Pittsburgh Panthers men's soccer |
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2017 Pittsburgh Panthers men's soccer team | |||
Founded | 1954 | ||
University | University of Pittsburgh | ||
Head coach | Jay Vidovich (2nd season) | ||
Conference | ACC | ||
Location | Pittsburgh, PA | ||
Stadium |
Ambrose Urbanic Field (Capacity: 735) |
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Nickname | Panthers | ||
Colors | Blue and Gold |
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NCAA Tournament Quarterfinals | |||
1962 | |||
NCAA Tournament Round of 16 | |||
1965 | |||
NCAA Tournament appearances | |||
1962, 1965 | |||
Conference Regular Season championships | |||
1981, 1985 |
Pittsburgh Panthers men's soccer is the NCAA Division I intercollegiate men's soccer (association football) team of the University of Pittsburgh, often referred to as "Pitt", located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The Pitt men's soccer competes in the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) and plays their home games at Ambrose Urbanic Field in the university's Petersen Sports Complex. Pitt soccer players have had eight selections as All-Americans and multiple former Panthers have gone on to play professionally. The Panthers have appeared in two NCAA tournaments and have been coached by Jay Vidovich since 2015.
The Pitt men's soccer program has it origins in 1951 when Leo Bemis, who was then serving as Pitt's director of men's intramural sports, created a pick-up team at the university which played Slippery Rock University to a 1-1 draw. Through 1953, Bemis continued coaching the team which competed intercollegiately as a non-varsity club sport. However, Bemis was able to convince then Pitt athletic director Tom Hamilton to elevate the club team to varsity status in 1954. Despite starting with no scholarships and no feeder system in place to recruit players, Pitt's first team went 8-1 in 1954, and by 1955, the program had its first All-American selection, Jerome Bressanelli. For the first 20 years of the program, Pitt played their games at various facilities including Trees Field, Forbes Field, Kennard Field in the lower Hill District neighborhood of Pittsburgh, and even various high schools, with occasional games played at Pitt Stadium, which at the time was primarily reserved for Pitt's football team.