Pitt alum Juliana Vazquez scores four goals in pro debut with Puerto Rico Sol FC

Former Pitt midfielder Juliana Vazquez made her professional debut with Puerto Rico Sol FC on Saturday in the team’s Liga PR Femenina matchup with Leal Arecibo. Despite the fact that the game was played in a deluge at Proyecto Goal in Anasco, Puerto Rico, Vazquez acquitted herself well in her first game with the team, scoring four goals in a 15-0 victory.

The other 11 goals in the blowout win came from Sol forward McKenzie Cook, who led all scorers with six goals; Sol midfielder Jasmine Casarez, who contributed four goals; and Sol winger Cristinia Torres, who scored one goal. The win helped the team in its pursuit of a Guinness world record for consecutive wins in a top-division soccer league, which is held by Brazilian team Corinthians Paulista Women in 2019. Corinthians recorded 34 straight wins, and Puerto Rico Sol FC has 30.

Vazquez is the first Pitt player to rise to the professional ranks under Panthers coach Randy Waldrum. She was a four-year starter at Pitt who appeared in 70 games for the Panthers between 2015 and 2019. The midfielder rose to the rank of captain in 2019, and during that time, she helped Pitt log its first ACC win in three years. With her four-goal game on Saturday, she matched her career scoring total at Pitt.