PITTSBURGH – University of Pittsburgh senior Valentine Noel and grad student Jackson Walti have been named to the United Soccer Coaches NCAA Division I Midfield Watch List, as announced by the organization Friday. The Panther tandem was among a group of 26 midfielders selected for the preseason list.
Walti, a Second Team All-ACC selection in 2021, has been a catalyst at the center midfield position and tallied a goal, two assists and 15 shots in a team-best 1,862 minutes played a year ago. The two-time all-region honoree has started 73 consecutive games for the Panthers and has 13 points (5G, 4A), while playing over 7,000 career minutes.
Noel scored seven goals with five assists and 44 shots last season en route to earning First Team All-Region and Second Team All-ACC accolades. The Niort, France, native was a 2020 All-American and MAC Hermann Trophy finalist after delivering 14 goals, including three game-winning goals, during the Panthers’ College Cup run in 2020-21. He has started all 56 games in his career and has 58 points on 24 goals and 10 assists.
Pitt, ranked No. 7 in the United Soccer Coaches Preseason Poll, is coming off a second consecutive Elite Eight appearance and finished 13-5-2 a year ago. The Panthers have been ranked for 33 straight weeks, including being ranked in the top-10 in 28 of those weeks with eight total weeks at No. 1 spot.
Pitt’s first exhibition of the season is Saturday, Aug. 13 at home vs. Robert Morris. The Panthers open regular season play with three top-15 opponents, including back-to-back top-10 teams in No. 2 Georgetown in the season opener Aug. 25 and no. 6 West Virginia in the Backyard Brawl in Pittsburgh Aug. 29. Tickets for the 2022 men’s soccer season can be purchased online HERE.
The lists are being released for the first time this season by the Division I All-America Committees to promote college soccer leading up to the official start date for the regular season later this month. The lists include United Soccer Coaches All-Americans and first or second team All-Region players from 2021, who are scheduled to return for the 2022 season.
“United Soccer Coaches is pleased to be able to bring some additional focus to these outstanding student-athletes from our member schools as pre-season training gets underway,” said Ralph Polson, the Senior College All-America Administrator. “While other players will most certainly emerge, these previous honorees represent some of the best at their positions entering this season.”
These positional announcements also lead up to the 2022 watch lists for the prestigious Missouri Athletic Club’s Hermann Trophy on the official start date for regular season games on August 18 (women) and August 25 (men). The MAC Hermann Trophy is presented annually to the Division I National Players of the Year as voted by Division I College Coaches at the end of the regular season. The 2022 recipients will be announced on January 6, 2023, in St. Louis, Mo.
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2022 NCAA Division I Watch List – Midfielders
Name – Yr. – School
Knut Ahlander – Sr. – SMU
Kemy Amiche – So. – Campbell
Edwin Askelsen – Gr. – Rhode Island
Yannick Bright – Jr. – New Hampshire
Noel Caliskan – Sr. – Loyola Marymount
Karim Diao – Sr. – Central Arkansas
Luis Garcia – Sr. – Providence
Joran Gerbet – So. – Oregon State
Hendrik Hebbeker – Gr. – Hofstra
Tucker Lepley – So. – UCLA
Alex Nagy – Gr. – Vermont
Valentine Noel – Sr. – Pitt
Rory O’Driscoll – Gr. – New Hampshire
Yazid Omri – Gr. – Pacific
Sebastian Schacht – Gr. – North Carolina
Jannis Schmidt – Gr. – Cleveland State
Peter Stroud – Jr. – Duke
Ousmane Sylla – Jr. – Clemson
Federico Tellez – Jr. – Northeastern
Marc Torrellas – Jr. – Loyola, Chicago
Inigo Villaldea – Jr. – San Diego State
Gino Vivi – Sr. – Central Florida
Jackson Walti – Gr. – Pitt
Laurence Wootton – Jr. – Ohio State
Kian Yari – Sr. – Missouri State
Tyler Young – Jr. – Campbell