Pitt Men's Soccer Remains Ranked No. 1

Pitt Panthers men's soccer remains ranked No. 1 in the latest United Soccer Coaches Poll.

Pitt Men's Soccer forward Luis Sahmkow celebrates with the fans after scoring a goal in the 2-0 win over No. 16 Georgetown at Ambrose Urbanic Field / Courtesy of Pitt Athletics

PITTSBURGH -- Pitt Panthers men's soccer continues to have a fantastic 2024 season, remaining ranked No. 1 in the latest United Soccer Coaches Poll for the second straight week.

Pitt defeated No. 17 Virginia Tech on the road in Blacksburg on Sept. 28, 2-0 to improve to 8-1-0 overall and 4-0-0 (W-L-D) in the ACC on the season. Inclement weather from Hurricane Helene forced the match to move up one day from Sept. 27.

The 8-1-0 start matches the 2020-21 season for the best start in program history.

After a scoreless first half, Pitt would get an own goal in the 65th minute and then seal the victory as senior forward Casper Grening scored his second goal of the season in the 77th minute, with fellow senior forward Luis Sahmkow and junior defender Casper Svendby each earning an assist.

The win marks the third ranked victory of the season for Pitt, along with a 2-0 win over No. 16 Georgetown on Aug. 22 in the season opener at Ambrose Urbanic Field and a 3-1 comeback win over No. 22 SMU on Sept. 7 in Dallas in the ACC opener.

Pitt also has home wins of 2-0 vs. Mercyhurst on Aug. 25 and both 3-2 vs. Louisville on Sept. 13 and 2-0 vs. Boston College on Sept. 20 in the ACC, plus road wins of 2-1 vs. rival Penn State on Aug. 30 and 4-0 vs. Cleveland State on Sept. 17.

The only loss for the Panthers came against the Penn Quakers, 1-0 on Sept. 1 in Philadelphia. Penn currently rank at No. 25 in the latest United Soccer Coaches Poll.

United Soccer Coaches Poll

The top four teams remain the same with Stanford in at No. 2 and North Carolina at No. 3, to make the top three programs in the ACC, plus Ohio State at No. 4.

Marshall moved up two spots to No. 5, following wins over then ranked No. 22 VCU on Sept. 25 and Old Dominion on Sept. 29.

Denver moved down to No. 6, but didn't play last weekend, while West Virginia dropped to No. 7 after a scoreless draw with Kentucky on Sept. 27. Wisconsin, Charlotte and James Madison stay put at No. 8-10, respectively.

SMU stays at No. 16 following a 1-1 draw with FIU on Sept. 25 and a 3-2 win vs. UTRGV on Sept. 29, both at home. Duke moved into the rankings at No. 18 after a 2-1 win over rival NC State in Raleigh on Sept. 27.

Virginia Tech dropped two spots to No. 19 after their loss to Pitt, while reigning National Champions Clemson fell 12 spots to No. 24, after a 2-1 loss to unranked Notre Dame on the road on Sept. 27 in a rematch of the College Cup Final last season.

Pitt Men's Soccer Schedule Ahead

Pitt will start a four-match homestand as they host Howard on Oct. 2 with a 7:00 p.m. kickoff. Pitt is 8-3 all-time vs. Howard, including 3-0 under Jay Vidovich, with victories of 6-0 in 2019 and 5-0 twice in 2022 and 2023.

No. 6 Denver will then come to face Pitt on Oct. 7, the highest ranked opponent they have faced this season.

The Panthers defeated the Pioneers last season 3-1 at home on Sept. 25, 2023, with two goals from former midfielder Joao Souza in the first 14 minutes and a second half goal from then freshman forward Albert Thorsen.

Pitt and Denver would draw 2-2 on Oct. 10, 2022, with then sophomore forward Luis Sahmkow getting the tying goal from the penalty spot in the 78th minute.

The Panthers won their first matchup vs. the Pioneers, 3-2 in double overtime on Sept. 30, 2019, with former forward Edward Kizza scoring the winning goal in the 108th minute.

Denver head coach Jamie Franks is coming off his fourth Summit League Coach of the Year honor in his ninth season with the program and an NCAA Tournament Second Round appearance.

Vidovich coached Franks back at Wake Forest and they both won the 2007 National Championship together.

Denver has one ranked win on the season, 1-0 over No. 5 Stanford on Aug. 25 on the road. They also had a scoreless draw with No. 6 UCLA on Sept. 9.

Make sure you bookmark Inside the Panthers for the latest news, exclusive interviews, recruiting coverage, and more!

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