The Wake Forest Demon Deacons (6-3-5, 1-3-2 ACC) will play their second game of the week this evening, traveling to Pittsburgh to take on the Pittsburgh Panthers (5-6-3, 1-4-1 ACC) at Ambrose Urbanic Field.
The Deacs are in desperation mode at this point, needing wins in their final two regular season and a few more in the ACC Tournament to find their way to the right side of the NCAA Tournament bubble. They have 1 win in their previous 5 games and have tied each of their last two games, most recently drawing 2-2 with Wofford in their final non-conference matchup of the season on Tuesday. The Panthers find themselves in a similar position, as their postseason hopes likely rest on a deep ACC Tournament run if not an ACC Championship win. Most recently, Pitt won their first ACC game of the season, defeating Syracuse by a 4-2 score last Saturday in the Steel City. This matchup will be a clash of styles that pits the Deacs against a familiar face in the opposite technical area, and, with both teams’ seasons on life support, there should be plenty of fireworks in this one.
Opponent History
The men’s soccer program at Pitt began play in 1954 under Leo Bemis, who led the Panthers from their inaugural year until 1983, posting a 172-174-28 record during his 30 seasons in charge. He took them to the NCAA Tournament twice, losing in the first round in both 1962 and 1965, which proved to be the Panthers’ lone NCAA appearances for a long while. In 1984, Joe Luxbacher took over the head coaching job at Pitt. Luxbacher, a player under Bemis and the program’s all-time leading goalscorer, had a similarly long tenure as the head coach of the program, leading the Panthers through the 2015 season. Like his collegiate head coach, Luxbacher had a largely pedestrian tenure, leading the Panthers for 32 years and posting double digit wins in 6 of those seasons, never making an appearance in the NCAA Tournament. He did win the Big East Championship in 1995 with the Panthers, but, at that time, there were no automatic qualifiers to the NCAA Tournament, so the Panthers were left out to dry despite their conference title. After the turn of the century, Luxbacher had a very difficult run, posting 15 consecutive losing seasons after a 13-5 year in 2000. This included the first 3 years of Pitt’s time in the ACC, during which time the Panthers put up an 0-22-5 conference record. After the 2015 season, Luxbacher took the decision to retire, and Pitt would have to search for the 3rd head coach in program history.
In 2016, the Panthers took a big swing in the coaching market, hiring one of the greatest coaches in recent college soccer history, Jay Vidovich. Vidovich will be best known for his tenure in Winston-Salem, where he led the Deacs for 21 years, posting a 272-121-50 record at Wake and leading them to their sole national championship in the 2007 season. Vidovich had departed the Wake Forest soccer program in the 2014 offseason to take a professional coaching job, taking the big seat for the Portland Timbers’ second team, who, at that time, played in the USL Championship. After missing out on the postseason with an 11-15-2 record in 2015, the Timbers and Vidovich mutually agreed to part ways, and Vidovich found his route back into the college game with Pitt. There were some early growing pains, with the Panthers posting a 2-13-3 record in Vidovich’s first season, continuing their streak of ineptitude, but, in 2017, Vidovich began to build the foundations of what would become a top team. That year, the Panthers finally snapped their 38 game winless streak in ACC, earning their first ACC victory against a ranked Syracuse team, and posting an 8-10 record and 2-6 conference record when the season was finished. They followed that season up with an 8-10-1 record and another 2-6 ACC campaign in 2018.
In 2019, the Panthers finally broke through. After 18 consecutive losing seasons, the Panthers posted a 10-8-2 record, as well as a 4-3-1 ACC record, their first ever winning record in the conference. Pitt was also selected to the NCAA Tournament that year, ending a 54 year drought, and, against Lehigh, the Panthers won their first ever NCAA Tournament game. From there, the Panthers didn’t look back. During the 2020/21 season, which was split to a Fall/Spring calendar due to Covid, Pitt had their greatest ever season, posting a program best 16 wins, a 9-1 ACC record, and advancing all the way to the College Cup for the first time in program history, where they fell just short of a championship game appearance with a 1-0 loss to Indiana. They followed that up with an Elite Eight appearance in the Fall of 2021 and another College Cup appearance in 2022, losing to Indiana in the semifinal again. They took a step back in 2023, posting a 6-7-4 record and losing in the first round of the NCAA Tournament, but returned to form last year with their 4th Elite Eight appearance in the last 5 years as well as their first ACC regular season title. All told, Jay Vidovich took a Pitt program that had not made the NCAA Tournament in more than half a century and now has them on a 6 year tournament streak that has included deep runs in 4 of those years. This year, though, it looks like that streak may be coming to an end. The Panthers have already posted more conference losses this season than they have in any season since 2018, and they currently sit 64th in the RPI rankings, which is the selection committee’s north star when determining which teams will make the tournament field. With only 25 at large selections, anything shy of an ACC Tournament victory will likely leave the Panthers out in the cold. As for the Panthers’ history in this fixture, the Deacs lead the all-time series between these teams 6-1, but the most recent meeting between the two was a 3-0 win for the Panthers at Ambrose Urbanic Field during the 2023 season. During Vidovich’s tenure, he holds a 1-2 record against his Wake Forest successor, Bobby Muuss. All this is to say, Pitt has been a better program in recent years, but history favors the Deacs.
Tactics and Breakdown
The Panthers will typically set up in a 4-2-3-1 formation that is very adaptable. Against the ball, they stay in that shape and press high, looking to unsettle the opposing defense and force turnovers up the field, which is a style of play the Deacs have really struggled against this season. They are a very physical team defensively and rarely pull out of a tackle, using this style to break up the opponents’ rhythm in possession. As a result, they are 5th in the ACC in fouls per game and 6th in yellow cards. With the ball, their formation is a bit more fluid. In their most recent game, they played in the 4-2-3-1 that would sometimes look like a 4-4-2 going forward, as their attacking midfielder would join the forward line. They have also set up in a 3 at the back formation in possession at points this season, with one of their fullbacks moving more centrally to join their two center backs and the other fullback pushing further forward as a wingback along with one of their wingers on the opposite side. They aren’t a kick and run team, but they are very direct in possession, looking to put balls in behind the defense for their forwards and wingers. They like to overload the wide areas as well, with their fullbacks and wingers both bombing forward to create a numerical advantage on the flanks. They are also a team that thrives on set pieces, having scored 6 goals from set plays this season, and defending these opportunities has been a real Achilles heel of this Wake program under Bobby Muuss.
With all of that being said, Pitt have largely been a mediocre side this year. They rank 12th out of 15 in the conference in goals scored and 13th in goals allowed average. They have only kept 3 shutouts this season, sitting dead last in the conference in shutout percentage. With the attack, it has been feast or famine, as they have been held off the scoresheet 6 times this season, but have scored 2+ goals in a game 5 separate times this season. Despite that, the Panthers have actually been excellent at home so far, posting a 5-1-3 record on their home patch, with the sole loss coming to Notre Dame. Most notably, they earned a 1-1 draw with #3 NC State in Pittsburgh, and their most recent result was the aforementioned 4-2 home victory over a Syracuse team that was riding a 4 game winning streak going into that game. Their road form has been what has doomed their season, as they have an 0-5 record away from home. For all of their faults, this is a Pitt team that has been tough to crack on their own field, so the Deacs will certainly have their work cut out for them if they are going to get a result this evening.
Players to Watch
For Pitt, the most dangerous man on the field will be attacking midfielder #14 Arnau Vilamitjana. In what has been a down year for the Panthers, Vilamitjana has been a huge bright spot, improving on his 5 goal 3 assist campaign last year with 8 goals and 3 assists so far this season. He just seems to have a knack for finding himself in the right place at the right time, and his instincts in and around the penalty area make it so he takes advantage of those opportunities. Most importantly for the Deacs, Vilamitjana is the Panthers’ main target on set piece opportunities, as his 6’2” frame and finishing ability make him a real danger on balls into the area. He has scored a fair few of his goals from those deliveries this year, so Wake will need to keep track of him when Pitt has an opportunity to put a cross in. I would also keep an eye on midfielder #23 Tomas Bedouret. The Argentine midfielder transferred over to Pitt from Oregon State this past offseason, and he has fit into the team like a glove, taking the captain’s armband in his first year. Most of what he does is not going to show up on the stat sheet, but his ability to mop up plays and cycle possession is key to the Panthers keeping their attacking rhythm and defensive integrity. He will be a central figure to the outcome of this game.
For the Deacs, center back #3 Travis Smith Jr. will have to step up in this one. Smith is a team captain and one of the leaders of a backline that has really struggled in recent games. His recent performances have been far from his best in a Wake uniform, but, as the Deacs’ best central defender, he will need to contribute in a big way in this game. The Panthers will throw a lot at him, so he will have to play his part when the Deacs are in possession as well as having to repel the many dangerous passes sent forward by Pitt. He will also likely be tasked with marking Vilamitjana on set pieces, so his performance will be integral to a Wake victory. The most important player in this game for the Deacs, in my view, will be midfielder #18 Cooper Flax. Flax had a slow start to the season, but he has put this Wake team on his back over the last 6 games, registering 6 goals and 3 assists, most recently pulling them out of the fire with an 80th minute equalizer against Wofford. While the physical style that the Panthers employ does not suit a player with Flax’s attributes, the Deacs will likely have to rely on him to come up with a moment of brilliance to win them this game. It might not be a perfect game from him, but, with Flax, he just needs one opportunity to make the opponent pay.
Kickoff is set for 7:00 PM EDT, and the game will be broadcast on ACCNX/ESPN+.
