Pitt Seniors Paved the Way as Panthers Earned Historic Win

Last Saturday marked a date more than six years in the making for Pitt.

The Panthers, who began competing at the Division I level in 2022, had never toppled a ranked opponent. They’d experienced several close calls, testing ACC contenders to their limits — but coach Emily Boissonneault’s team hadn’t come out on the winning end.

That all changed on Senior Day, with Pitt knocking off then-No. 20 Notre Dame 13-12 at Highmark Stadium.

A matchup honoring the seniors who’d been with the program since its inaugural season, the clash with the Fighting Irish added another element to Boissonneault’s class of history makers.

“From day one, we’ve always talked about how everything we do is going to be hard,” Boissonneault said. “We talk about it a lot in the recruiting process, not to scare kids away, but to make sure that the people that choose to be here understand that it’s a commitment to getting better and not just stepping on the field and already having that.”

Entering her matchup with Notre Dame, sophomore attacker Paige Telatovich had tallied seven goals in her first 14 games. Telatovich nearly doubled that figure, scoring a career-high five goals and adding an assist to help pace the Panther attack.

Boissonneault said Telatovich typically thrives off-ball by opening opportunities for her teammates, but she’s finding her footing as a key contributor late in the season.

“It has been really cool to see her develop, not just as an off-ball player, but to see opportunities for herself and finish these opportunities,” Boissonneault said. “She’s just developing into the offense and reading the defense. She’s the player right now that we always knew she could be.”

Throughout her first few seasons at the helm, Boissonneault spoke often about reaching new program milestones. In 2025, she realized focus needed to shift to attacking every opportunity with improvement in mind.

Pitt currently stands on the outside looking in of the ACC tournament picture, and the Panthers dropped six of their first seven conference games. Still, Boissonneault said it’s pertinent to keep things in perspective and understand the multi-stage process Pitt has launched.

“We don’t have that established name,” Boissonneault said. “When our athletes come in, they know they’re here to help us build that. They’re here to be a difference maker. I don’t think other programs can say that. Come here and be the person that helps us break records, that helps us get that first ranked win, get to an ACC final, help us get to an NCAA tournament.”

The Panthers close their 2025 regular season Thursday evening at No. 16 Clemson. A victory would tie a program record for wins in a season (9) and hand Pitt its first-ever campaign with a winning record.

DREXEL’S BIG CHALLENGE

Drexel coach Katie O’Donnell declined to discuss her team’s monumental Friday matchup as anything beyond “business as usual.”

“You walk into gameday, you’re 0-0,” O’Donnell said. “You haven’t won anything yet. You’d like to finish 1-0 when the day is over. When you do, great. When you don’t, hopefully you have another game, another opportunity to compete.”

The Dragons, winners of 10 consecutive games following a Feb. 16 defeat to Penn, have raced out to a 6-0 start in CAA play. But O’Donnell’s squad will face its grandest conference test yet — a road clash at Stony Brook.

With both teams tied atop the CAA standings, the game will likely decide the race for the conference tournament’s No. 1 seed. For the Dragons, it provides a chance to knock off the Seawolves for the first time in program history.

“Stony Brook is a really great team, they’re really aggressive, but we’re ready for that,” attacker Bea Buckley said. “We want to take on their pressure, and it’s going to be a battle. That’s inevitable. At the end of the day, what team is going to show up and want it more?”

After commanding a spot on the CAA All-Rookie team in 2024, Buckley has elevated her game to new heights. The sophomore leads Drexel with 19 goals and 27 assists — just 13 assists off the Dragons’ single-season program record.

Buckley’s rapid rise has come at a crucial crossroads for Drexel, as redshirt senior attacker Anna Maria Gragnani has been sidelined since the team’s March 23 matchup with Campbell.

“That was a challenge at the end of March, but our kids stepped up right away,” O’Donnell said. “Our leadership did a great job of instilling confidence in some of our younger players. We always try to focus on the ‘next man up’ mentality. You never know when you’re going to get your opportunity, but you gotta be ready to go.”

As has been the case for the past three seasons, the Dragons are backstopped by one of the nation’s premier goalkeepers in Jenika Cuocco. While Cucco’s save percentage has taken a slight dip to .480 (still No. 15 nationally), her 9.04 goals allowed per game are tied for a career-best.

O’Donnell said Cuocco and the defense have provided a consistent source of strength that lends itself to freedom and flair on the attack. This season, Drexel boasts the CAA’s No. 2 scoring offense at 14.08 goals per game — up from 12 goals per game in 2024.

Last time out, the Dragons weathered their most challenging conference test to date against Hofstra in a gutsy 11-10 victory. Buckley said the group is cognizant that every team that steps on the field against Drexel looks to make a statement.

“We always say that we’re everyone’s Super Bowl,” Buckley said. “Everyone’s going to play their best game against us because some people feel like we’re a team they can beat to get into the top 25. We keep reminding people that we’re not gonna stop.”

For Buckley, a Philadelphia native playing a pivotal role for her hometown team, the Dragons embody the spirit of their city.

That spirit will be on full display Friday on Long Island.

“Philly is known for being an underdog, and we really embody that at Drexel,” Buckley said. “Playing with that underdog mentality in such a great city definitely means a lot.”

BY THE NUMBERS

22 • Draw controls for No. 15 Loyola’s Chase Boyle against Boston U.

86 • Michigan goalkeeper Erin O’Grady’s save percentage in a 13-2 win over then-No. 5 Johns Hopkins.

3 • Ranked ACC squads fell to unranked opponents (Stanford, Syracuse, Notre Dame)

8 • Allison Reilly’s point total against Navy to help No. 17 Army sing second for the fourth time in the past six games on Saturday.

6 • Consecutive wins for No. 14 Duke, which will put its undefeated home record to the test against consensus No. 1 North Carolina on Thursday night.