Pitt women's soccer blanks Memphis, advances to program's first Elite Eight berth
Pitt women’s soccer team made more history Sunday night, earning its first Elite Eight berth with a 3-0 victory against Memphis in the NCAA Tournament’s Sweet 16 in Fayetteville, Ark.
Next up for the Panthers will be a date with No. 1 Florida State at 5:30 p.m. Friday in Tallahassee, Fla. The winner advances to the College Cup.
In only its second Sweet 16 appearance in program history, Pitt (17-5-1) broke a scoreless tie in the second half with goals from junior Keera Melenhorst and freshmen Deborah Abiodun and Aliya Gomes.
Melenhorst scored after taking a corner kick from Sarah Schupansky. Abiodun recorded her fifth goal of the season, with an assist from Samiah Phiri. Gomes’ first career goal secured the victory in the 87th minute.
Sophomore goalkeeper Ellie Breech tied her single-game career high with seven saves.
Phiri, Ellie Coffield, Schupansky and Amanda West each recorded two shots in the first half, but none crossed the goal line.
Pitt ended the game with an edge in shots (19-13), shots on goal (10-7) and corner kicks (7-6) while handing Memphis only its second defeat this season in 22 matches.
Jerry DiPaola is a TribLive reporter covering Pitt athletics since 2011. A Pittsburgh native, he joined the Trib in 1993, first as a copy editor and page designer in the sports department and later as the Pittsburgh Steelers reporter from 1994-2004. He can be reached at jdipaola@triblive.com.
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