Friday, September 10
Pittsburgh, Pa.
7 pm
North Carolina
3-1-1, 0-1-0
0
at
4
Pittsburgh
3-2-0, 1-0-0
1
2
F
North Carolina
0
0
0
Pittsburgh
3
1
4
Cameron Fisher
Pitt Downs Men's Soccer, 4-0
September 10, 2021 | Men's Soccer
PITTSBURGH, PA.—The fifth-ranked Pittsburgh men's soccer team grabbed an early lead and beat No. 2 North Carolina, 4-0, in a key, early-season ACC matchup on Friday night at Ambrose Urbanic Field.
The Panthers took a 3-0 lead before halftime and controlled the match's tempo throughout most of the night.
The game was a meeting of two of the top teams in the nation and the Atlantic Coast Conference Coastal Division. Pitt and UNC finished first and second, respectively, in the division before both teams advanced to the NCAA College Cup semifinals in 2020.
Both teams are ranked in the top 10 again this season, with Carolina as high as No. 2 in the Top Drawer Soccer poll and Pitt as high as No. 5 in the College Soccer News rankings entering Friday's matchup.
Rodrigo Almeda led all scorers with two goals for Pitt, while Veljko Petkovic had a score and two assists and Valentin Noel had a goal and an assist.
UNC out-shot the Panthers in the game, 16-8.
Carolina created several offensive chances early, taking four shots in the first eight minutes of the game and putting pressure on the Panther defense. Pitt broke onto the scoreboard first, however, when Jasper Loeffelsend fed Petkovic for a goal at the 11:43 mark.
Eight minutes later, Pitt went up 2-0. After Tar Heel goalkeeper Alec Smir made a good save on a shot by Valentin Noel, the Panthers recovered the rebound and Petrkovic fed Rodrigo Almeda for a goal from the near right side.
Almeda scored again in the 36th minute, scoring a long goal over Smir's head on a broken play to make it 3-0. UNC held a 7-5 first-half edge in shot attempts.
The Panthers, who extended their home unbeaten streak to 12 matches, made it 4-0 less than three minutes into the second half when Noel scored.
Smir took his first loss of the season in goal for UNC, making one save in 90 minutes.
The Tar Heels will return to the field with a pair of home games at Dorrance Field. UNC will host Campbell on Tuesday Sept. 14 and Duke on Sunday Sept. 19.
Notes:
• UNC is 3-1-1 this season and has out-shot its opponents by a margin of 121-19 through five games.
• Carolina is 8-1-0 all-time against the Panthers.
• UNC is 1-1 this season against ranked opponents with a win at No. 22 Davidson (Sept. 6) and a loss on Friday at No. 5 Pitt.
• Pitt extended its home unbeaten streak to 12 matches with the win. The last team to beat the Panthers at home was UNC two seasons ago on Oct. 4, 2019.
• Pitt's four goals were the most scored against UNC since Syracuse scored four two seasons ago.
The Panthers took a 3-0 lead before halftime and controlled the match's tempo throughout most of the night.
The game was a meeting of two of the top teams in the nation and the Atlantic Coast Conference Coastal Division. Pitt and UNC finished first and second, respectively, in the division before both teams advanced to the NCAA College Cup semifinals in 2020.
Both teams are ranked in the top 10 again this season, with Carolina as high as No. 2 in the Top Drawer Soccer poll and Pitt as high as No. 5 in the College Soccer News rankings entering Friday's matchup.
Rodrigo Almeda led all scorers with two goals for Pitt, while Veljko Petkovic had a score and two assists and Valentin Noel had a goal and an assist.
UNC out-shot the Panthers in the game, 16-8.
Carolina created several offensive chances early, taking four shots in the first eight minutes of the game and putting pressure on the Panther defense. Pitt broke onto the scoreboard first, however, when Jasper Loeffelsend fed Petkovic for a goal at the 11:43 mark.
Eight minutes later, Pitt went up 2-0. After Tar Heel goalkeeper Alec Smir made a good save on a shot by Valentin Noel, the Panthers recovered the rebound and Petrkovic fed Rodrigo Almeda for a goal from the near right side.
Almeda scored again in the 36th minute, scoring a long goal over Smir's head on a broken play to make it 3-0. UNC held a 7-5 first-half edge in shot attempts.
The Panthers, who extended their home unbeaten streak to 12 matches, made it 4-0 less than three minutes into the second half when Noel scored.
Smir took his first loss of the season in goal for UNC, making one save in 90 minutes.
The Tar Heels will return to the field with a pair of home games at Dorrance Field. UNC will host Campbell on Tuesday Sept. 14 and Duke on Sunday Sept. 19.
Notes:
• UNC is 3-1-1 this season and has out-shot its opponents by a margin of 121-19 through five games.
• Carolina is 8-1-0 all-time against the Panthers.
• UNC is 1-1 this season against ranked opponents with a win at No. 22 Davidson (Sept. 6) and a loss on Friday at No. 5 Pitt.
• Pitt extended its home unbeaten streak to 12 matches with the win. The last team to beat the Panthers at home was UNC two seasons ago on Oct. 4, 2019.
• Pitt's four goals were the most scored against UNC since Syracuse scored four two seasons ago.
Team Stats
NC
PITT
Goals
0
4
Shots
16
8
Shots on Goal
4
5
Saves
1
4
Corners
4
3
Fouls
10
16
Scoring Plays
Petkovic, Veljko (4)
Assisted By: Loeffelsend, Jasper
GOAL by PITT Petkovic, Veljko (FIRST GOAL), Assist by Loeffelsend, Jasper, goal number 4 for season.
11:43
Almeida, Rodrigo (3)
Assisted By: Petkovic, Veljko
GOAL by PITT Almeida, Rodrigo, Assist by Petkovic, Veljko, goal number 3 for season.
19:06
Almeida, Rodrigo (4)
Assisted By: Noel, Valentin
GOAL by PITT Almeida, Rodrigo, Assist by Noel, Valentin, goal number 4 for season.
35:29
Noel, Valentin (2)
Assisted By: Dexter, Alexander , Petkovic, Veljko
GOAL by PITT Noel, Valentin, Assist by Dexter, Alexander and Petkovic, Veljko, goal number 2 for season.
47:33
Game Leaders
Players
Shots
4
SOG
0
Goals
0
Assists
0
Shots
4
SOG
2
Goals
0
Assists
0
Shots
3
SOG
1
Goals
0
Assists
0
Shots
2
SOG
1
Goals
0
Assists
0
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