Panthers Face Nittany Lions in First Road Test

PITTSBURGH – The Pitt men's soccer team returns to action Friday, Aug. 28, for its first road match of the season, traveling to face Penn State. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. ET at Jeffrey Field in University Park, Pa., with live coverage available on B1G+.

OPENING KICK

Friday's match marks the 38th all-time meeting between Pitt and Penn State, with the Nittany Lions holding a 24-9-4 edge in the series. Pitt has not lost to Penn State since 2019 and enters off a 2-1 road win over the Nittany Lions in 2024. Vidovich holds a 4-2-2 record against Penn State.
Pitt bounced back with a 3-1 win over Bucknell at home Monday.
Miguel Bertran opened the scoring before the break, Grayson Carter converted a penalty kick to retake the lead after Bucknell tied it, and Cannon Scretchen added an insurance goal for his first tally as a Panther.
Penn State enters 1-1-0 on the season after falling 3-1 on the road to Missouri State on Sunday. The Nittany Lions opened their year with a 3-2 comeback win at home over Mercyhurst.

SCOUTING THE NITTANY LIONS

Penn State is 1-1-0 to begin the season under first-year head coach Rob Dow, who carries a 110-42-21 career record.
The Nittany Lions' most recent outing was a 3-1 road loss to Missouri State.
Penn State opened the season with a comeback win at home over Mercyhurst, rallying from a two-goal deficit to win 3-2.

BOUNCED BACK VS. BUCKNELL

Pitt bounced back at home Monday with a 3-1 victory over Bucknell. Miguel Bertran kicked off the scoring to give the Panthers a 1-0 lead at the break.
After Bucknell evened the score, Grayson Carter converted on a penalty kick to retake the lead.
Cannon Scretchen added an insurance goal to bring the final count to 3-1, his first goal in a Pitt jersey.

STAFF & PROGRAM NOTES

Vidovich added two new assistants over the offseason in Robby Dambrot and Will Marshall, giving him a full staff of Pitt alumni alongside holdover Bryce Cregan.
Pitt was picked 11th in the preseason ACC poll, and defender Niklas Sørensen was named to the ACC Preseason Player to Watch List.
Sørensen and Caden Grabfelder both landed on TopDrawerSoccer's Preseason Top 100 List, checking in at No. 71 and No. 79, respectively.

WHERE TO WATCH

Fans can catch Friday's match on B1G+, with Dominick Pizzelanti and Edison Pellumbi calling the game. Live stats are available at linktr.ee/pitt_msoc.