Inside The Panthers

Pitt Men's Soccer Achieves No. 1 Ranking

The Pitt Panthers men's soccer team is the No. 1 ranked squad in the United States.

Dominic Campbell

Pitt Men's Soccer Celebrates A Goal
Pitt Men's Soccer Celebrates A Goal / Courtesy of Pitt Athletics

PITTSBURGH -- The Pitt Panthers men's soccer team earned the No. 1 ranking in the country in the latest United Soccer Coaches Poll.

The Panthers last held the No. 1 ranking back in the 2020-21 season, that took place over the fall and spring due to the COVID-19 pandemic. They stayed No. 1 from Oct. 20, 2020 and held it for five weeks, before their loss to Clemson in the ACC Championship dropped them to No. 2 on on Nov. 24, 2020.

Pitt has had their best start to a campaign since that 2020-21 season, with a 7-1 record, which ties the 7-1 record that team had after eight matches.

They opened up with back-to-back 2-0 home wins at Ambrose Urbanic Field over then ranked No. 16 Georgetown in the season opener on Aug. 22 and then against new Division I foe Mercyhurst on Aug. 25.

Pitt then traveled to face rival Penn State on Aug. 30 and two second half goals helped them comeback to win the Keystone Classic.

The only loss for Pitt on the season came two days later vs. Penn in Philadelphia, a 1-0 defeat.

Pitt would bounce back with three second half goals in the 3-1 win over then ranked No. 22 SMU in Dallas on Sept. 7 to kickstart their ACC campaign.

They then took down Louisiville 3-2 at home on Sept. 13, revenge for losing 2-1 in double overtime to them in the First Round of the 2023 ACC Tournament.

Pitt defeated Cleveland State on the road 4-0 on Sept. 17 and then Boston College 2-0 at home on Sept. 20, giving them a 3-0 ACC start for the first time since that 2020-21 season.

Senior forward Luis Sahmkow has had an excellent season, with seven goals, a career-high, including five in the past four matches.

Sophomore forward Albert Thorsen shows his versatility, working on the wing and at striker, and has five goals, matching his season-high from 2023, and scored a goal in his past two matches.

Preseason All-ACC honoree in senior midfielder Guilherme Feitosa has scored three goals and led the Panthers with five assists so far

Freshman Lasse Dahl and Kentucky transfer in senior Casper Grening are two more forwards who have created numerous chances for Pitt this season. Dahl has a goal and four assists, while Grening, working off the left wing, has a goal and three assists.

The Panthers back line is a key component to the success so far. This includes senior Mateo Maillefaud at left-back, Dayton transfer in redshirt junior Casper Svendby at right back and both junior Jackson Gilman and freshman Niklas Soerensen at centre-back.

Junior goalkeeper Cabral Carter has won all six matches this season, including four clean sheets.

Seniors Michael Sullivan and Feitosa and graduate students Arnau Vilamitjana and Felipe Mercado have excelled in controlling the midfield, while freshman Miguel Bertran is a great piece off the bench for the Panthers.

This is the second Pitt team to hold a No. 1 ranking, as Pitt volleyball is also ranked top of the country, a position they've held for three weeks now.

Pitt travels to Blacksburg, Va. to face off against No. 17 Virginia Tech on Sept. 20, where they will look to keep the winning going in ACC play.

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Dominic Campbell
DOMINIC CAMPBELL

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