The stakes will be high this afternoon in Oakland. The Pitt men’s soccer team takes on Vermont at 3:00 p.m. at Ambrose Urbanic Field for the right to go to the 20224 College Cup with coverage slated to be on ESPN+.

The No. 2 seeded Panthers had to work for their two NCAA Tournament wins to date, with a 1-0 takedown of Cornell in the second round, and then a 3-2 overtime win over Kansas City on Sunday to set the stage for today’s match

Vermont enters this NCAA Tournament quarterfinal match with a record of 14-2-5. The Catamounts, out of the American East Conference, defeated Iona 5-0 in the first round, upset No. 7 overall Hofstra 2-1 after that, and then claimed an 1-0 overtime road win over San Diego on Sunday.

Today will mark the first-ever match between Pitt and Vermont. The winner of this game will play in the national semifinals next Friday night in Cary, North Carolina, the regular home to the College Cup, and will take on the winner of the Denver vs. UMass match, which also is being played today at 3:00 p.m.

Jay Vidovich’s club currently owns a 14-5 overall record. The Panthers claimed the ACC regular season crown with a 6-2 record in conference play, and as it stands today, three of the final eight teams left standing hail from the conference with SMU and Wake Forest also still alive in this round.

The Panthers have been battle tested in the postseason with two narrow one-goal wins. Arnau Vilamitjana scored Pitt’s only goal, off a penalty kick in the 44th minute, to ignite the Panthers second round win over Cornell. On Sunday, sophomore Albert Thorsen buried his seventh goal of the season in the 97th minute to account for a dramatic game-winner over Kansas City.

Because of that, the Panthers have a chance at history today.

Pitt has made the College Cup, soccer’s version of the Final Four, in 2020 and 2022, and the Panthers would be the only program to make it to Cary for a third time in six years should they win today.

It has been an impressive run for Pitt soccer under the direction of ninth-year head coach Jay Vidovich. The 2024 ACC Coach of the Year has now guided Pitt to six straight NCAA Tournament berths, which are unparalleled heights for this program. Pitt last made the Big Dance in 1965 prior to Vidovich’s arrival.

Pitt has the benefit of hosting today’s match, which should prove to be an advantage. The Panthers are 9-3 at Ambrose Urbanic Field this season and 45-10-9 over the past six seasons playing on their home pitch.