Pitt Women's Soccer Hosts Youngstown State to Open Season Wednesday

PITTSBURGH – The Pitt women's soccer team opens the 2026 season Wednesday, Aug. 12, at Ambrose Urbanic Field against Youngstown State. Opening kick is set for 7:05 p.m. as the Panthers look to extend their home opening win streak to 10 games.

BITS FROM THE BURGH

Wednesday's match is the first meeting between the Panthers and the Penguins in the regular season since 2007.
Head coach Ben Waldrum enters his second season at the helm with Randy Waldrum as technical director. The team posted a 6-10-2 (2-8-0 ACC) record in 2025.
Pitt returns 14 letter winners from 2025, including eight players who started in 14 or more matches.
The Panthers ended the year in dramatic fashion, downing No. 1 Notre Dame, 1-0. Margaret Wilde served a ball into the 18-yard box on a corner kick, and Mya Archibald headed it in to take the lead in the 86th minute of the regular-season finale.
Last year's top goal scorer for the Panthers, Katie Ellermeyer, returns for her sophomore season at Pitt. She netted six goals and tallied one assist in her rookie season, including three game winners. She played the full 90 minutes 13 times in 2025.

VETS IN THE BACK

Pitt returns the majority of minutes from last season's back line. Olivia Lee, Sage Stelzer, Mya Archibald, and Sophie Rourke all return to action in 2026 for the Panthers. Lee and Stelzer started in all 18 games for the Blue and Gold last season, while Rourke made 17 starts and Archibald made 14.

ZAILSKI RETURNS

Senior defender Katie Zailski returns to the Pitt back line after missing the entire 2025 season due to injury.
Zailski has tallied 5108 minutes over her Pitt career, good for 14th most in program history.

PANTHERS IN THE OPENER

Pitt is 19-7-4 all-time in season openers, including a 6-0-1 mark during the Waldrum era.
Ben Waldrum tallied his first win as Pitt head coach in the 2025 season opener versus Xavier.
The Panthers are 12-1-2 all-time in home openers at Ambrose Urbanic Field. They've won the last nine home openers dating back to a 1-0 win over Hofstra in the 2017 home opener.

ROOKIE CLASS

Pitt adds 10 freshmen to the roster for the 2026 season.
Goalkeeper Elli Johnson joins the squad for her rookie season from Fort Collins, Colo., playing club with Real Colorado, where she led them to a youth national championship. She also played with the U-17 National Team.

TRANSFER TALK

Pitt adds three players via the transfer portal for the 2026 season.
Claire Jones joins the Panthers from SMU and Oregon State. Last season with the Mustangs, Jones started in all 18 games, logging over 1,300 minutes. Prior to her time at SMU, Jones spent two seasons at Oregon State, where she made 28 appearances.
Waldrum also picked up two goalkeepers out of the portal: Addison Roemer (American) and Sofia Iori (EMU/Winthrop).

WEDNESDAY'S PROMOS

Early arriving fans will receive a 2026 Pitt Women's Soccer team poster

TICKET INFORMATION

Season, match and group tickets for the 2026 season are now on sale through the Panthers Ticket Office.
2026 season tickets are ON SALE NOW for just $60.
2026 match tickets are ON SALE NOW for just $12 presale, $15 at the gate.
All tickets are general admission seating.
All tickets will be digital once again this season.

WHERE TO WATCH

Fans who can't make it out to Ambrose Urbanic Field for Wednesday's season opener can catch all the action on ACC Network Extra with Ethan Lemler and Rachael Palmer calling the action.