Right on time Eddy I feel your personal pain. As a relative of one of the players who the new coaching staff inherited I must admit. I just love the new environment that the new staff have created since their arrival. I can only imagine the personal pain you endure when you see Pitt experience a little success. Its all good though. I would recommend that you focus on what you have control over ( Just stand by like all of us and see how this program progresses ) GO PITT
Thanks saladking. Like I said, my daughter actually has an interest in Pitt and I think she is leaning that way unless things changed after yesterday. Hence my user name and if my daughter chooses the Panthers and this parent can afford to send her there then of course I will support the program wholeheartedly. I have never coached but have played before and still do in my beer league and enjoy watching pro games so I know a little bit. I do rate the staff and players and that's why I went to this game in the first place. Just have a more different read on things now having seen how the two teams played. All I was stating was that the final score was in no way indicative of how the teams played. I know enough about soccer to know that sometimes one team can have the run of play and not win and that was the game yesterday. But I was impressed that Pitt had a never-say-die attitude and in the end found a way to get a result. Didn't deserve it but at the end they got the W. I hope they get 1 or 2 more but it will take better play to do that. Just my own observations from a not so savvy soccer fan.
Panther Fan I just saw it as two individuals having a difference of opinion which we are all allowed to have. I had an opportunity to see them play three ACC games and I felt the victory yesterday was a culmination of the growth they had shown over those three games. This is a program that has been steadily improving in a league where wins are hard to come by. I am sure this is an exciting time for your daughter as she gets an opportunity to evaluate various universities. As you can tell I love my Panthers. It doesn't mean that I can't be objective though. So again all the best moving forward. GO PITT
Bitter parents who have an agenda of attacking a coach and their staff is really poor form. Doing it 2 years after the fact is pathetic. You have made your point. The last coach was fired because of lack of results. The new coach was hired to get results. There are a million ways to skin a cat, but those players had an opportunity to get it done with the last coach and couldn't. The players have to take some responsibility in that. This isn't rec soccer. Women's soccer wants respect in the bigger picture but some sad dad getting on message boards and whining about losing some money is desperate. If your kid is anything like you, its no wonder this staff didn't want her. It's not charity. It's an Athletic's scholarship! Interestingly enough, at Pitt, if you receive an ACADEMIC scholarship, and don't perform at a certain GPA, they pull your scholarship.
Wow, thanks for the lecture Dr. Devad! Didn't know you cared so much. I especially enjoyed "some sad dad getting on message boards and whining about losing some money is desperate." So taking the time to be critical of me personally is a real sign of intelligence and maturity so thank you for the example you've set. Mr. Miller will soon be thrown under the bus right where he threw those soccer players that were once told they were "Pitt material". Has nothing to do with scholarship money. Actually, if you would care to use some facts and logic to make a point, you'll realize it is actually Pitt's interested in money, from the ACC football TV contract, that has led to the pressure now put on other sports like soccer to be at least a little more competitive. AND just for fun, you could argue Pitt has played Cuse for years in the old Big East so Pitt hasn't REALLY beaten an ACC team yet.
Eddie K You had me all this time. I didn't realize that you were a legitimate Pitt Hater with an agenda. If what Devad claims is true I may even know who you are. Unfortunately for you, the Cuse is a member of the ACC. So I guess that means its an ACC win . I promise after this qoute you weren't be hearing from me again. You are just out to try and damage the Pitt program. Hasta la Vista Baby ACC SCHOOLS BC, Clemson, Duke, FSU, Louisville, Miami, UNC, NC State, Notre Dame, Pitt SYRACUSE, UVA, VA Tech Wake So just for fun you can't deny the win even if its there only one for the year. I hope they can find a way to get another in this tough ACC conference. GO PITT
I am an alumna of both SU (BS) and Pitt (MS), probably before women's soccer was played in any way on either campus, certainly I had no awareness of it at the time, if it was. I am really happy for the Pitt players that they got to notch an ACC win. I can't imagine how mentally difficult it would be to be trying to perform in a powerhouse conference like the ACC while trying to build up from such a different starting place - going out to be pummeled match-to match, working hard every day and making the sacrifices that come with DI athletics. I just got to see Syracuse play at Univ of Cincinnati a week ago - they looked pretty good for I think the first half, then things kind of went south. Liked the demeanor of their coach on the sidelines - at least he appears to take a positive attitude towards in-game coaching which I appreciate. Anybody that has spent any time whatsoever watching soccer knows that results do not always reflect what we "think" should happen. Sometimes a team dominates possession but doesn't create chances, sometimes a team creates tons of chances and does not finish any of them, sometimes there is a counter or other event which goes against the general flow of the game and that leads to an upset... it is all part of the beautiful game and part of what makes soccer so enjoyable frustrating and exciting to watch. Hail to Pitt. Hope the team can find a way to win another match or two in conference play and that they will continue to improve.
Let's put the brakes on a little. It was NC State, a team where Pitt was a few years back....massive rebuild (and two top players out). Good for the kids to feel some ACC success but the next group of games will be a better measuring stick for this group.
When your team goes 0-13 and they experience a little success I think its okay to celebrate a little and feel good about the kids and the program. The ACC coaches picked Pitt 14 the past two season. So I don't think the measuring stick is Notre Dame and some of the other elite ACC teams like UNC or FSU. They are all final four teams with UNC and Notre Dame being previous national champions. They are all stocked with national team and future professional players. These are games everyone, but the players and the staff, expects them to lose. I am sure you (Germans4Allies4) don't think your team could ever lose to PITT As you know its hard to win games in the ACC. We don't know when or if our Pitt Panthers will win another game. So let us enjoy them a little. I can only hope that their staff and players ignore all their naysayers. Us Pitt fans just want to see them continue to grow and get better. You can't blame us for loving our Panthers right. GO PITT
I've got no dog in the ACC fight and am pleased to see Pitt get some positive attention after some of the abuse taken on this forum. Yes, it is hard to win ACC games but, at some point, Pitt does have to gauge itself against the top teams to see progress. If Syracuse, NC State, Miami and a few others are the goal then Pitt is closer to its mark.
I do agree with you. I am sure they have their sites set higher as they continue to progress through the ACC gauntlet. I will leave that to their staff. With this young team I will not be surprised to hear that they are really looking forward to seeing how they stack up with the top teams in the ACC this year. However, I won't ignore the strides they have made this year should they lose against the teams I mentioned earlier. I am sure the Pitt abusers will return should Pitt stumble in the future. Until then I will enjoy the little success they have had thus far. GO PITT
Just remember Pitt fans, you'll soon be called to a 'special meeting' and be required to bring all your Pitt soccer gear. At this meeting, half of you will have your season tickets revoked and be told your just not "Pitt material" anymore now that we've joined the ACC. (Yes, fact that this happened to the players there.) Keep elevating this Pitt thread and I'll keep reminding you that actually read it of the 'integrity' of Pitt athletics and the Pitt soccer staff that you seem so excited about.
Actually I do have a meeting this week to return my Pitt Jacket and T-Shirts that I wore in NY. Dang now everybody knows of my dilema You are really on top of things. I am sure you have since burned yours. Don't have to worry about season tickets. They don't charge anymore. So I am good there Just to set the record straight you are reminding me of nothing. Devad called you out for who you really are ( A Bitter Parent). So no one will be taking you seriously anytime soon. So move on and get a life. Have a Brown Day GO PITT
Enough already. Coaching changes suck. They are not pretty. Kids get hurt in the process. And, yes, if another change takes place anytine soon more kids will be told to hit the road. A sad reality of college athletics, not just women's soccer. Sounds like things could have been handled better a couple of years back; really is time to let it go and move on.
I recently found out about this thread and had to check it out. I am a former Pitt Panther who graduated a few years ago and maybe able to shed some light on some of the comments shared throughout this thread. I attended the University the first year the new coaches were there. I new one of them really well and wished I was able to play for them. As a new staff they were responsible for evaluating all the present players and all the incoming recruits that were not theirs. As a student-athlete I understood that clearly from day one. I also knew that all incoming freshmen were all given the opportunity to seek out other college opportunities and if they attended there would be no guarantees of having a spot on the team. Everyone on the team understood that they were all going to be evaluated during the new staff's first year and at the end of the year decisions were going to be made about each of them. I remember talking to my parents about it. They confirmed as a new staff they had a right to do what they were doing and if I was in that situation they would be fine with it. I was able to see a couple of games that year before I left. I remember sitting there and saying to myself none of the freshmen were good enough to play in the ACC. One of my former teammates who was trying to play overseas did discuss with me the list in the office one of you mentioned. All it entailed was the present roster and future prospects. So it wasn't anything negative. I am sure programs all over the country have one. At the end of the year all college programs have their student-atheletes return their gear. I had to do it for 4 years so did my sister and many of our friends who played college soccer. It's a normal practice. One of the things I was really impressed with and I know this for a FACT was how diligent the Pitt coaches were in helping players find new opportunities. They were personally calling other college programs to help place the players who wanted to leave or were not a fit. I know they didn't have to do a lot of what they were doing either. It is normal for parents, relatives or anyone associated with these players to feel the way some of you do. However, when I compare the team environment now to then I must admit its a major upgrade. I wish I was able to play under this present staff for my last year. The ACC is a tough league to win games. They have a tough road ahead but they have been navigating themselves quite fine. The next three games will be tough. I love where my Panthers are headed. I wish them only success.