Panthers’ Historic 2024 Season Ends in National Quarterfinals

Saturday, December 7

Pittsburgh, PA

3 PM

Pitt

14-6-0, 6-2-0

Vermont

15-2-5, 4-1-2

Vermont

Pittsburgh

Panthers’ Historic 2024 Season Ends in National Quarterfinals

12/7/2024 8:19:00 PM | Men's Soccer

Box Score

PITTSBURGH – Despite finishing the contest with a 17-6 shot advantage, the No. 2-seeded Pitt men's soccer team fell to Vermont, 2-0, Saturday evening at Ambrose Urbanic Field.

With the loss, the Panthers concluded the 2024 campaign with a 14-6 ledger, including a 6-2 mark in ACC play.

How It Happened
Pitt and Vermont battled to a scoreless draw over the first 45 minutes of action as neither team could come away with quality scoring opportunities.

The Panthers' best chance of the first half came in the 24th minute as sophomore forward Albert Thorsen beat several defenders and blasted a shot toward the bottom right of the net that was saved by Vermont's keeper.

The two sides entered the break knotted at zero despite Pitt finishing the frame with a 7-2 edge in shots.

The Catamounts (15-2-5, 4-1-2 America East) quickly broke the deadlock to open the second half – scoring in the 51st minute after gaining possession in the final third due to a bad Pitt touch. After taking the 1-0 lead, Vermont sat back and played quality defense, stifling Pitt's potent offensive attack.

With 10 seconds remaining in the contest, the Catamounts notched their second tally, extending the lead and securing their first College Cup bid in program history.

Pitt finished the contest with a 17-6 advantage in shots, a 6-2 edge in shots on goal and a 5-2 advantage in corner kicks. Of note, six Panthers recorded multiple shot attempts Saturday.

Season Highlights
Pitt had one of its best seasons to date – winning the ACC regular season championship for the first time in program history, while reaching the national quarterfinals for the fourth time in the past five seasons.

The Panthers earned the No. 2 overall seed in the 2024 NCAA Tournament after being the lone team nationally to record six or more Quad 1 wins (6-2) in the regular season. Pitt went undefeated against nationally-ranked opponents (5-0) in the regular season, while outscoring them by an 11-2 margin. The Panthers defeated 25 percent (four) of the top 16 national seeds, including the third and fourth seeds, respectively (Denver and Georgetown).

A total of eight Panthers garnered All-ACC accolades during the 2024 campaign, as head coach Jay Vidovich and junior defender Casper Svendby notably won ACC Coach of the Year and ACC Defensive Player of the Year, respectively.

2024 All-ACC Honors