No. 13 Pitt men’s soccer team takes down No. 3 Duke 3-2

The No. 13 Pitt men’s soccer team hosted No. 3 Duke at Ambrose Urbanic Field on Saturday night for a top-25 matchup, and for the third time in the past month, the Panthers upset a top-five team, beating the Blue Devils 3-2.

While the night went down as a success for Pitt, the contest was anything but one-sided, and Duke struck first, with Blue Devils forward Thorleifur Ulfarsson netting a goal in the 23rd minute. However, Pitt would respond in the 40th minute, as Panthers midfielder Filip Mirkovic was set up by Panthers midfielder Guilherme Feitosa at the top of the box and launched a shot into the back of the net.

That goal knotted the score at 1-1 at the half, but Pitt would pull ahead seven minutes into the final frame. Once again, Feitosa set up Mirkovic near the top of the box, and once again Mirkovic buried a shot in the back of the net. However, this time, Mirkovic’s shot was less direct, as it ricocheted off Blue Devils defender Ian Murphy and escaped the reach of Blue Devils goalkeeper Eliot Hamill.

In the 84th minute, Pitt would lose a key player, as Panthers defender Jasper Löeffelsend was shown a red card. But despite the disadvantage, Pitt managed to pad its lead late in the game, as Panthers forward Bertin Jacquesson tacked on another goal in the 87th minute. Once again, Feitosa was credited with an assist, bringing his total to three.

Duke would also record a late goal, as Blue Devils midfielder Peter Stroud got one past Panthers goalkeeper Nico Campuzano to make it 3-2. But with less than two minutes left in the game, Duke would be unable to come back, and Pitt would escape with a 3-2 win.

“It was a tremendous effort by the guys tonight,” Pitt head coach Jay Vidovich said. “I thought it was great we didn’t panic after the first half and we kept pushing. The guys responded well with resiliency tonight.”

With the win, the Panthers improved to 8-3 overall and 4-1 against ACC competition. As for the Blue Devils, they fell to 9-2 overall and 4-1 in conference. The win was Pitt’s 16th straight at Ambrose Urbanic Field and its fourth in a row regardless of location. Now, the team will look to benefit from that momentum when it faces Notre Dame. That game will take place at Alumni Soccer Stadium in South Bend on Saturday. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. ET.