# 2023 Pittsburgh Panthers women's soccer team

The 2023 Pittsburgh Panthers women's soccer team represented University of Pittsburgh during the 2023 NCAA Division I women's soccer season. The Panthers were led by head coach Randy Waldrum, in his sixth season. They played home games at Ambrose Urbanic Field. This was the team's 28th season playing organized women's college soccer and their 11th playing in the Atlantic Coast Conference.
The Panthers started off the season as the 14th ranked team in the United Soccer Coaches Poll and won their first six games before losing to number 21 Xavier. They would win their second game of the road trip to Cincinnati to finish the non-conference season 7–1–0. Despite the almost perfect record, the Panthers fell out of the rankings as the ACC season started. They did not play a Power 5 team in non-conference play. They began their ACC season with a win, loss, and draw, with the draw coming against 10th ranked Notre Dame. They followed with four straight wins, including two against 22nd ranked Duke and 17th ranked Wake Forest. This saw them return to the rankings and number seventeen. They lost the next two games against 1st ranked Florida State and 8th ranked Clemson before winning their final conference game.
The Panthers finished the season 17–6–1 overall and 6–3–1 in ACC play to finish in fifth place. As the fifth seed in the ACC Tournament they upset nationally third ranked North Carolina in overtime in the Quarterfinals. They could not advance further than the semifinals as they were defeated by Florida State. They received an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament. As the seventh-seed in the Florida State Bracket, they defeated Ohio State 6–0 in the First Round and, second-seed Arkansas in the Second Round and sixth seed Memphis in the Round of 16. The victory against Memphis set up a third matchup with Florida State this season. The score in this matchup was the most lopsided of the three matches and the Panthers lost 3–0 to end their season. Their seventeen wins were the most in program history, and their six wins were the most in program history. This marked the second overall appearance in the NCAA tournament for the team.

## Previous season

The Panthers finished the season 14–5–3 overall and 5–3–2 in ACC play to finish in sixth place. As the sixth seed in the ACC Tournament they tied Notre Dame 1–1, but lost the ensuing penalty shoot-out 5–4. They received an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament. As the fourth-seed in the Florida State Bracket, they defeated Buffalo in the first round and, fifth-seed Georgetown in the second round before traveling to first-seed Florida State in the round of 16. The Panthers' run would end in Tallahassee where they lost 3–0.

## Offseason
### Departures

Departures :
| Name | Number | Pos. | Height | Year | Hometown | Reason for Departure |
| Caitlyn Lazzarini | 1 | GK | 5'8" | Senior | Nazareth, Pennsylvania | Graduated |
| Mackenzie Edwards | 3 | DF | 5'7" | Senior | Jamison, Pennsylvania | Graduated |
| Leah Pais | 8 | FW | 5'4" | Senior | Mississauga, Canada | Graduated |
| Emily Yaple | 10 | MF | 5'5" | Junior | Erie, Pennsylvania | Transferred to Florida |
| Hailey Davidson | 11 | DF | 5'4" | Graduate Student | Prosper, Texas | Graduated |
| Bri Hilsenteger | 14 | MF | 5'3" | Sophomore | Austin, Texas | Transferred to Houston |
| Athalie Palomo | 17 | DF | 5'3" | Senior | Irving, Texas | Graduated |
| Elena Hinkson | 18 | MF | 5'7" | Sophomore | Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania | Transferred to Florida Gulf Coast |
| Paige Califf | 19 | MF | 5'8" | Freshman | Orange, California | Transferred to CSUN |
| Maddie Keister | 20 | MF | 5'6" | Sophomore | Le Roy, New York | Transferred to Youngstown State |
| Krystyna Rytel | 22 | MF | 5'8" | Senior | Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania | Graduated |
| Keely Brown | 30 | DF | 5'8" | Freshman | Castle Pines, Colorado | Transferred to San Jose State |
| Misa Kasparcova | 31 | MF | 5'3" | Freshman | Collegeville, Pennsylvania | Transferred to UMBC |
| Gabriella Beibart | 33 | GK | 5'8" | Senior | Morristown, New Jersey | Graduated |
| Chantelle Parker | 35 | FW | 5'7" | Junior | Milton, Canada | Transferred to Northern Illinois |

### Incoming transfers

Incoming Transfers :
| Name | Number | Pos. | Height | Year | Hometown | Previous School |
| Emily Cooper | 31 | FW | 5'10" | Sophomore | Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania | |

### Recruiting class

| Name | Hometown | Club |
| Olivia Duray MF | Woodridge, Illinois | FC United (IL) |
| Paige Dziedzic FW | Chicago, Illinois | Eclipse Select (IL) |
| Emily Edwards GK | Holly Springs, North Carolina | North Carolina FC Youth |
| Delaney Evers MF | Oakdale, Pennsylvania | Beadling SC |
| Kaitlyn Killinger FW | Plum, Pennsylvania | Pittsburgh Hotspurs |
| Olivia Lee DF | Scarsdale, New York | NYSC |
| Emma Rhoades MF | Fenton, Michigan | Nationals (GA) |
| Kaley Simqu DF | Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania | Pittsburgh Hotspurs |
| Sage Stelzer DF | Blue Bell, Pennsylvania | Penn Fusion SA |
| Emma Van Meter GK | Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania | Pittsburgh Riverhounds |
| Lucia Wells FW | Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania | Pittsburgh Riverhounds |

## Squad
### Roster

    As of November 29, 2023
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
| No. | Pos. | Nation | Player |
| 0 | GK | USA | Ellie Breech |
| 2 | DF | USA | Haylee Mersereau |
| 3 | DF | USA | Lanie Fuchs |
| 4 | MF | USA | Ellie Coffield |
| 5 | FW | USA | Sarah Schupansky |
| 6 | MF | USA | Landy Mertz |
| 7 | MF | USA | Fleming Dean |
| 8 | MF | NGA | Deborah Abiodun |
| 9 | FW | CAN | Amanda West |
| 10 | MF | CAN | Keera Melenhorst |
| 11 | DF | USA | Mackenzie Evers |
| 12 | MF | CAN | Anna Bout |
| 13 | DF | USA | Ashley Moon |
| 14 | FW | USA | Evie Craven |
| 15 | MF | CAN | Chloe Minas |
| 16 | FW | USA | Lucia Wells |
| 17 | FW | USA | Aliya Gomes |
| No. | Pos. | Nation | Player |
| 18 | FW | USA | Paige Dzeidzic |
| 19 | FW | USA | Sofia Doheny |
| 20 | DF | USA | Olivia Lee |
| 21 | DF | USA | Katie Zailski |
| 22 | FW | USA | Delaney Evers |
| 23 | FW | USA | Samiah Phiri |
| 24 | MF | USA | Emma Rhoades |
| 25 | GK | USA | Emily Edwards |
| 26 | FW | USA | Margaret Wilde |
| 27 | MF | USA | Briana Rodriguez |
| 28 | DF | USA | Kaley Simqu |
| 29 | MF | USA | Olivia Duray |
| 30 | FW | USA | Kaitlyn Killinger |
| 31 | FW | USA | Emily Cooper |
| 32 | DF | USA | Ashton Gordon |
| 33 | GK | USA | Emma Van Meter |
| 35 | DF | USA | Sage Stelzer |

### Team management

| Position | Staff |
| Head Coach | Randy Waldrum |
| Associate Head Coach | Ben Waldrum |
| Assistant Coach | Jesse Goleman |
Source:

## Schedule

Source:
| Date Time, TV | Rank$^#$ | Opponent$^#$ | Result | Record | Site (Attendance) City, State |
| Exhibition ||||||
| August 6* 7:00 p.m. | No. 14 | at West Virginia | None Reported | — | Dick Dlesk Soccer Stadium Morgantown, WV |
| August 10* 3:00 p.m. | No. 14 | Niagara | W 6–0 | — | Ambrose Urbanic Field Pittsburgh, PA |
| Non-Conference Regular Season ||||||
| August 17* 7:00 p.m., YouTube | No. 14 | at Buffalo | W 2–1 | 1–0–0 | UB Stadium (375) Buffalo, NY |
| August 20* 1:00 p.m., ACCN | No. 14 | Drexel | W 4–1 | 2–0–0 | Ambrose Urbanic Field (657) Pittsburgh, PA |
| August 24* 7:00 p.m., BoxCast | No. 21 | at Kent State | W 1–0 | 3–0–0 | Zoeller Field (498) Kent, OH |
| August 27* 1:00 p.m., ACCNX | No. 21 | Bucknell | W 5–0 | 4–0–0 | Ambrose Urbanic Field (786) Pittsburgh, PA |
| August 31* 7:00 p.m., ACCNX | No. 21 | Duquesne | W 6–1 | 5–0–0 | Ambrose Urbanic Field (939) Pittsburgh, PA |
| September 3* 4:00 p.m., ACCNX | No. 21 | Bowling Green | W 5–1 | 6–0–0 | Ambrose Urbanic Field (733) Pittsburgh, PA |
| September 7* 7:00 p.m., FloFC | No. 22 | at No. 21 Xavier | L 1–2 | 6–1–0 | Corcoran Field (726) Cincinnati, OH |
| September 10* 1:00 p.m., ESPN+ | No. 22 | at Cincinnati | W 2–1 | 7–1–0 | Gettler Stadium (280) Cincinnati, OH |
| ACC Regular season ||||||
| September 17 2:00 p.m., ACCNX | | at NC State | W 2–0 | 8–1–0 (1–0–0) | Dail Soccer Field (331) Raleigh, NC |
| September 21 8:00 p.m., ACCN | | at Louisville | L 2–3 | 8–2–0 (1–1–0) | Lynn Stadium (279) Louisville, KY |
| September 24 1:00 p.m., ACCNX | | No. 10 Notre Dame | T 1–1 | 8–2–1 (1–1–1) | Ambrose Urbanic Field (973) Pittsburgh, PA |
| September 30 7:00 p.m., ACCNX | | Boston College | W 2–0 | 9–2–1 (2–1–1) | Ambrose Urbanic Field (858) Pittsburgh, PA |
| October 5 7:00 p.m., ACCNX | | No. 22 Duke | W 2–1 | 10–2–1 (3–1–1) | Ambrose Urbanic Field (958) Pittsburgh, PA |
| October 8 1:00 p.m., ACCNX | | No. 17 Wake Forest | W 4–1 | 11–2–1 (4–1–1) | Ambrose Urbanic Field (545) Pittsburgh, PA |
| October 14 1:00 p.m., ACCNX | No. 17 | at Syracuse | W 6–0 | 12–2–1 (5–1–1) | SU Soccer Stadium (187) Syracuse, NY |
| October 19 7:00 p.m., ACCNX | No. 18 | at No. 1 Florida State | L 2–3 | 12–3–1 (5–2–1) | Seminole Soccer Complex (1,125) Tallahassee, FL |
| October 22 2:00 p.m., ACCN | No. 18 | at No. 9 Clemson | L 0–1 | 12–4–1 (5–3–1) | Riggs Field (867) Clemson, SC |
| October 26 7:00 p.m., ACCNX | No. 20 | Virginia Tech | W 2–1 | 13–4–1 (6–3–1) | Ambrose Urbanic Field (1,280) Pittsburgh, PA |
| ACC Tournament ||||||
| October 29 8:00 p.m., ACCN | (5) No. 20 | at (4) No. 3 North Carolina First Round | W 2–1 $^{2OT}$ | 14–4–1 | Dorrance Field (1,174) Chapel Hill, NC |
| November 2 8:00 p.m., ACCN | (5) No. 11 | vs. (1) No. 1 Florida State Semifinal | L 0–2 | 14–5–1 | Sahlen's Stadium (678) Cary, NC |
| NCAA Tournament ||||||
| November 11 7:00 p.m., ESPN+ | (7) No. 11 | Ohio State First Round | W 6–0 | 15–5–1 | Ambrose Urbanic Field (1,309) Pittsburgh, PA |
| November 17 7:30 p.m., ESPN+ | (7) No. 11 | at (2) No. 10 Arkansas Second Round | W 4–3 | 16–5–1 | Razorback Field (2,215) Fayetteville, AR |
| November 19 7:00 p.m., ESPN+ | (7) No. 11 | at (6) No. 8 Memphis Round of 16 | W 3–0 | 17–5–1 | Razorback Field (719) Fayetteville, AR |
| November 24 5:30 p.m., ESPN+ | (7) No. 11 | at (1) No. 1 Florida State Quarterfinals | L 0–3 | 17–6–1 | Seminole Soccer Complex (2,000) Tallahassee, FL |
| *Non-conference game. $^#$Rankings from United Soccer Coaches. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses. All times are in Eastern. ||||||

## Awards and honors

| Recipient | Award | Date |
| Amanda West | Preseason All-ACC Team | August 10 |
| Sarah Schupansky | ACC Offensive Player of the Week | August 29 |
| Sarah Schupanksy | All-ACC First Team | November 1 |
| Amanda West | All-ACC Second Team | November 1 |
| Deborah Abiodun | All-ACC Third Team | November 1 |
| Landy Mertz | All-ACC Third Team | November 1 |
| Samiah Phiri | All-ACC Third Team | November 1 |
| Amanda West | All-ACC Tournament Team | November 5 |
| Landy Mertz | All-ACC Tournament Team | November 5 |

## Rankings

Ranking movements Legend: ██ Increase in ranking ██ Decrease in ranking — = Not ranked RV = Received votes :
| | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week |
| Poll | Pre | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | Final |
| United Soccer | 14 | 21 | 21 | 22 | RV | RV | — | RV | 17 | 18 | 20 | 11 | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | 6 |
| TopDrawer Soccer | 15 | 14 | 13 | 11 | 15 | 11 | 18 | 14 | 11 | 9 | 13 | 10 | 9 | 8 | 5 | 5 | 5 |

## 2024 NWSL Draft

Pittsburgh had two players selected in the 2024 NWSL Draft. This was the first time in program history that Pittsburgh had any players selected in the NWSL Draft.
| Player | Team | Round | Pick # | Position |
| Amanda West | Houston Dash | 3 | 36 | FW |
| Landy Mertz | North Carolina Courage | 4 | 52 | FW |