Pitt women’s soccer earns 2-1 win over Duke for the first time in program history

Pitt women’s soccer (10-2-1, 2-1-1 ACC) hosted Duke (5-2-4, 0-2-3 ACC) at Ambrose Urbanic Field for their eighth matchup in program history. Before this match, Duke posted a record of 7-0 over Pitt. But the Panthers broke Duke’s historical winning streak, defeating the Blue Devils 2-1. Pitt junior forward Samiah Phiri had confidence in her team from the start.

“It was nothing but a team effort,” Phiri said. “We all came out here knowing that we were good enough to win and we showed that today. Last year it was a tough loss, but this year we came out guns blazing.”

Pitt had possession of the ball for nearly 60% of the game. The Panthers found gaps in the Blue Devils’ defense and managed four out of the six total corner kicks in the first seven minutes of the half. 

The Panthers’ first shot occurred in the ninth minute. Phiri found a gap in Duke’s defense for the breakaway. The junior forward then passed the ball to Pitt fifth-year forward Amanda West, who took her shot just outside the right post. 

Pitt found itself with another opportunity when junior forward Sarah Schupansky took a shot at the bottom left corner of the net, but Duke senior goalkeeper Leah Freeman made the save.

In the 16th minute, Duke created some opportunities of its own. Sophomore midfielder Carina Lageyre found herself with an open shot. The sophomore midfielder shot the ball but missed outside the left post.

In the 22nd minute, West found Pitt fifth-year midfielder Landy Mertz beating her defender up the right wing. West passed the ball to Mertz, who took a shot. The ball soared perfectly through the air to the top right corner of the net. But Freemen entered the picture and made the save. This was just one of the many opportunities Pitt had in the first half. 

As the minutes in the first half dwindled, Pitt fired off five more shots. This included fifth-year midfielder Anna Bout’s shot off the right post in the 37th minute and junior midfielder Ellie Coffield’s at the top center of the net in the 39th minute. All just missed the mark, and the Panthers headed to the locker rooms with no points on the scoreboard. 

As the wind picked up on Ambrose Field in the second half, so did the Panthers’ energy. Phiri and her team were ready to capitalize on their chances from the first half.

“We came out of the locker room saying that we needed to finish our chances and take them on the backline,” Phiri said. “I got that one opportunity, and I took it.”

In the 46th minute, Phiri took a shot at least 30 feet from the goal. It soared over Duke’s defenders into the top right corner of the net to break the scoreless tie. 

Then, in the 49th minute, Bout beat Duke’s defenders and took a shot in the bottom left corner of the net for another point. In the first five minutes of the second half, the Panthers took the lead 2-0.

Pitt continued to test Duke’s defense in the second half. By the end of the game, Pitt took 20 total shots to Duke’s seven. 

Up until the late second half, Pitt had control of the game. Duke never had possession long enough to get a shot — until the 76th minute. Duke sophomore forward Kat Rader took Duke’s first shot of the second half after she was awarded a free kick. Rader took a shot in the bottom right corner of the net and got the point for Duke. The sophomore forward’s efforts cut the Panthers’ lead to 2-1. 

Duke gained some momentum late in the game with just ten minutes to go, desperately trying to tie the game. Duke posted four of its seven shots in the last ten minutes of the match.

The Panthers were able to keep the Blue Devils at bay and kept the score 2-1. Soon enough, the whistle sounded for the end of the match, and the Panthers took the win for the first time in program history. Head Coach Randy Waldrum knows what winning this game means for this program.

“I’m excited to be a part of all these firsts that we’ve had over these last few years,” Waldrum said. “The big picture, what we want is, you know, getting into the NCAA again and we want to win an ACC Championship.”