After two wins over ranked top 10 opponents over the past seven days, Pitt men’s soccer rises up to the No. 2 ranking in the latest United Soccer Coaches Poll, released Tuesday.
The Panthers (2-0-0) are now ranked in this poll for 34 straight weeks, with 29 weeks spent in the top 10. They also spent eight of those weeks ranked at No. 1 team in the country.
Pitt (2-0), who started this season at No. 7 in the poll, defeated No. 2 Georgetown, 2-1 on Aug. 25 in front of the largest crowd ever at Ambrose Urbanic Field. Despite going down a goal in the first five minutes, Pitt scored two goals, one each from junior forward Bertin Jacquesson and senior Valentin Noel, in the next six minutes to take the lead.
A strong defensive performance kept the Panthers in front and allowed them to hold on to the victory.
The next game saw Pitt host No. 6 West Virginia in the 51st edition of the Backyard Brawl on Monday, Aug. 29.
A fantastic performance in the first half from the Panthers offensively got them the victory. Jacquesson and Noel both scored again, and a fantastic build up goal resulted in graduate midfielder Lucas Rosa scoring his first goal for the program led to an early 3-0 lead. Another dominant defensive showing kept the Mountaineers from creating any real chances and the Panthers took their first win in the rivalry since 2017.
Pitt takes on No. 11 Marshall in Huntington, W.V. this Friday, Sept. 2 at 7 p.m. as they look to continue their great start to the season with a win over the 2020 National Champions.
