No. 1 seed Pitt men’s soccer (12-4, 6-2 ACC) faces No. 9 seed Virginia (9-5-3, 3-3-2 ACC) in the ACC tournament quarterfinals on Sunday night in Pittsburgh. The Panthers seek to repeat their regular-season success and dominate the Cavaliers once again. Pittsburgh trounced Virginia on senior night with a resounding 4-1 victory.
But the postseason provides renewed hope for every squad, as Pitt must not underestimate its ACC foes.
Timely Saves
Junior goalkeeper Cabral Carter must remain ready for clutch moments against Virginia.
In the Cavaliers’ first-round match against No. 21 NC State, the Wolfpack outshot Virginia 6-2 in the first half, taking a 1-0 lead into the break. In the second half, only two of Virginia’s shots remained on target. Yet, both of these shots found the back of the net, as Virginia claimed a 2-1 win over NC State.
NC State commanded possession in both halves, controlling the ball 60% of the game. It had three corner kicks to the Cavaliers’ one and 13 total shots to Virginia’s six.
Despite these statistical advantages, Virginia had the edge in the most important stats. NC State only managed one save on the night, and Virginia’s graduate student goalkeeper Tom Miles made three second-half saves.
Carter must not repeat the Wolfpack’s mistakes. Carter leads the ACC with a .909 goals-against-average. Though, he ranks outside the top 10 in saves. This is a result of the Panthers’ elite play from their backline. With Pitt’s ability to dominate possession and prevent shots from getting through, Carter faces far fewer shots than his peers. This makes each shot he faces of greater pressure and importance. It doesn’t matter how well the rest of the team performs — if Carter falters under pressure, so will the Panthers’ postseason hopes.
Anticipate change
Pitt men’s soccer needs to prepare for a reinvigorated Virginia team. Oftentimes in rematches, especially in the same season, the experience favors the losing team.
As the Panthers’ game plan for Virginia this year already worked very effectively — why would they change anything?
On the other hand, Virginia has seen how Pitt attacks them, knows how the Panthers beat them and has the opportunity to configure an improved strategy.
One potential change for the Cavaliers is in the net. Senior goalkeeper Joey Batrouni started the match against NC State for the Cavaliers but was replaced by Miles at halftime. Batrouni saved one of two shots on goal in the first half, while Miles saved all three shots on goal in the second.
The three saves were a season high for Miles, as he’s seen limited action this season. Miles has only appeared in four games this season, while Batrouni has participated in 17. Batrouni has played solid in net this season, ranking sixth in the ACC with 46 saves. But Virginia head coach George Gelbovatch may see this as the spark the team needed.
The Panthers may face a more aggressive Cavalier squad this time around. In the first matchup, Pitt brought an offensive onslaught to counter a conservative Virginia approach. Pittsburgh outshot Virginia 8-1 in the first half, scoring four goals — putting the game well out of reach. Virginia simply could not contain the more talented Panthers team’s defensive approach.
In the ACC tournament, it appears Virginia has learned from this mistake.
“We decided to show them something different to start the game, obviously,” Gelbovatach said. “We weren’t counting on getting scored on. In the second half, we switched back to a more aggressive shape and probably caught them off guard, and we were able to capitalize.”
Prediction
Pitt men’s soccer should claim victory yet again, this time around 3-1. The Panthers remain dominant at home, with a 7-2 record at Ambrose Urbanic Field this season. Head coach Jay Vidovich has national championship pedigree, remaining one of the best coaches in the NCAA. He knows how to win any chess match, even when at a disadvantage.
The Panthers’ top-tier midfield will capitalize on Virginia’s errors from a riskier offensive play style. Pittsburgh’s excellent transition game leads them to the semifinals in Cary, North Carolina.
Pitt takes on Virginia this Sunday at 8 p.m. at Ambrose Urbanic Field — expect a packed house as the Panthers begin their postseason. The game airs on ACC Network.
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