average. Freshman Mattie Interian has started and seen minutes in six games on the season, tallying 24 saves with a .686 save percentage and a 1.92 goals against average.
THE SERIES WITH NOTRE DAME
The game will be the 15th all-time between the two programs in a series dating back to the 1997 season. Notre Dame owns a mark of 13-0-1 all-time including a record of 3-0-0 in ACC action. The two teams met regularly as members of the Big East before each team transitioned into the ACC.
In Pittsburgh, Notre Dame is 5-0-1.
WALDURM'S ROLE REVERSED
Pitt's home finale marks the first time first-year head coach Randy Waldrum will face his former team. Waldrum led the Fighting Irish to unprecedented success for 14 seasons and will now take on the national powerhouse with his new squad.
In his 14 seasons with Notre Dame, Waldrum and the Fighting Irish squared off against the Panthers 10 times, with the Fighting Irish competing to a 9-0-1 record.
FRESHMEN FOOTING THE LOAD
First year players have made quite the impact for the Panthers in 2018, as the freshmen have tallied six of the team's 11 goals this year. A pair of freshmen in Anna Rico (3) and Madeline Gravante (2) are two of only four Panthers to have tallied multiple goals on the season.
RPI WATCH
The Panthers check in at No. 157 in the most recent RPI rankings. Of Pitt's remaining three games, all three rank in the top 50 with two coming in in the top 20 – Florida State (7), Boston College (16) and Notre Dame (49).
MILESTONE 400
Head coach Randy Waldrum reached a career milestone in the team's season opener against Ohio, as he secured his 400th career victory. The win was the first for Waldrum as the Panther head coach as he is now the ninth winningest head coach in NCAA Division I
women's soccer history.
THE WALDRUM ERA
The season marks the beginning of the Randy Waldrum era as the first-year head coach and his staff begin their inaugural year with the Panthers. Waldrum is the fourth head coach in program history, bringing national experience to the Panthers' program.
Waldrum saw unprecedented success in his tenure at the helm of the perennial powerhouse Notre Dame women's program. In his 14 seasons, he led the Fighting Irish to two national championships, capturing the College Cup title in 2004 and 2010. His teams won eight Big East Tournament titles and appeared in eight NCAA Final Four games in that span.
A two-time national coach of the year (2009 by Soccer America; 2010 by NSCAA), Waldrum was the first coach in NCAA history to lead a team to a national title in his/her first season with a program. He wrapped up his tenure at Notre Dame with a mark of 292-58-17 (.819) and holds an overall record of 403-117-30 (.763) as a head coach on the women's side. His record ranks fourth in all-time wins as an NCAA women's head coach and third in win percentage.
NEWBIES
The Panthers feature 14 newcomers on the roster, as 50 percent of the 2018 squad is new to the program. Pitt will debut 11 freshmen and three transfers. Of the 2017 roster with nine or more games of experience, only six return – Taylor Pryce, Vildan Kardesler, Alli Higgs, Ashley Moreira, Cheyenne Hudson and Aideen O'Donoghue.
REDSHIRT RETURNERS
Two redshirt seniors, forward Taylor Pryce and midfielder Ashley Moreira, both of whom have attended the U-20 Canadian National Team Camp, will lead the Panthers this season. Pryce started 17 of the 18 games in 2014 and 2015, scoring game-winning goals versus Louisville and Wake Forest. In 2016, she competed in two games, with one shot on goal, before missing the rest of season due to injury. Last season Pryce finished as the team's top point scorer, recording 11 points and starting in all 18 games.
Moreira also started 17 of the 18 games in 2014 and recorded 1,330 minutes of playing time, which was the fourth highest on the team. In 2015, she started all 18 games and recorded seven shots on goal, scoring her first career goal in an overtime game-winner at Colorado College. She missed the 2016 season due to the U-20 Canadian National Team Camp, but bounced back last season logging 1,541 total minutes and starting all 18 games.
GOALKEEPERS
Redshirt sophomore Amaia Pena will lead this young goalkeeper squad with a 2.55 goals against average. Last season she logged just over 529 minutes of field time and made a career-high 10 saves in a 3-2 loss vs. Boston College.
Freshmen Katherine Robinson and Claire Hinkle will also compete for time this season.
MEET THE STAFF
Randy Waldrum is joined by three fresh faces on the 2018 coaching staff in Dustin Stein, Ben Waldrum and Riley Butler.
Stein joined the Panthers after nearly five years as the head coach at Eastfield College, where he was the winningest coach in program history. While at Eastfield, his teams tallied 14 or more wins in each of his last three seasons, and boasted a record of 42-12-3 in that stretch. Eastfield was amongst the top 10 NJCAA programs in each of the last three seasons as Stein was named the 2015 NJCAA Region 5 Division 3 Coach of the Year and the Metro Athletic Conference Coach of the Year.
The younger Waldrum had served as a member of the FC Dallas staff since October of 2012, in the youth development program. In April 2015 he was promoted to head coach of the FCD Women. The team competed to a record of 34-3-3 under Waldrum's tutelage, appearing in the WPSL Playoffs in 2016 and 2017 and capturing the 2016 WPSL Southwest Conference championships.
This will be the younger Waldrum's second stint in the college ranks, as he served as an assistant coach and recruiting coordinator under his father at Notre Dame from 2003-08. With both Waldrums on staff, the Fighting Irish competed to a record of 111-13-5 and won the 2004 NCAA national title. He was a member of three NCAA College Cup appearances, won five Big East regular season titles and coached five All-Americans.
Butler came to the program after a four-year stint as the assistant men's coach at Radford University.
Butler helped lead the Highlanders to an overall record of 50-17-11, leading squads that were ranked in the top 25 in 2014, 2015 and 2016. The Big South Tournament champions in 2016 and regular season champions in 2014, 2015 and 2016 earned NCAA berths in both 2015 and 2016 under Butler's tutelage.
SOCCER CREST UNVEILED
The crest features elements from the City of Pittsburgh, the city's iconic bridges and the three rivers surrounding the Steel City. The crest pays homage to the Cathedral of Learning arch-shape – a shield depicts a strong foundation, honing in on the arch shape only strengthens this idea.
The castle-like design at the top of the crest was inspired by the City of Pittsburgh and University of Pittsburgh seals, as both feature a similar castle. The iconic bridge is based on the Sister Bridges (Clemente, Warhol, Rachel Carson) as there are over 446 bridges throughout the Pittsburgh region, more than any other city in the world. The idea of bridges also ties in with Pitt Athletics Department strategy of the Gold Standard. The bottom portion of the crest features the three rivers (Allegheny, Monongahela, Ohio) that surround the Pittsburgh area.
UP NEXT
Pitt concludes the 2018 regular season, traveling to No. 11 Boston College Thursday at 7 p.m.
#H2P | Twitter | Facebook | Instagram
The Panthers and Fighting Irish are set for a 1 p.m. kickoff as the Panthers celebrate Senior Day.
TICKETS & PROMOTIONS
- Tickets can be purchased here.
- The Panthers will celebrate Senior Day, honoring six members of the graduating class – Clare Beahn, Alli Higgs, Ashley Moreira, Taylor Pryce, Mikayla Schmidt and Bel van Noorden.
- The game will also be Pitt's second retro game of the year as the team will wear retro jerseys and the first 100 fans to show their ticket stub at the marketing table will receive a retro soccer crest shirt.
HOW TO FOLLOW
- The game can be seen live on the ACC Network Extra via WatchESPN and the WatchESPN app.
- Live stats will be available via PittsburghPanthers.com.
- Fans fan follow along with live updates on Twitter @Pitt_WSOC.
THE MATCHUP
Pitt (4-10-1, 0-8-0 ACC) concludes the home portion of its 2018 season hosting Notre Dame at Ambrose Urbanic Field. The game will serve as the Panthers' Senior Day celebration as Pitt honors Clare Beahn, Alli Higgs, Ashley Moreira, Taylor Pryce, Mikayla Schmidt and Bel van Noorden. The contest will also be the first for first-year head coach Randy Waldrum against his former team – a squad in which he cultivated into a national powerhouse for 14 seasons.
On the year, Anna Rico leads the offense with three goals, followed by Aiden O'Donoghue, Ashley Moreira and Madeline Gravante, who have each netted two apiece. Pitt has tallied 11 goals on the season as six different Panthers have found the back of the net.
Freshman Katherine Robinson made her fifth start of the season Thursday against Florida State, marking the seventh game of the season in which she's appeared. On the year she's tallied 28 saves. Redshirt sophomore Amaia Pena has started 10 contests on the season, tallying nearly 1,000 minutes in her 13 games. She has registered 59 saves and owns a .692 save percentage.
SCOUTING NOTRE DAME
Notre Dame (7-9-0, 3-5-0 ACC) enters the game after a tough 2-1 loss to Virginia Tech in Blacksburg, Va., Thursday evening. The Fighting Irish are in the midst of a three-game roadtrip, kicking their travel off with an impressive 5-1 victory over Syracuse. Notre Dame has captured ACC victories over Syracuse, NC State and Wake Forest on the season.
In the 2018 campaign, Karin Muya has led the Fighting Irish, tallying seven goals and one assist for 15 points. Notre Dame has recorded 22 goals on the season, with eight different players finding the scoresheet and six accounting for multiple goals.
Junior Brooke Littman has earned the start in 10 games on the year, seeing action in 11. She's recorded 27 saves and owns a .600 save percentage with a 1.75 goals against average. Freshman Mattie Interian has started and seen minutes in six games on the season, tallying 24 saves with a .686 save percentage and a 1.92 goals against average.
THE SERIES WITH NOTRE DAME
The game will be the 15th all-time between the two programs in a series dating back to the 1997 season. Notre Dame owns a mark of 13-0-1 all-time including a record of 3-0-0 in ACC action. The two teams met regularly as members of the Big East before each team transitioned into the ACC.
In Pittsburgh, Notre Dame is 5-0-1.
WALDURM'S ROLE REVERSED
Pitt's home finale marks the first time first-year head coach Randy Waldrum will face his former team. Waldrum led the Fighting Irish to unprecedented success for 14 seasons and will now take on the national powerhouse with his new squad.
In his 14 seasons with Notre Dame, Waldrum and the Fighting Irish squared off against the Panthers 10 times, with the Fighting Irish competing to a 9-0-1 record.
FRESHMEN FOOTING THE LOAD
First year players have made quite the impact for the Panthers in 2018, as the freshmen have tallied six of the team's 11 goals this year. A pair of freshmen in Anna Rico (3) and Madeline Gravante (2) are two of only four Panthers to have tallied multiple goals on the season.
RPI WATCH
The Panthers check in at No. 157 in the most recent RPI rankings. Of Pitt's remaining three games, all three rank in the top 50 with two coming in in the top 20 – Florida State (7), Boston College (16) and Notre Dame (49).
MILESTONE 400
Head coach Randy Waldrum reached a career milestone in the team's season opener against Ohio, as he secured his 400th career victory. The win was the first for Waldrum as the Panther head coach as he is now the ninth winningest head coach in NCAA Division I
women's soccer history.
THE WALDRUM ERA
The season marks the beginning of the Randy Waldrum era as the first-year head coach and his staff begin their inaugural year with the Panthers. Waldrum is the fourth head coach in program history, bringing national experience to the Panthers' program.
Waldrum saw unprecedented success in his tenure at the helm of the perennial powerhouse Notre Dame women's program. In his 14 seasons, he led the Fighting Irish to two national championships, capturing the College Cup title in 2004 and 2010. His teams won eight Big East Tournament titles and appeared in eight NCAA Final Four games in that span.
A two-time national coach of the year (2009 by Soccer America; 2010 by NSCAA), Waldrum was the first coach in NCAA history to lead a team to a national title in his/her first season with a program. He wrapped up his tenure at Notre Dame with a mark of 292-58-17 (.819) and holds an overall record of 403-117-30 (.763) as a head coach on the women's side. His record ranks fourth in all-time wins as an NCAA women's head coach and third in win percentage.
NEWBIES
The Panthers feature 14 newcomers on the roster, as 50 percent of the 2018 squad is new to the program. Pitt will debut 11 freshmen and three transfers. Of the 2017 roster with nine or more games of experience, only six return – Taylor Pryce, Vildan Kardesler, Alli Higgs, Ashley Moreira, Cheyenne Hudson and Aideen O'Donoghue.
REDSHIRT RETURNERS
Two redshirt seniors, forward Taylor Pryce and midfielder Ashley Moreira, both of whom have attended the U-20 Canadian National Team Camp, will lead the Panthers this season. Pryce started 17 of the 18 games in 2014 and 2015, scoring game-winning goals versus Louisville and Wake Forest. In 2016, she competed in two games, with one shot on goal, before missing the rest of season due to injury. Last season Pryce finished as the team's top point scorer, recording 11 points and starting in all 18 games.
Moreira also started 17 of the 18 games in 2014 and recorded 1,330 minutes of playing time, which was the fourth highest on the team. In 2015, she started all 18 games and recorded seven shots on goal, scoring her first career goal in an overtime game-winner at Colorado College. She missed the 2016 season due to the U-20 Canadian National Team Camp, but bounced back last season logging 1,541 total minutes and starting all 18 games.
GOALKEEPERS
Redshirt sophomore Amaia Pena will lead this young goalkeeper squad with a 2.55 goals against average. Last season she logged just over 529 minutes of field time and made a career-high 10 saves in a 3-2 loss vs. Boston College.
Freshmen Katherine Robinson and Claire Hinkle will also compete for time this season.
MEET THE STAFF
Randy Waldrum is joined by three fresh faces on the 2018 coaching staff in Dustin Stein, Ben Waldrum and Riley Butler.
Stein joined the Panthers after nearly five years as the head coach at Eastfield College, where he was the winningest coach in program history. While at Eastfield, his teams tallied 14 or more wins in each of his last three seasons, and boasted a record of 42-12-3 in that stretch. Eastfield was amongst the top 10 NJCAA programs in each of the last three seasons as Stein was named the 2015 NJCAA Region 5 Division 3 Coach of the Year and the Metro Athletic Conference Coach of the Year.
The younger Waldrum had served as a member of the FC Dallas staff since October of 2012, in the youth development program. In April 2015 he was promoted to head coach of the FCD Women. The team competed to a record of 34-3-3 under Waldrum's tutelage, appearing in the WPSL Playoffs in 2016 and 2017 and capturing the 2016 WPSL Southwest Conference championships.
This will be the younger Waldrum's second stint in the college ranks, as he served as an assistant coach and recruiting coordinator under his father at Notre Dame from 2003-08. With both Waldrums on staff, the Fighting Irish competed to a record of 111-13-5 and won the 2004 NCAA national title. He was a member of three NCAA College Cup appearances, won five Big East regular season titles and coached five All-Americans.
Butler came to the program after a four-year stint as the assistant men's coach at Radford University.
Butler helped lead the Highlanders to an overall record of 50-17-11, leading squads that were ranked in the top 25 in 2014, 2015 and 2016. The Big South Tournament champions in 2016 and regular season champions in 2014, 2015 and 2016 earned NCAA berths in both 2015 and 2016 under Butler's tutelage.
SOCCER CREST UNVEILED
The crest features elements from the City of Pittsburgh, the city's iconic bridges and the three rivers surrounding the Steel City. The crest pays homage to the Cathedral of Learning arch-shape – a shield depicts a strong foundation, honing in on the arch shape only strengthens this idea.
The castle-like design at the top of the crest was inspired by the City of Pittsburgh and University of Pittsburgh seals, as both feature a similar castle. The iconic bridge is based on the Sister Bridges (Clemente, Warhol, Rachel Carson) as there are over 446 bridges throughout the Pittsburgh region, more than any other city in the world. The idea of bridges also ties in with Pitt Athletics Department strategy of the Gold Standard. The bottom portion of the crest features the three rivers (Allegheny, Monongahela, Ohio) that surround the Pittsburgh area.
UP NEXT
Pitt concludes the 2018 regular season, traveling to No. 11 Boston College Thursday at 7 p.m.
#H2P | Twitter | Facebook | Instagram
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