The Pitt men's soccer team extended its historic season with a 4-0 victory over Central Florida on Thursday afternoon at WakeMed Soccer Park in Cary (NC). The victory propels the Panthers to the national quarterfinals as one of the eight teams left remaining in the tournament.

It marks the first time in program history that the Panthers will be appearing in the 'Elite 8" as Pitt is making just its fourth NCAA Tournament appearance ever. Pitt will advance to take on seventh seeded Washington on Monday set for a 1 p.m. start with the game

Jay Vidovich's team struck early and often against the Golden Knights on Thursday afternoon. Pitt found the back of the net just :22 seconds into the match as sophomore Veljko Petkovic buried one past the UCF keeper following a turnover by the Knights deep in their own territory.

Pitt added to that early lead at the 11:44 mark as Bertin Jacquesson set up Alexander Dexter with a nice crossing pass from the corner for his sixth goal of the season, and the second of the tournament for the senior. The 2-0 lead just 12 minutes into the game was a statement for the Panthers, and they never really looked back from there.

Petkovic once again benefitted from a costly mistake by UCF, as he buried his second goal of the first half to make it 3-0 Pitt. The sophomore from Serbia now has 8 goals on the season, after being named second team All-ACC earlier this year.

The 3-0 lead at the break was more than enough for the second-seeded Panthers, but Pitt added one more for good measure in the second half. ACC Offensive Player of the Year, Valentin Noel buried his second goal of the ACC Tournament and his 13th of the year to make it 4-0 Pitt at the 64:19 mark of the game.

Despite the lopsided score, UCF did outshoot Pitt 17-11, with 10-8 shots on goal edge. Pitt goaltender Nico Campuzano stopped all ten shots he faced for a shutout victory.

Pitt improved to 15-3 on the season following Thursday win. The 15 wins is a school-record for most in a single season. The Panthers' program has undergone one of the more impressive transformations in the country in recent years. Vidovich's first season, Pitt went 2-13-3 and now in his sixth year at the helm Pitt is in the Elite 8 and the highest-seeded team remaining in the NCAA Tournament.