The victories — 36 of them in the past three seasons, plus a berth in the 2020-21 College Cup — are the baubles Jay Vidovich and his Pitt men’s soccer players wear like badges of honor.

But Vidovich’s goals for his team reach much deeper than what the scoreboard lights show. When he was asked what most pleases him about Pitt’s fourth consecutive winning season, his answer speaks to everyone’s ability (players and staff) to accept and confront every challenge.

“We keep growing, keep getting better,” he said, “handling different experiences and learning from them.”

Pitt starts its next journey at 7 p.m. Wednesday when the sixth-seeded Panthers meet No. 11 N.C. State in the first round of the ACC Tournament at Ambrose Urbanic Field. Pitt (7-3-5, 3-2-3 ACC) is ranked No. 24 in the United Soccer Coaches poll.

All but two of Pitt’s 15 opponents have been nationally ranked. Against the best of them, the Panthers are 0-2-1, including a scoreless tie with No. 3 Duke.

Pitt entered this season with 16 new players, including a completely overhauled defensive unit.

“Lots of new pieces,” Vidovich said.

Nonetheless, the Panthers found a way to win or tie all six games (2-0-4) in October. Pitt hasn’t lost since Sept. 30 (3-1 to Virginia).

“That’s been a heckuva challenge to just keep pushing, keep pushing to do that while down players from injury or illness,” Vidovich said. “We even had covid hit the guys and the staff and we kept banging away.

“They keep showing me that they are capable of a little bit more.”

The team is led by its three top point producers — junior Filip Mirkovic (three goals/10 assists), senior Valentin Noel (six/three) and junior Bertin Jacquesson (five/three). Valentin and Jacquesson were named second-team All-ACC last season. Jacquesson was ACC 2020 Freshman of the Year.

Meanwhile, goalkeeper Joe van der Sar has allowed 17 goals in 15 games while recording six shutouts. “That keeps you in most games,” Vidovich said.

The senior goalkeeper, who has lived in Italy, England and Netherlands, has the athleticism and requisite soccer IQ to skillfully direct traffic around the net. “A good voice, shouting good information,” Vidovich said.

In his seventh season at Pitt, Vidovich has brought the Panthers into the national soccer spotlight, and kept them there. Winless in the 2015 ACC season — the year before Vidovich arrived — Pitt hit the jackpot in 2020-21 on the way to the College Cup, soccer’s version of the Final Four.

The experience gained in that long season — split between fall and spring due to covid —may help in the coming days. Noel and Jacquesson scored goals in the 3-0 NCAA Tournament victory against Washington that propelled Pitt into the College Cup.

This season has been different in another way.

In an attempt to decrease injuries, the NCAA eliminated overtime in the regular season. “They’re trying to save on injuries in a compacted schedule,” Vidovich said.

Even in the five ties, the team has been trending in the right direction, he said. “At the end of every match, win, lose, tie, we’ve been in control of it.”

He also likes how the team responds when the opponent jumps ahead. “We’ve learned to fight that way,” he said.

Like any coach, Vidovich knows sustaining success is no easy task.

“My assistants are busting their hump all the time, finding talent and bringing people in,” he said. “You can never rest on anything we’ve done. To keep up with where we are, we have a lot of work to do.”

He did admit, however, that Pitt’s reputation as a winning program helps.

“People who used to not answer the phone will answer the phone now and it’s not just in this country, it’s overseas,” he said. “People are taking notice to the way the guys play and the way we win.”

NOTE: In its first ACC Tournament appearance in program history, the Pitt women’s team (12-4-3) lost to Notre Dame in a penalty kick shootout, 5-4. The teams played to a 1-1 tie through two overtimes. Pitt, ranked No. 19 in the United Soccer Coaches poll, hopes to gain a berth in the 64-team NCAA Tournament when selections are announced Monday.

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