Preview: Pitt Opens First Road Trip With Keystone Classic

The Pitt Panthers men's soccer team travels to face rival Penn State in the Keystone Classic.

Pitt Men's Soccer / Courtesy of Pitt Athletics

PITTSBURGH -- Pitt men's soccer will face off against rival Penn State in the Keystone Classic Friday night, marking their first road trip of the season.

History of the Rivalry

The two bitter rivals have faced off 36 times in their history, with the Nittany Lions holding a 24-8-4 (W-L-D) record over the Panthers.

They battled it out to a 1-1 draw in the season opener at Ambrose Urbanic Field last season. Both teams committed double digit fouls, and a late fight saw a Pitt player receive a red card, with two others players on each team receiving a yellow card.

Pitt also won the last matchup on the road in the rivalry 2021, 1-0, and then previous game at home in 2017, 3-2 in overtime.

Pitt Men's Soccer Preview

Pitt started the season unranked, but two great performances find them at No. 3 in the latest United Soccer Coaches Poll.

They defeated both No. 16 Georgetown in the season opener on Aug. 22 and Mercyhurst on Aug. 25, 2-0, playing some fantastic soccer along the way on all areas of the field.

Sophomore forward Albert Thorsen opened the scoring in both games and has scored in the past three matches dating back to last season. He also scored against Penn State last season and will look to do so again, playing at both striker and right wing.

Seniors in forward Luis Sahmkow and preseason All-ACC midfielder Guiiherme Feitosa both scored the second goal in both victories. If they stay healthy this season, Pitt will have a great attack.

Kentucky transfer in senior forward Casper Grening played brilliantly in the win over Georgetown, setting up Thorsen for the first goal, and taking on any defender coming off the left wing.

Dayton transfer in junior defender Casper Svendby is another important piece for Pitt, starting at right-back. Freshman Niklas Soerensen started in the defense in both games and so too did senior midfielder Michael Sullivan, making up for some absences and injuries, with both preventing a number of chances in both games.

Junior defender Jackson Gilman is back at centre-back, as he started every single game in his first two seasons with the Panthers. Senior defender Mateo Maillefaud, usual starter at left-back, missed out with injury against the Lakers, but head coach Jay Vidovich hopes to have him ready for the Nittany Lions.

Graduate students Felipe Mercado and Arnau Vilamitjana both have done well in midfield to start the season, keeping control and possession for Pitt.

Other important freshmen contributors for Pitt include forward Lasse Dahl, who assisted Thorsen on a cross against Mercyhurst from the right wing, midfielder Miguel Bertran who came off the bench in both games, forward Tim Baierlein and defender Daniel Gamboa Gonzalez, who started at center-back vs. Mercyhurst.

Vidovich is in his ninth year as head coach of the Panthers and will want to get back to a deep run in the NCAA Tournament, like they had from 2020-22, with three Elite Eights and two College Cups.

Pitt will finish this weekend with a match against Penn in Phiadelphia on Sept. 1 at 7:00 p.m.

Penn State Preview

Penn State finished last season 10-4-5 and won the Big Ten regular season title. They did appear in the NCAA Tournament, though, as Indiana would win the Big Ten Tournament, serivng as the only team from the conference to make the NCAA Tournament.

They came in second in the Big Ten Preseason Poll, behind the Hoosiers, and had three players make the Players to Watch List. This includes defenders in sophomore Mohamed Cisset and junior Matthew Henderson, plus sophomore midfielder Caden Grabfelder.

Penn State lost 3-0 to reigning National Champions in No. 1 Clemson on the road on Aug. 22. They would defeat Army 2-1 on Aug. 25, with Henderson and Grabfelder both scoring in the second half.

How to Watch/Kickoff

This game will not appear on television, as Big Ten Network Plus will stream it. The streaming platform costs $13 per month and $80 per year for subscription packages. The match starts at 7:00 p.m.

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