Women’s Soccer: Miller faces former team as Pitt battles Ohio State

When the Pitt women’s soccer team travels to Columbus to face No. 23 Ohio State on Wednesday, it will be a brief homecoming for head coach Greg Miller.

Miller spent 11 seasons with Ohio State’s women’s soccer program, where he rose to the associate head coach position. Such a role was specialized to focus on defense and freshman recruiting, the two facets of college soccer that have the Panthers (1-0) eyeing an upset over the Buckeyes (2-0).

For proof, just look at Pitt’s first game of the season: a 1-0 triumph over Duquense. The victory featured a shutdown defense, led by junior goalie Nicole D’Agostino, and substantial minutes logged by eight freshmen.

Wednesday’s contest is the first of three matches scheduled in five days, and it is also the first test in what should prove to be an arduous season in the ACC. For a team that is heavily depending on freshman players to perform, tired legs and mental lapses could hinder the Panthers.

The burst of games is very likely a challenge to players not yet used to the grind of college soccer, but junior defender Jackie Poucel sees the youth differently, in a more positive light.

“I think we’re going to expect to be a little tired, to have our legs be a little sore, but with the amount of freshmen and fresh legs we have to come on the field, I think we’re going to be OK,” Poucel said.

Poucel was a part of the defensive line that held Duquesne scoreless for 90 minutes Sunday, though such an effort is something Miller is used to witnessing.

In his tenure with the Buckeyes, Miller oversaw defenses that allowed the four fewest goal totals in a season in school history. He also coached Cassie Dickerson, the 2010 Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year, five All-Americans and four freshman All-American honorees.

“[Our schedule presents] a short turnaround to get ready for a very good Ohio State team,” Miller said. “Ohio State is a team I know very well, having recruited many of those kids. They are a good side and will be a good contest for us. It will help prepare us for what we’ll see when we begin Atlantic Coast Conference play in a few weeks.”

Pitt and Ohio State faced each other this spring in an abbreviated 45-minute scrimmage. The Buckeyes, who were coming off a season in which they captured the Big Ten title and were ranked 23rd in the nation, beat the Panthers 2-0.

The success has not stopped since that victory, as the Buckeyes have started their 2013 campaign undefeated. In the season opener, Ohio State notched a 3-2 win over Morehead State when freshman forward Lindsay Agnew scored with just under six minutes remaining. Junior midfielder Ellyn Gruber’s goal in overtime gave Ohio State a 2-1 win over Eastern Michigan in its second game of the year.

Agnew leads the Buckeyes with two goal, and sophomore midfielder Roosa Arvas, who scored the deciding goal against Duquesne, is the only Panther to score from their lone game.

Freshman Siobhan McDonough, one of four first-year Panthers to start against the Dukes, said the team is engaging in light practices to prepare for the upcoming stretch of games.

“We’re just going to do some light walk-throughs,” McDonough said. “We’re not trying to practice too much, especially with all these games, just trying to keep everyone rested so we can be ready to play.”

Though Miller knows the hardships the team might endure over the next five days, he said facing Ohio State will, if nothing else, provide an accurate preview for the talent present in the ACC.

“[The match] further prepares us for some of the things we would see down the road in the ACC in terms of systems, in terms of athletes and talent,” he said. “We’re hoping that we can learn some things and try some things out in that environment that will pay dividends for us as we get into conference play.”