2010 Schedule (PDF)

PORTLAND, Ore. --- Rigorous scheduling has been a constant for the University of Portland women’s soccer program and the upcoming 2010 schedule will not disappoint as nine teams that reached at least the second round of last year’s NCAA playoffs are on the ledger for the Pilots next year. Home contests against perennial national powerhouse programs Penn State and Texas A&M, as well as road trips to California and 2009 NCAA runner-up Stanford, highlight the 2010 Portland schedule.

Head coach Garrett Smith and the Pilots will welcome a variety of talented programs to the newly resurfaced Merlo Field at the Clive Charles Soccer Complex. Already considered one of the best soccer facilities in the nation, the natural grass surface was scraped and resurfaced this spring and will be in immaculate condition for the beginning of the 2010 season.

Crosstown rival Portland State will kick-off the Pilots’ schedule with the season opener on Aug. 20 at Merlo Field. Portland will then head to Cal State Northridge to be the featured opponent to open up the Matadors’ season two days later, before returning to Merlo Field for a home weekend against Southern Methodist (Aug. 27) and Midwest power Oklahoma State (Aug. 29).

After facing NCAA third round participant Wisconsin and Big East foe Syracuse at the Husky Invitational in Seattle, Sept. 3-5, the Pilots will return home to host the annual Nike Invitational. The tournament will be on Sept. 10-12 and feature Penn State, Rutgers and Washington, all teams that reached the second round of the 2009 NCAA playoffs.

Fans will get to show their dedication against another elite team five days later when the Pilots welcome Texas A&M on Friday, Sept. 17. The matchup features the top two programs nationally in average attendance over the last seven seasons, with Portland edging the Aggies for the national lead in each of the last five years. The Aggies dealt Portland its lone regular season defeat a season ago and advanced to the NCAA third round.

A difficult Bay Area road trip follows with the Pilots at California on Sept. 23 and then taking on 2009 NCAA finalist Stanford on Oct. 25. Portland will look for redemption in Palo Alto as the Cardinal knocked the Pilots out of the 2008 playoffs at the same site.

Portland will conclude the nonconference slate with home games against Pac-10 Northwest rivals Oregon and Washington on Oct. 1 and Oct. 3, respectively. The game versus the Huskies will be the first of a doubleheader at noon as the Portland men will host Santa Clara at 2:30 p.m.

The Pilots have went undefeated the last three years in West Coast Conference play and will take a record 21-game league winning streak into the 2010 WCC opener at Gonzaga on Oct. 10. Two more doubleheaders with the men’s team come the following weekend on Friday, Oct. 15 at 5 p.m. (men vs. Saint Mary’s/women vs. Loyola Marymount) and Sunday, Oct. 17 at noon (women vs. Pepperdine/men vs. San Francisco). The conference schedule will be difficult with featured road games at San Diego and Santa Clara on Oct. 22 and Oct. 24, respectively.

The first and second rounds of the 2010 NCAA playoffs are scheduled for Nov. 12-14 at campus sites, while the NCAA College Cup will be played December 3-5 in Cary, N.C.

Portland season tickets will go on-sale to the public on June 8. Mini packages will be available on June 22, while single-game tickets go on-sale Aug. 4 at 11 a.m. Packages can be purchased in person or over the phone at the Pilot Box Office at the Chiles Center (503) 943-7525. Single-game purchases are also available at the Pilot Box Office or through all Ticketmaster outlets, online at www.ticketmaster.com or over the phone at (800) 745-3000.

The Pilots return eight starters and 19 letterwinners from last year’s team which finished 21-2-0 overall and reached the NCAA quarterfinals for the fourth consecutive season. Coach Smith also adds a talented seven player recruiting class which is expected to make immediate contributions.

Date	Opponent	Time
Aug. 20	Portland State	7:00 PM
Aug. 22	Cal State Northridge	7:00 PM
Aug. 27	Southern Methodist	7:00 PM
Aug. 29	Oklahoma State	12:00 PM
Sept. 3-5	Husky Invitational
Sept. 3	vs. Wisconsin	4:30 PM
Sept. 5	vs. Syracuse	11:00 AM
Sept. 10-12	Nike Invitational
Sept. 10	Washington vs. Penn State	4:30 PM
Sept. 10	Rutgers	7:00 PM
Sept. 12	Washington vs. Rutgers	12:00 PM
Sept. 12	Penn State	2:30 PM
Sept. 17	Texas A&M	7:00 PM
Sept. 23	California	3:00 PM
Sept. 25	Stanford	7:00 PM
Oct. 1	Oregon	7:00 PM
Oct. 3	Washington	12:00 PM
Oct. 10	Gonzaga*	1:00 PM
Oct. 15	Loyola Marymount*	7:30 PM
Oct. 17	Pepperdine*	12:00 PM
Oct. 22	San Diego*	7:00 PM
Oct. 24	Santa Clara*	1:00 PM
Oct. 31	San Francisco*	1:00 PM
Nov. 6	Saint Mary’s*	12:00 PM
Nov. 12-14	NCAA First/Second Rounds	TBA
Nov. 19-21	NCAA Third Rounds	TBA
Nov. 26-28	NCAA Quarterfinals	TBA
Dec. 3-5	College Cup (Cary, N.C.)	TBA