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Jay Vidovich
Coaching Honors
ACC Coach of the Year: 2002, 2004, 2006, 2008, 2009, 2020 and 2021
NSCAA National Coach of the Year: 2007 and 2008
Walt Chyzowych Award: 2008
NSCAA South Region Coach of the Year: 2002
Jay Vidovich, one of America’s most respected and accomplished soccer coaches, is entering his eighth season as head coach of Pitt in 2023. He was named the third men’s soccer head coach in program history at the University of Pittsburgh in December of 2015.
Vidovich has taken the Panthers program to unimagined heights since taking the reins of the program. Under his tutelage, Pitt has advanced to a pair of College Cups in the past three seasons including in 2022.
Following the impressive 2022 campaign, the Panthers had a trio of players selected in the 2023 MLS SuperDraft which marked the most picks in a single draft in program history. Junior forward Bertin Jacquesson earned a Generation Adidas contract (first in program history) and became the highest drafted Panther in program history when he was selected with the 16th pick by Real Salt Lake. Fellow Panther Valentin Noel also was taken in the first round as he went 20th overall to Austin FC while stalwart midfielder Jackson Walti was taken in the second round, 56th overall by Austin FC.
Jacquesson and Noel became the first pair of teammates at Pitt (any sport) to be selected in the top-20 of the draft since Bill Fralic and Chris Doleman were taken 2nd and 4th overall in the 1985 NFL Draft.
Overall, Pitt capped their impressive 2022 campaign with a 12-5-5 record including a 3-2-3 mark in ACC matches. After knocking off Cleveland State and Akron at home to open up the 2022 NCAA Tournament, the Panthers went on the road and notched the biggest upset of the tournament as they handed the No. 1 overall seed Kentucky a 2-1 loss thanks to a Bertin Jacquesson goal in the 87th minute despite playing down a man.
With the win over Kentucky, the Panthers earned their first ever home NCAA Tournament Elite Eight match as they hosted the Portland Pilots in front of a sold-out crowd at Ambrose Urbanic Field. After a dominant performance, Pitt came out on top in double overtime as Valentin Noel found the back of the net in the 104th minute to send Pitt to their second College Cup in three seasons.
Pitt capped the 2022 campaign ranked No. 4 in the final Top Drawer Soccer rankings, their highest final ranking in program history. They have now earned a top-10 ranking in the final poll in three straight seasons for the first time in program history.
The awards rolled in following the season as Pitt placed five on All-ACC squads while Noel earned Third Team All-American honors and First Team All-South Region honors. Filip Mirkovic also collected First Team All-South Region honors while freshman Jackson Gilman was named College Soccer News First Team Freshman All-America.
In total seven student-athletes from Vidovich’s 2022 squad signed professional contracts which are the most signings in a single season in Pitt history.
Off the pitch, the Panthers had another strong season as well as they placed a program record 11 players on the All-ACC Academic Team while also earning the highest team GPA of any men’s team at Pitt.
Vidovich and the team picked up where it left off in 2021 and captured a share of the ACC Coastal Division Title for the second-straight season and appeared in the NCAA Elite Eight for the second consecutive year. His efforts at the helm earned him ACC Coach of the Year for the second-straight season and seventh time in his illustrious career.
Since the start of the 2020-21 campaign – one split into two seasons due to the COVID-19 pandemic - the Panthers have been nationally ranked and have totaled 31 straight weeks in the United Soccer Coaches Poll. Of those 31 weeks, 21 have been in the top-five and 26 in the top-10.
The 2021 team proved to be one of the best passing teams in the nation, totaling 63 assists and 3.15 assists per game. The total assist mark surpassed last year’s program high of 44 while the assists per game was .65 higher than the previous program best of 2.50 set back in 1971.
The team earned a key 2-0 victory on the road at No. 2 Clemson Sept. 25, 2021, snapping the Tigers’ longest home winning streak in the nation. After the victory, Pitt secured the top spot of home wins in a row, a feat that lasted 19 games and six and a half weeks in the nation’s toughest conference. In addition to longest active home winning streak, the Panthers held the second longest home unbeaten streak in the country at 19-0-0. Vidovich and staff have transformed Ambrose Urbanic Field as a tough place to play as Pitt has outscored its competition 84-28 since the 2019 season and outscored its opponents 43-12 in 2021.
Finishing 13-5-2 with a 5-2-1 conference ledger, the 2021 squad earned multiple accolades both on and off the pitch. Jasper Löeffelsend was named College Soccer News First Team All-American and United Soccer Coaches Second Team All-American, becoming the first two-time All-American in program history as he received both honors in 2020-21. Löeffelsend was also named ACC Defensive Player of the Year for the second consecutive season, a feat that has not happened in the conference since Ike Opara in 2008-09, a player Vidovich coached at Wake Forest.
Nine players were named to the All-ACC Team including a program best six on the Second Team. Pitt’s achievements happened in the classroom as well as eight players were named to the All-ACC Academic Team with Jackson Walti earning the ACC Postgraduate Scholarship Award.
After the conclusion of the 2021 season, both Löeffelsend and Arturo Ordoñez were drafted in the 2022 MLS SuperDraft. Ordoñez was taken 39th overall by the Houston Dynamo, while Löeffelsend was selected 81st overall by Real Salt Lake.
Vidovich and the Panthers concluded one of the most memorable seasons in Pitt men’s soccer history in 2020-21, finishing with a school record 16 wins, nine conference victories and a NCAA College Cup appearance, the first the program has seen. The Panthers finished 16-4 (9-1) and clinched the school’s first ever Coastal Division crown with a 5-0 shutout victory at home over Virginia April 8, 2021.
Under Vidovich and staff, the Panthers earned a plethora of awards in 2020-21. Midfielder Valentin Noel and defender Jasper Löeffelsend received United Soccer Coaches First and Second Team All-America, respectively, the first All-Americans in program history. Three players were named ACC Players of the Year, including Noel (Offensive), Löeffelsend (Defensive) and Bertin Jacquesson (Freshman). A school record five were named to the United Soccer Coaches All-South Region Team, while a program record 10 were named to the All-ACC teams. Noel was also named a finalist for the prestigious MAC Hermann Trophy award, given to college soccer’s best male and female player.
Pitt’s offense ranked among the best in 2020-21, ranking fifth in the country in scoring offense with 2.55 goals per game. The Panthers were first in the nation in total goals (51), total assists (44), and total points (146) while ranking 13th in assists per game (2.20) and sixth in points per game (7.30). In part to leading Pitt to a high powered offense, Pitt earned the No. 1 ranking via United Soccer Coaches Poll for the first time ever Oct. 20, 2020. Men’s soccer became the third athletics team to be named No. 1 in its respective sports poll, joining football and men’s basketball.
Vidovich was named ACC Coach of the Year for the sixth time in his career and first as the Panthers’ head coach April 14, 2021.
In his fourth year at the helm of Pitt men’s soccer, Vidovich led the Panthers to a 10-8-2 record in 2019. Vidovich saw Pitt upset No. 1 Virginia on the road on Oct. 18, host an ACC Tournament game against NC State for the first time in school history on Nov. 10, earn a trip to the ACC Semifinals for the first time in program history and stamp its name into the NCAA Men’s Soccer Championship for the first time since 1965.
Vidovich and the Panthers earned a monumental victory on Nov. 21, 2019 as they defeated Lehigh at Ambrose Urbanic Field, 2-0, winning the first NCAA Men’s Soccer Championship game in school history. The season ended Nov. 24 against No. 2 Georgetown in the second round of the NCAA Men’s Soccer Championship, but only after a record setting season that saw six All-ACC honorees, two ACC All-Tournament Team winners and one United Soccer Coaches All-South Region Team recipient.
During his third year at Pitt in the 2018 season, Vidovich led the Panthers to wins over two ranked opponents in No. 12 NC State and No. 7 Virginia in the ACC Men’s Soccer Tournament. The victory over the Cavaliers marked the Panthers’ first ACC Tournament win in program history. Pitt collected its first conference win on the season against the Wolfpack and picked up another ACC victory over Clemson on Oct. 5.
Vidovich played a crucial role in the development of Javi Perez, who was drafted by LAFC in the third round of 2019 MLS Superdraft. With the selection, Perez became only the second player in program history to be drafted to an MLS club team. Three Panthers were also named to All-ACC teams under Vidovich’s guidance as Edward Kizza was given First Team honors, Javi Perez earned Second Team recognition and Chandler Vaughn was named to the All-Freshman Team. Both Kizza and Perez earned All-Region Honors as well, with Kizza voted to the Second Team and Perez named to the Third Team.
Following his first year at the helm, Vidovich led the Panthers to wins over No. 7 Notre Dame, No. 13 Columbia and No. 21 Syracuse in the 2017 season. The win against Syracuse would be the Panthers’ first win over a ranked opponent since the 2008 season. The victory over the Orange was also the first conference win for Pitt since moving into the ACC at the start of the 2013 season, and they would add their second conference win against the Fighting Irish on Oct. 13. The Panthers would also capture victories against rivals Penn State and West Virginia throughout the season.
Vidovich also guided four players to All-ACC recognition, with Javi Perez earning Second Team honors, Pol Planellas receiving Third Team recognition and both Alexander Dexter and Edward Kizza being named to the All-Freshman Team. The postseason accolades were the team’s first in program history since joining the ACC.
Planellas would go on to become the first Pitt men’s soccer player in program history to be drafted by an MLS Club team after being selected by the Los Angeles Football Club in the second round of the 2018 MLS SuperDraft, becoming the 36th professional player under Vidovich’s tutelage.
Prior to making the move to Pittsburgh, Vidovich oversaw the men’s soccer program at Wake Forest for 21 seasons (1994-2014), building the Demon Deacons into a national power and winning the 2007 NCAA championship. He spent 2015 in professional soccer, coaching the Portland Timbers 2 (T2) in the United Soccer League (USL).
During his Wake Forest tenure, Vidovich compiled a 272-121-50 record and led the Demon Deacons to the NCAA Tournament in 13 of his final 14 seasons. Wake Forest won five Atlantic Coast Conference titles under his watch, compiling a 76-52-22 mark in one of the nation’s most challenging leagues.
In 2007, Wake Forest went 22-2-2—the winningest season in school history—and defeated Ohio State, 2-1, in the national final to claim the program’s first NCAA title. The Demon Deacons made four consecutive appearances in the College Cup from 2006-09.
Vidovich, a two-time National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) National Coach of the Year (2007 and 2008) and five-time ACC Coach of the Year (2002, 2004, 2006, 2008 and 2009), ranks among the most decorated coaches in collegiate soccer.
Vidovich was the 2008 recipient of the prestigious Walt Chyzowych Award for lifetime contributions to the sport of soccer. Vidovich was an assistant under the legendary Chyzowych for eight seasons at Wake Forest from 1986-93.
Widely regarded as one of the game’s top evaluators and developers of talent, Vidovich has produced 21 All-Americans and five ACC Player of the Year honorees (three offensive and two defensive). He also coached Marcus Tracy, the first player in Wake history to win the Missouri Athletic Club’s (MAC) Hermann Trophy, which honors the top individual player in college soccer.
Thirty-five players under Vidovich went on to play in the professional ranks from 2002-14. His Wake Forest teams also achieved academically, evidenced by two ACC Scholar-Athlete of the Year honorees, two Academic All-Americans, one adidas National Scholar-Athlete of the Year and one Senior CLASS Award recipient.
Born in Detroit, Mich., Vidovich was an all-state player for New Canaan High School in Connecticut. He played for Indiana University in 1978 before transferring to Ohio Wesleyan, where he was a three-year starter. As a senior, Vidovich was team captain and helped lead OWU to the semifinals of the NCAA Tournament.
A 1982 graduate of Ohio Wesleyan with a bachelor’s degree in physical education, he went on to earn a master’s degree in sports sciences from the University of Denver in 1983.
It was at Denver where Vidovich’s coaching career was launched as an assistant in 1982. He served in additional assistant posts at Regis College (1983) and his alma mater Ohio Wesleyan (1984-85) before joining Wake Forest’s staff in 1986.
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