Soccer: Pitt to face five NCAA Championship teams in 2011

The Pitt men’s soccer team will face five 2010 NCAA Championship teams during the 2011… The Pitt men’s soccer team will face five 2010 NCAA Championship teams during the 2011 season.

Pitt head coach Joe Luxbacher announced the Panthers’ 2011 schedule on Friday. The challenging Big East slate includes matches against tournament teams West Virginia, Providence, Notre Dame, Connecticut and Georgetown.

“I am excited for this season to start having seen progress in the spring from the returnees — having a new on-campus facility adds to the anticipation,” Luxbacher said in a statement on Pitt’s web site.

Pitt struggled offensively throughout last season, tying for 12th in the 16 team conference with 19 total goals. The Panthers will return five starters and 16 athletes who received playing time to a team that finished 6-9-2, including a 1-6-2 record in conference play.

Pitt’s 2011 season begins with exhibition games against California (Pa.) and Marshall on Aug. 17 and 20, respectively. The Panthers then begin the regular season with road games against Robert Morris on Aug. 24 and St. Francis (Pa.) on Aug. 28.

The Panthers will travel to Duquesne in September for a tournament at which they’ll face Valparaiso on Sept. 2 and Stony Brook on Sept. 4.

Next, the Panthers return home for the Nike Invitational Tournament. Pitt will host the tournament at the new Ambrose Urbanic Field at the Petersen Sports Complex. It will be the first soccer tournament Pitt has hosted in the new complex.

Pitt will open the tournament on Sept. 9 against Air Force and then face Bowling Green on Sept. 11. The fourth team in the event, Duquesne, will also play against Bowling Green and Air Force.

The Panthers remain at Ambrose Urbanic Field to play Duquesne on Sept. 16 and Richmond on Sept. 18.

Luxbacher said the non-conference schedule will help prepare the Panthers for the challenging Big East Conference.

On Sept. 23, the Panthers open Big East play with a match against Rutgers.

Pitt then comes home for four games: Syracuse (Oct.1), an out-of-conference match with Cleveland State (Oct. 5), Seton Hall (Oct. 8) and West Virginia (Oct. 12).

The Panthers take to the road against Connecticut on Oct. 15 before home matches with Providence and Notre Dame on Oct. 19 and Oct. 22, respectively.

The regular season will come to an end on the road with games against Georgetown on Oct. 26 and Marquette on Oct. 29.