Amanda West earns All-ACC honors after breakout season

Pitt forward Amanda West recently wrapped up an outstanding freshman season that saw her break the program record for points in a single season and lead the Pitt women's soccer team to its highest win total since 2015. West was recognized for her efforts on Thursday, as she earned third-team All-ACC honors and was named to the All-ACC freshman team.

The native of Burlington, Ontario, is the first Pitt women’s soccer player to receive All-ACC honors, and her performance was the best the program has seen since 1998, as she tied records for goals (10) and assists (nine) set by Cande Ruiz and Charity McClure that season. That brought West’s point total for 2019 up to 29, breaking Ruiz’s previous record of 26 points, which was also set in 1998.

In addition to putting on one of the most complete offensive performances in program history, West also proved that she was among the best players in the ACC, as she finished her freshman season ranked in the top five in the conference in points, goals, game-winning goals and assists. One of West’s four game-winning goals sealed a 2-1 ACC win over Boston College on Oct. 10, which was Pitt’s first conference win in three years. She also recorded three assists in Pitt’s 3-3 draw with Miami on Sept. 29.

West has been a transformative force at Pitt since her arrival, as she began the season with a hat trick and an assist against Loyola Marymount on Aug. 23. That performance earned her recognition as the ACC Player of the Week, and it marked the beginning of a six-game point streak that lasted until Sept. 8 and was unprecedented in program history.

With West leading the Panthers offense and Pitt head coach Randy Waldrum beginning to build around her, the team will look to improve on this year’s promising campaign in 2020. But moving forward, it appears Pitt has a foundational talent in place in the Canadian star.