The Wake Forest Demon Deacons (9-3-3, 3-2-2 ACC) return to action this evening, taking on the Pittsburgh Panthers (5-8-2, 1-6 ACC) at Spry. For the Deacs, this game will be critical to their hopes of making the ACC Tournament, as they now sit 10th in the conference, 3 points off of Louisville in the 6th and final tournament spot. With 3 conference games left, and the final 2 coming against #1 Notre Dame and #11 FSU, this is a game that Wake will absolutely have to have to give themselves a chance
at making up that gap. The Deacs are currently on a 3 game winless streak, most recently falling by a 1-0 score at Historic Riggs Field against Clemson. Pitt, meanwhile, are in the midst of a season to forget, currently sitting 3rd from last in the conference, with no realistic route to the ACC or NCAA Tournament. They are currently in the midst of a 4 game losing streak, most recently falling 1-0 at home against NC State, and, over their last 11 games, they have only won once. For the Panthers to give themselves any chance of continuing their season, they will have to win their final 3 games, and that starts at Spry tonight. With both teams desperate to get back in the win column, this game will be very tightly contested.
Opponent History
The Pitt women’s soccer program is a young one, having been established in 1996. They’ve been an afterthought of a program for the vast majority of their history, compiling a record of 96-177-31 during their time in the Big East from 1996-2012 under Roland Sturk, Sue-Moy Chin, and Greg Miller. Early returns in the ACC were not much better, as, still under the leadership of Greg Miller from 2013-2017, they compiled a 25-60-6 record and posted winless conference records in both 2013 and 2017. In 2018, though, the Panthers’ fortunes took a turn with the hire of Randy Waldrum. Waldrum came to Pittsburgh with a sterling reputation, with a record of 399-108-29 at Notre Dame, Baylor, and Tulsa, as well as a further 66-33-3 record leading Tulsa’s men’s soccer program. At Notre Dame, Waldrum also took his team to the mountaintop twice, winning the national championship with the Irish in 2004 and 2010. Just prior to taking the job in Pittsburgh, he had been the inaugural head coach of the NWSL’s Houston Dash.
After two losing seasons in 2018 and 2019 to start his tenure, Waldrum finally broke through in 2020, leading the Panthers to their first ever 11 win season. From there, the Panthers kept getting better, posting a second straight 11 win season in 2021 and then finally making both the NCAA and ACC tournaments for the first time in program history in 2022, going all the way to the Sweet Sixteen and setting a new program best for wins with 14. Waldrum and the Panthers one-upped themselves the following season, posting another new program record with 17 victories, going to the ACC semifinals, and advancing to the Elite Eight of the NCAA Tournament in 2023. The 2024 season did not quire match the two previous years, though, with the Panthers posting a 9-6-3 record and missing out on the NCAA tournament. Last season also proved to be Randy Waldrum’s last at the helm, as he stepped back into the technical director role for the program. Pitt’s head coaching position was then filled by his son, Ben Waldrum, who had been one of his father’s assistant coaches for 15 years across his stints with Notre Dame, Pitt, and the Trinidad and Tobago national team. It’s been an inauspicious start for Ben Waldrum so far, as it currently appears that Pitt will post its first losing season since 2019, but that is far from atypical for a head coach in their first season. As for the Panthers fortunes against the Deacs, they hold a 2-6 record against Wake all time, posting an 0-4 mark at Spry. The Panthers’ road woes extend far beyond Winston-Salem, however, as, even though they have posted a strong 3-2 mark away from home this season, they hold an all-time record of 22-105-12 on the road. The most recent game was a 2-0 victory for Wake at Ambrose Urbanic Field last season, with the goals coming from now departed stars Emily Murphy and Caiya Hanks, so history, both recent and distant, does not favor Pitt in this matchup.
Tactics and Breakdown
The Panthers are a very organized, hardworking, defense-oriented team that tries to limit the opposition and soak up pressure. They play a bit of a fluid formation, setting up in more of a flat 4-4-2 that can shift into a 4-5-1 against the ball, also attacking with more of a 4-3-3/4-5-1 shape. They are very compact and narrow against the ball, dropping into more of a mid block when out of possession to limit opposing touches in their end. There is a modest press with their front 2 and 2 wingers, but it is not as aggressive as the teams the Deacs have faced in recent games. In possession, they are not averse to playing out of the back, but they are typically more direct, looking to spring their forwards in behind the defensive line through the middle as well as playing their wingers into space down the flanks, which is really where they majority of their positive attacking play has come from this season. They are a team that likes to put crosses into the area, both in the air or driven on the ground across goal. Overall, they are a team that likes to play against the ball and create opportunities on the counter attack when they can, especially up the flanks.
With all that being said, this system has not been very effective this year for the Panthers. They are the worst attacking unit in the ACC as well as its second worst defensive unit, ranking outside the top 250 in the nation in goals, goals against per game, goal differential, shutout percentage, shot accuracy, and, most notably, save percentage, sitting 330th out of 345 nationally in that category. They have not kept a clean sheet since August 24th, and have been kept off the board in 6 of their last 11 games. In ACC play, opponents have outscored the Panthers 22-4 across their 7 conference games, having been shut out in 4 of those matchups. That said, the Panthers were able to scrap a 2-1 at Boston College for their lone conference victory of the season, and that Boston College team held the Deacs to a 0-0 draw in a game that, on the balance of play, the Eagles likely deserved to win. While the Panthers’ mid block is a defensive approach that the Deacs have had some solid performances against this season, their issue all season long has been their defensive transition game. A Pitt team that will launch long balls and look to catch the Deacs up the field could present a real challenge for a Wake defensive unit that has only kept 1 clean sheet in its last 9 games. While the Panthers are certainly a team Wake will expect to beat, it will be far from a cakewalk to three points.
Players to Watch
For Pitt, the player that I think will be most critical to their success is French midfielder #6 Mariama Dabo. The Jacksonville transfer has slotted right into the defensive midfield spot for the Panthers, and she is a traditional deep midfielder, excelling at winning the ball on the ground and in the air. While her play in possession is not the strongest part of her game, she is no slouch on the ball. However, her ability to disrupt a Wake midfield that has really struggled to connect lines and create chances this season will play a big part in this game. I would also look out for is freshman midfielder/forward #24, Katie Ellermeyer. Ellermeyer has been a sensation in the Steel City, leading the Panthers with 6 goals this season. She has plenty of pace and a great work rate, and can be really disruptive to opposing teams against the ball. In the attacking end, she is an intelligent off-ball player with great finishing ability in the penalty area, so, if the Panthers can find her in the Deacs’ defensive third, she can certainly make them pay.
For the Deacs, this will be a big game for freshman winger/forward #31 Kylie Maxwell. Maxwell exploded onto the scene in Winston-Salem this year, having registered 5 goals and 5 assists so far this season, but she has not been as impactful of late. After a brilliant performance at #7 Duke where she registered both a goal and an assist, she has not registered a goal contribution since, being held off the scoresheet in the Deacs’ last 3 games. Wake will certainly need to get her going to get back in good form, and this game should be an opportunity to do just that. Senior midfielder/defender #6 Dempsey Brown will also be critical to the Deacs’ chances in this game. As previously mentioned, Wake’s midfield has really struggled to progress the ball this season, but Brown has been a bright spot since she moved back into the middle after starting the year at center back due to some defensive injuries. In this game, Wake will have to deal with a very congested midfield, so Brown’s ability to cycle possession and keep the ball herself will be critical as the Deacs look to get back on track.
Kickoff is set for 7:00 PM EDT, and the game will be broadcast on ACCNX/ESPN+.
