Pitt men’s soccer kickin’ it as ACC Championship for first time in program history

For the first time in program history, Pitt secured the ACC regular season championship and will soon compete for an ACC tournament win.

Unexpected underdogs

No. 3 Pitt earned the ACC regular season championship over Clemson by two points. Picked to finish ninth in the preseason coaches poll, Pitt has exceeded all expectations. Pitt quickly changed analysts’ opinions through its performances, ranking No. 1 in the United Soccer Coaches Poll three out of the 10 weeks.

The Panthers have shown immense signs of progress in the last four years under head coach Jay Vidovich as one of only four programs with two NCAA College Cup appearances since 2020. 

Pitt finished the season with a 12-4 record and a 6-2 stance in the ACC.

The Panthers earned a bye through the first round of the ACC postseason tournament and will host their first knockout game on Nov. 10 against the winner of Virginia vs. NC State. 

They will also avoid the second and third-seed teams until the championship game, giving them a favorable run to the final.

However, Pitt has lost four games this season. Three of these games have had a prevailing theme — losing by a 1-0 margin. The Panthers maintained more than 65% of possession in these games, and they all came against then-unranked teams who played a low block. This suggests they won’t suffer from a lack of goals in the postseason against teams who play a more attacking style of soccer.

The Panthers’ final loss came on the final day of the season against Syracuse — another unranked team. The team lost 2-0 and had to rely on Clemson falling at the hands of Virginia Tech to secure their regular season victory. Clemson drew 2-2, handing the title to Pitt for its first soccer regular season ACC outright championship of the program’s history.

Season highs and lows

One of Pitt’s season highs came when they toppled the No. 7 Tar Heels of North Carolina. Losing two games in a row at home and slipping down the rankings, North Carolina stood as a chance to return to winning ways.

Having just seven shots to UNC’s 14, Pitt notched a dramatic late win with two minutes to go, reasserting its position at the top of the ACC. Graduate student midfielder Arnau Vilamitjana excelled for Pitt with both goals as it achieved a landmark victory.

The Panthers had a few season lows but had an especially tough weekend losing back-to-back home games against California and High Point. They averaged 69.5% possession in these two games yet failed to grab a goal, highlighting a weakness when facing teams who park the bus.

Defense delivering for the Panthers

Despite scoring two or more goals in every win, Pitt has excelled defensively. It has the third lowest goals-against average (.667) in the nation after 15 games. Its current team record for GAA was 1.02 in 2022, and the Panthers are set to smash this record if they continue this form. This marked improvement highlights the importance of the defense to their recent success.

Pitt operates with a fluid back four that is confident on the ball, allowing its fullbacks to push high into midfield, suffocating the opposition. Junior defender Casper Svendby, No. 61 in the midseason rankings, thrived as the Panthers’ modern fullback. 

As one of 13 newcomers in the 2024 season, Svendby has provided a significant attacking threat, linking up with fellow countryman sophomore forward Albert Thorsen.

In the center of the defense, junior defender Jackson Gilman, No. 7 in the midseason rankings, and first-year defender Niklas Soerensen, No. 3 in the first-year midseason rankings, have provided a brick wall for Pittsburgh. Playing as a partnership, the duo concedes an average of one goal every 104.4 minutes. They play a pivotal role in sustaining possession for the Panthers, helping towards their average of 60.8% possession.

Vidovich at the helm

Pitt head coach Jay Vidovich is in his ninth season at Pitt. He is currently leading the Panthers to a potential sixth consecutive NCAA tournament appearance — the second longest streak in the nation.

The Michigan-bred mentor has a wealth of coaching experience, working his way from assistant coach at Ohio Wesleyan to leading Wake Forest and Pitt in 613 collegiate fixtures.

After claiming the Panthers’ first regular season championship, the seven-time ACC Coach of the Year will now look to lead them to a first conference or national championship. Vidovich has taken Pitt to two NCAA College Cups but has been felled on both occasions by Indiana.

Winning a national championship in 2007 with Wake Forest, Vidovich has winning experience and will be hoping to replicate that at Pitt. Despite this, he has failed to win a conference championship, taking Pitt to two ACC finals but falling short and will hope this is the year he breaks the winless streak.

Midfield sensation

Senior midfielder Guilherme Feitosa has featured in all 16 of Pitt’s games. In his fourth season, Feitosa has been an integral part of Vidovich’s midfield in his time at Pitt.

Feitosa leads the ACC and sits joint fifth nationally for assists, with nine. Listed in the 2024 ACC Preseason Watch List, the box-to-box Brazilian is living up to the hype propelling the Panthers into the postseason. In 2024, he is now three assists off the Pitt single-season record held by Filip Mirkovic, who went on to be drafted 54th overall in the 2024 MLS SuperDraft.

Feitosa also starred in Pitt’s victory over UNC mentioned earlier, grabbing both assists for Vilamitjana in a 2-1 victory.

ACC postseason

Pitt will return to action at the Ambrose Urbanic Field on Nov. 10 in the quarterfinals. Its opponent is determined on Nov. 6 as Virginia hosts NC State. Pitt faced Virginia at home in its most recent win, netting four goals in a comfortable 4-1 win. NC State last faced the Panthers in 2022 as they triumphed in two games 3-0 and 4-1 after overtime.

Vidovich has a nice record against NC State, winning 24 of 29 matchups. The highest seed Pitt can face before the semifinal is Vidovich’s old club, fourth seed Wake Forest. This gives the Panthers an ideal potential route to the final with the semifinals on Nov. 14 and 17 in North Carolina.