Women’s Soccer: Pitt hopes to achieve first road win against Miami

Pitt women’s soccer (4-8-1, 0-7 ACC) will try to get back on track tonight as the team travels to face the Miami Hurricanes (7-4, 2-4 ACC). The game is one of two games that Pitt will play in the state of Florida this weekend, as they face Florida State after Miami.

Head coach Greg Miller sees Miami as a dangerous team after their 2-0 win over No. 4 Notre Dame.  

“Miami has some momentum now, and they are a very dangerous team coming off a great win,” Miller said. “They’ve got a lot of confidence on their side, and they’re playing at home in their own environment.”

Key player: Ashley Flinn 

The Panthers must be cognizant of the dangerous junior from Michigan, because Flinn is liable to score every time she touches the ball. This season, Flinn has scored eight goals in the Hurricanes’ first 11 games.

Flinn has scored 32 percent of her shots, while sending 68 percent of her shots on goal. 

Throughout her career, Flinn has been known to have a flair for the dramatic. During her freshman year, Flinn scored the game-winning goal and tallied an assist in the NCAA Tournament. 

Pitt’s season so far

After starting the season 4-1-1 in nonconference play, the Panthers have lost seven consecutive ACC conference games, the worst of which came last Sunday against the Syracuse Orange. 

In the game against Syracuse, the Panthers allowed four goals — three of which came from Orange freshman Stephanie Skilton. 

In the last two weeks, the Panthers have played the No. 1, 3 and 9 teams in the country. Against No. 1 Virginia, the Panthers actually enjoyed a 1-0 lead for a brief period. In the end, however, Virginia proved to be too much for the young Panthers, as they defeated Pitt 3-1. 

This season, the Panthers have been paced offensively by Roosa Arvas’ two goals and three assists. Goalie Nicole D’Agostino leads the team’s defense, as she ranks fifth in save percentage and leads the ACC with 77 saves.

Miami’s season so far

This season, the Miami Hurricanes have struggled in the ACC, as the team has been outscored in ACC matches 16-4. The Hurricanes own a 2-4 record in the ACC so far, with the highlight of conference play being a 2-0 victory against Notre Dame. 

Offensively, Ashley Flinn has lead the Hurricanes so far this season. 

In the cage, the Hurricanes have used a pair of goaltenders this season. Projected starter Emily Lillard has allowed 18 goals in 11 games, good for a 2.1 goals-against average. The other goaltender for the ’Canes, Catalina Perez, has slightly better numbers than Lillard this season in just six games. 

For Pitt, the matchup against Miami precedes another tough away game in Tallahassee, Fla., against the Seminoles. Each game affords Pitt a chance to show improvement on the road, as the Panthers’ stats read 1-3-1 while away from Ambrose Urbanic Field.

“We head to Florida State on Sunday. Florida State is a very talented team. Again, they’re playing in their home environment,” Miller said. “We haven’t been great on the road this year, so we’ve got to figure out something different to try and put out a good product and get a result.”