Pitt Returns Home, Hosts Duquesne
9/5/2018 1:05:00 PM | Women's Soccer
Panthers, Dukes Prepare for Cross-Town Meeting
PITTSBURGH – The University of Pittsburgh women's soccer team returns to Ambrose Urbanic Field, hosting cross-town rival Duquesne Thursday night.
The match is set to kick off at 7 p.m. as the Panthers get a three-game homestand underway.
PROMOTIONS
TICKETS
HOW TO FOLLOW
THE MATCHUPS
Pitt (3-2-1) returns home this week to enter the final stretch of non-conference action, kicking things off Thursday against cross-town rival Duquesne (2-2-0). The Panthers are coming off a tough road trip in Texas after being shut out 4-0 by TCU and dropping a 4-1 decision to North Texas.
Redshirt sophomore goalkeeper Amaia Pena played the first half against TCU, tallying four saves, before being replaced by freshman Katherine Robinson, who recorded three saves. Robinson would make her first collegiate start against North Texas, again tallying three saves, as Pena would start the second half, recording a pair of saves.
Senior forward Mikayla Schmidt registered her first goal of the season and the only goal this weekend for the Panthers in the Sunday finale at North Texas. On the season, freshman Anna Rico is pacing the Panther offense, having recorded three goals
SCOUTING DUQUESNE
The Dukes (2-2-0) are coming off a huge 1-0 win over Binghamton after having a game against Ohio State cancelled due to weather.
The Dukes' young defense, led by freshmen Kayla Winicki and sophomore Missy Moore, has been solid as they held Binghamton's leading goal scorer to two shots and have allowed just 13 total shots over the last two games.
Senior keeper Kyra Murphy became Duquesne all-time leader shutout leader in the win over Binghamton, now owning 22 career shutouts. Murphy has recorded 360 minutes of playing time this year and is on a two-game shutout streak. She was also named the A-10 Defensive Player of the Week this week for the second time in her career.
THE SERIES WITH DUQUESNE
The game will be the 14th all-time meeting between the two teams in a series dating back to the 1996 season. The Panthers own a 9-4-0 all-time advantage, including a mark of 5-2-0 at home. Pitt has won nine of the last 11 meetings, but has fallen in the last two on its home field.
Last season's matchup was a thriller as the Panthers downed the Dukes in double-overtime at Art Rooney Field at Duquesne. Then freshman Vildan Kardesler netted the game-winner for the Panthers.
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 402-110-30 (.771) 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.
THE SCHEDULE
The Panthers will take part in 18 regular season games in 2018, including 11 home matches, in addition to a pair of exhibition contests. The regular season will see five meetings with teams ranked in the top 25 at the conclusion of the 2017 season, including three in the top 15 and two in the top 10. The Panthers are set to face off against 12 teams in the top 75 of last season's final RPI rankings.
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 non-conference action Sunday, hosting No. 16 Kansas at 1 p.m. The Panthers will get ACC play underway the following week, welcoming No. 24 Louisville Saturday at 7 p.m.
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The match is set to kick off at 7 p.m. as the Panthers get a three-game homestand underway.
PROMOTIONS
- The first 100 Pitt students will receive a voucher for a Pitt soccer scarf, which can be redeemed at the ACC home opener against Louisville on Sept. 15.
- The Panthers Team Store will be on site selling merchandise within their pop-up store.
TICKETS
- Fans can purchase single game tickets here for an advanced rate of $3.
- Tickets at the gate are $5 and free for students.
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 MATCHUPS
Pitt (3-2-1) returns home this week to enter the final stretch of non-conference action, kicking things off Thursday against cross-town rival Duquesne (2-2-0). The Panthers are coming off a tough road trip in Texas after being shut out 4-0 by TCU and dropping a 4-1 decision to North Texas.
Redshirt sophomore goalkeeper Amaia Pena played the first half against TCU, tallying four saves, before being replaced by freshman Katherine Robinson, who recorded three saves. Robinson would make her first collegiate start against North Texas, again tallying three saves, as Pena would start the second half, recording a pair of saves.
Senior forward Mikayla Schmidt registered her first goal of the season and the only goal this weekend for the Panthers in the Sunday finale at North Texas. On the season, freshman Anna Rico is pacing the Panther offense, having recorded three goals
SCOUTING DUQUESNE
The Dukes (2-2-0) are coming off a huge 1-0 win over Binghamton after having a game against Ohio State cancelled due to weather.
The Dukes' young defense, led by freshmen Kayla Winicki and sophomore Missy Moore, has been solid as they held Binghamton's leading goal scorer to two shots and have allowed just 13 total shots over the last two games.
Senior keeper Kyra Murphy became Duquesne all-time leader shutout leader in the win over Binghamton, now owning 22 career shutouts. Murphy has recorded 360 minutes of playing time this year and is on a two-game shutout streak. She was also named the A-10 Defensive Player of the Week this week for the second time in her career.
THE SERIES WITH DUQUESNE
The game will be the 14th all-time meeting between the two teams in a series dating back to the 1996 season. The Panthers own a 9-4-0 all-time advantage, including a mark of 5-2-0 at home. Pitt has won nine of the last 11 meetings, but has fallen in the last two on its home field.
Last season's matchup was a thriller as the Panthers downed the Dukes in double-overtime at Art Rooney Field at Duquesne. Then freshman Vildan Kardesler netted the game-winner for the Panthers.
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 402-110-30 (.771) 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.
THE SCHEDULE
The Panthers will take part in 18 regular season games in 2018, including 11 home matches, in addition to a pair of exhibition contests. The regular season will see five meetings with teams ranked in the top 25 at the conclusion of the 2017 season, including three in the top 15 and two in the top 10. The Panthers are set to face off against 12 teams in the top 75 of last season's final RPI rankings.
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 non-conference action Sunday, hosting No. 16 Kansas at 1 p.m. The Panthers will get ACC play underway the following week, welcoming No. 24 Louisville Saturday at 7 p.m.
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