Women’s soccer young, but hungry

Coming off a successful campaign in 2006-2007 that saw the Pitt women’s soccer team finish… Coming off a successful campaign in 2006-2007 that saw the Pitt women’s soccer team finish 8-7-3 during the regular season, the Panthers have high hopes this fall.

Although the season finished with a double-overtime loss to then-No. 25 Louisville in the first round of the Big East Tournament, it showed that Pitt has the ability to compete with some of the nation’s top teams.

Seniors Stephanie Davis, Janean Gardner and Rachel Vecchio will return to lead the Panthers. They’re the only seniors, though, so Pitt is going to have to rely on underclassmen to quickly gain experience and employ it.

Sophomore Ashley Habbel played in all of Pitt’s games last season and started six, including the last four. She led the squad in goals with six and piled up 13 points as a freshman.

Pitt’s goalkeeping roster spot will also look to youth with sophomore Alison Finch. She recorded three shutouts and a 1.59 goals-against average as a freshman in more than 1,750 minutes last season. Finch will get the job after starting 18 games last year and tying a school record with eight wins.

Junior Jennfier Kritch, who tied a school record for goals in a game and became only the sixth Panther to ever record a hat trick in a game, returns to her midfield position this year.

Head coach Sue-Moy Chin enters her fifth year and led last year’s team to its best finish since 1998. She has also appeared in more postseason games than any other Pitt coach. Chin realizes the potential this team has, and after playing in six overtime games last season, compiling a 1-2-3 record in them, she thinks the team is on the verge of having a breakout season.

“We want to keep the momentum going,” Chin said on pittsburghpanthers.com. “If we can take care of business in-season, then we can have a good seed for the Big East Tournament and maybe even receive an at-large bid into the NCAA Tournament.”

Having already defeated Akron 5-1 in an exhibition game, Pitt will kick off the new season at home on Friday against Youngstown State. All home games are played at Founders Field in Indianola, Pa.

This season will feature 11 home games and seven non-conference games, including a two-game road trip to play Georgia State Sept. 7 and Auburn Sept. 9. Other non-conference games include the home opener with YSU, Niagara this Sunday, Xavier Sept. 14, at Kent State Sept. 16 and at home against Ohio Sept. 23.

The team will begin conference play at home against West Virginia Sept. 21 and will host five other Big East teams: Syracuse (Sept. 28), Cincinnati (Oct. 5), Louisville (Oct. 7), Marquette (Oct. 26) and South Florida (Oct. 28).

Pitt will travel to St. John’s (Sept. 30), Connecticut (Oct. 12), Providence (Oct. 14), Villanova (Oct. 19) and Georgetown (Oct. 21) to finish the regular-season conference schedule.

The Big East tournament is set to begin Nov. 1.