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PORTLAND, Ore. --- Michael Nielsen scored twice and Colin Anderson added two assists as the Portland Pilots cruised to a 4-0 win over the Saint Mary’s Gaels in a West Coast Conference men’s soccer game played on a soggy Friday night at Merlo Field. Nielsen’s two goals give him four in the past two games.
It’s the third straight win for the Pilots, who run their record to 8-6-2 overall and to 3-4-1 in the WCC. The Gaels , who hadn’t played since a 3-2 loss to these same Pilots in Moraga, Calif., on Oct. 16, drop to 4-5-5 overall and to 3-2-2 in the conference.
Nielsen, who scored both of UP’s goals during a 2-0 win at home over Gonzaga on Wednesday, scored once at the 31 minute mark and again in the 55th minute. Anderson assisted on both, with the first coming on a rebound after Anderson banged a free kick off of both posts. From about 25 yards out, Anderson tried to sneak a shot inside the left post, but the ball bounced straight across the goal line, hit the right post and ended up right at the feet of Nielsen. The senior midfielder easily finished to give the Pilots a 2-0 lead.
The score was still 2-0 nine minutes into the second half when Anderson fed Nielsen just inside the top left of the 18-yard box. Nielsen took a touch before burying a shot inside the far post, giving him a team-high six goals on the season.
Second-half sub Ben Hemphill then capped the scoring with a goal off a rebound in the 78th minute to give the Pilots a four-goal advantage. Colin Barich took a crack from the left wing that was saved by the SMC keeper, who was unable to grab onto the ball. Hemphill was there to put away his first goal of the fall.
It was Portland’s Ricardo Carrillo who opened the scoring and who gets credit for the game-winner after giving the Pilots a 1-nil lead in the fifth minute. After UP had withstood a handful of shots from the Gaels, Joe Sleven and Steven Evans worked the ball across the top of the 18-yard box. The ball ended up in the possession of Carrillo, who cracked a low shot inside the right post.
Portland goalkeeper Justin Baarts then made a couple of stellar saves to keep the lead at 1-0 until Nielsen found the back of the net for the first time.
Baarts finished with three saves, while SMC’s Doug Herrick made four. UP finished with a 15-13 edge in shots and an 8-3 advantage in shots on-goal.
The Gaels were forced to play a man-down after Justin Grider picked up his second yellow card of the match as he walked off the field during halftime.
The Pilots next face a pair of WCC road games as they head to Southern California next weekend. First on Friday, the Loyola Marymount Lions will host UP in Los Angeles for a 3 p.m. game. Then on Sunday, the Pilots will be at San Diego for a 2 p.m. tilt.
