THIS WEEK:
Saturday, Aug. 26: at Oregon State, 2 p.m.
THE OPPONENT
Oregon State: The Pilots beat OSU 8-1 to open the 1999 season, and the Beaver season never completely got off the ground after that. OSU finished a respectable 8-11-1 overall, but just 1-8-0 in the Pac-10. Eight starters and 14 letterwinners return for OSU, including leading scorers Katie Henderson (6g-2a) and Bree Anna Jolin (7g-0a).
Portland is 18-1-0 all-time against OSU, the one loss a 3-2 setback in Corvallis in the 1994 season.
PILOTS SECOND IN WCC COACHES’ POLL
Portland was picked to finish second but earned one first-place vote in the West Coast Conference coaches’ poll. Santa Clara received the other seven available first-place ballots to earn the top preseason slot. Portland was 12-7-1 in 1999, and missed the NCAA playoffs for the first time in eight years.
Portland has never finished lower than a tie for second since joining the West Coast Conference women’s soccer circuit in 1992.
Here is the result of the three preseason coaches’ poll taken recently (first-place votes in parentheses):
Women's Soccer
1. Santa Clara (7) 49
2. Portland (1) 40
3. Loyola Marymount 39
4. San Diego 29
5. Saint Mary's 23
6. Pepperdine 22
7. Gonzaga 10
San Francisco 10
SEASON OPENERS FALL PORTLAND’S WAY
The Pilots have won their last 10 season openers, with the last loss a 1-0
setback in 1989 to UC-Santa Barbara – the debut of Clive Charles as women’s
soccer coach.
PILOTS OWN THE WCC OPENERS ALSO
Portland has a 45-4-1 all-time record in West Coast Conference play, so it
should be obvious that Portland has never lost a WCC opener.
After Portland’s 3-0 win over Gonzaga, the Pilots have won all eight of their WCC openers, with all eight games coming against Gonzaga.
2000 Preview
In a program where excellence is the norm and post-season appearances are commonplace, the 1999 season did not go as planned. For starters, the Pilots stumbled to an uncharacteristic 12-7-1 record, the most losses for a Portland team under Clive Charles’ 11-year tenure. Worse yet, and despite a 5-2-0 West Coast Conference record which came during a 10-3-0 string, the Pilots failed to advance to the NCAA playoffs for the first time since 1991.
The 1999 season aside, Portland returns 10 starters and 15 letterwinners which gained valuable experience toward a return to national prominence. While the team lost three key performers, the returners are a savvy bunch led by a standout senior class. The Pilots return seven of last season’s eight top scorers. All fourteen returning players made at least two starts each in 1999. At times, however, the Pilots had as many as five freshmen in 1999 starting lineups.
“There shouldn’t be a player on our roster who wants to remember any part of the 1999 season,” said Portland head coach Clive Charles. “I think there was a certain amount of embarassment involved, but the reality is we played with makeshift lineups for most of the season, and asked things of players who hadn’t had enough experience to handle that much change right out of the gate.”
“Still, the younger players have to understand that the Portland uniform has a bulls-eye on it for other teams, and we have to bring our best game every day to the field.”
Cheryl Loveless is the only keeper on the roster with collegiate experience, and the senior will be looking for her first completely injury-free year in a Pilot uniform. In 1999, Loveless was named the University of Portland’s Female Scholar-Athlete of the Year after graduating cum laude with a chemistry degree. The American Institute of Chemists Outstanding Senior, Loveless made 12 starts, posting a 1.19 goals against average. She had shutouts against Hawaii and Saint Mary’s, and shared shutouts against Oklahoma and Gonzaga. She ranks third on Portland’s career GAA list (0.65), fourth with 22 shutouts, and second with 137 saves.
Senior forward Vanessa Talbott topped the team last year with 25 points (12g-1a), earning honorable mention all-WCC honors, and was the Outstanding Offensive Player of Portland’s tourney after notching a hat-trick against Oklahoma State. She was also all-tourney at Washington. Talbott started 17 of Portland’s 20 games, and scored her 12 goals on just 32 shots.
Lisa Casagrande took the spring semester off to train for the 2000 Olympics in her home country of Australia. Casa was second on the team with eight goals and three assists for 19 points. All-tourney at Washington, Casagrande was limited to 13 starts in 15 games, but scored a goal against Oregon State in her first collegiate game. She had two goals and two assists vs. San Francisco, after two goals and an assist against Washington State.
Emily Patterson made 11 starts in 20 games and finished as the team’s third-leading scorer with 18 points (7g-4a). She had three goals against Saint Mary’s, and had a goal and assist vs. Oklahoma State and Oregon. Erin Misaki was a first-team all-WCC pick and also earned Soccer Buzz second-team all-West Region and West Region all-Freshman honors. Misaki was all-tourney at Washington, and her nine assists led Portland. She had a goal and assist vs. Oregon State in her first collegiate game, and later added a goal and assist at Washington.
Betsy Barr earned second-team all-WCC honors after finishing with 11 points (4g-3a). A Soccer Buzz West Region all-Freshman pick, Barr scored goals against Oregon State, Oklahoma State, Oregon and Texas, and had assists against Washington, Saint Mary’s and San Francisco. Crissy Marti was a walk-on to the program, but made three starts in 16 games, with four goals and two assists. She had a goal and assist in a start vs. San Francisco.
Kylee Barton played in 19 games with 16 starts, and had a goal and two assists against Oregon State. She’s tied for eighth on Portland’s career list with 20 assists, and needs only 18 points to tie for 10th. She spent the spring semester studying in England. Lindsay Smart, the anchor of the Portland defense, was honorable mention all-WCC with 20 starts, and scored two goals – the game-winner vs. Oregon State – and vs. San Francisco.
Brooke O’Hanley moved to defense in 1999 and had four assists in 20 starts. She had two assists against Saint Mary’s. Erin Goodling made 19 starts in 20 games, and will be counted on for steady defense. She had assists against Gonzaga and Texas. Valerie Fletcher played in 16 games with eight starts, collecting two assists in Portland’s 3-2 win at Texas.
Ana Del Bosque made two starts in 13 games, notching assists against Oregon State and Saint Mary’s. Lauren Orlandos, one of Portland’s top recruits a year ago, was limited by injury to just 10 starts in 11 games. Still, Orlandos joined the U.S. national team in training, but an injury kept her out of an overseas trip with the U-21s.
For Portland to return to national prominence, the Pilot freshmen class must live up to expectations. Fortunately, the incoming recruits boast credentials which point to immediate contribution.
Jennifer Bosa was a three-time all-league player at Holy Names Academy in Seattle, earning Metro League MVP honors as a senior. Bosa scored on a penalty kick to lead Holy Names to the Washington state 3A title as a senior, and scored the game-winning goal in three of four playoff games. Darci Carruthers was a three-time all-Pacific League goalie at Arcadia High School in Temple City, Calif. The league MVP as a sophomore and senior, Carruthers had 22 shutouts and allowed just 10 goals with a 23-3-2 record as a senior. She was also the adidas Outstanding Goalkeeper at the 1999 National Cup for her Mission Viejo Mirage club team.
Imani Dorsey was a Parade magazine all-American as a senior, as well as NSCAA all-American at Harvard-Westlake School in Santa Monica. A first-team all-CIF player three times, Dorsey was the Mission League Defensive Player of the Year as a sophomore, and Offensive Player of the Year as a senior with 23 goals. Lauren Mussallem joins Portland from Lake Oswego High School. A first-team Oregon 4A all-state pick as a senior and three-time all-league player, Mussallem was first-team CCS Division I and Freshman of the Year as a freshman at Live Oaks High School in California.
Cristin Shea was her team MVP and Best Defense award winner as a senior goalie at Lakewood, Colorado’s Bear Creek High School. She earned 11 athletic letters in high school, and played the 1999 W-League season with the Denver Diamonds. She also led her team to the quarterfinals of the 1999 and 2000 state tourneys.
SUMMER COMINGS AND GOINGS: As is typical for Portland players, the offseason rarely resembles a typical break from soccer. Pilots literally travel the globe for competition with various club, regional and national teams.
Junior midfielder Ana Del Bosque joined the Mexican national team, and started two of Mexico’s three games in the U.S. Gold Cup.
Sophomore Lisa Casagrande spent the spring semester and all summer training with the Australian national team in preparation for the 2000 Olympics, but foot surgery forced her off the active roster. She’ll join the Pilots next week, according to reports.
Betsy Barr, Erin Misaki and Erin Goodling all played in the U.S. Soccer Festival held in Rhode Island. Misaki and Goodling played for the champion West Region team, while Barr played for the Sacramento Storm club team.
Misaki and Goodling also played for the Mission Valley Mirage club team, which won the California State Cup and finished second in the regional tourney. Following the U.S. Soccer Festival, Goodling was named to the U.S. National ‘B’ team.
Pilot newcomers Imani Dorsey and Jennifer Bosa also had busy summers - Dorsey playing for the Region IV ODP team, while Bosa traveled to regionals with her Emerald City FC Azzurri club team.
THE 1999 SEASON
Portland finished its season with three straight wins, including 2-1 wins over Pepperdine and Loyola Marymount, but a 3-3 record over the final six games was apparently the death knell for the Pilots in regard to the NCAA tournament.
The Pilots missed the NCAA Women’s College Cup for the first time since 1991, ending a streak of seven straight tournament berths. Portland finished its season 12-7-1 (5-2-0 in West Coast Conference games for second place), but was not be able to replicate 1998’s semifinal appearance.
Of the 48 teams selected for the tournament in 1999, Portland faced five teams - taking an 0-5 record against that quintet (San Diego, Santa Clara, Virginia, Nebraska, and Southern California).
SEVEN PILOTS EARN ALL-WEST COAST CONFERENCE HONORS
The University of Portland women’s soccer team had seven players selected all-West Coast Conference, as announced by the WCC office.
Sophomore forward Susanna Heikari (Vantaa, Finland) and freshman midfielder Erin Misaki (Valencia, CA) were first-team selections, while freshman midfielder Betsy Barr (Granite Bay, CA), was a second-team pick.
Angela Harrison (Sr., GK, Spokane, WA), Cheryl Loveless (Jr., GK, Colorado Springs, CO), Lindsay Smart (So., D, Coronado, CA), and Vanessa Talbott (Jr., F, Lake Oswego, OR), all former WCC first-team picks, received honorable mention honors.
Portland has now had 59 all-conference picks since 1992, second only to Santa Clara’s 62 over that span.
1999 women’s soccer
all-West Coast Conference
First team
Susanna Heikari (So., F, Vantaa, Finland)
Erin Misaki (Fr., M, Valencia, CA)
Second team
Betsy Barr (Fr., M, Granite Bay, CA)
Honorable mention
Angela Harrison (Sr., GK, Spokane, WA)
Cheryl Loveless (Jr., GK, Colorado Springs, CO)
Lindsay Smart (So., D, Coronado, CA)
Vanessa Talbott (Jr., F, Lake Oswego, OR)
BARTON, TALBOTT CRACK TOP 10
Senior forwards Kylee Barton and Vanessa Talbott broke into Portland’s career top 10 lists last season, with time to make serious runs at top 5 listings.
Talbott is now sixth in career goals with 31, and her goal at Pepperdine put her ninth in career points (64).
Barton is tied for eighth in career assists with 20, and needs only 18 points to tie for 10th.
CONSECUTIVE LOSSES RARE UNDER CHARLES
When Clive Charles took over the women’s program in 1989, it was a program on solid footing with only two previous losing seasons. Consecutive
losses were just as rare as losing seasons.
In Charles’ first 10 seasons, Portland suffered consecutive non-win (ties or losses) contests just seven times. That total grew to five times early this
season, but it was the first time both contests happened on Merlo Field.
Portland’s win against San Francisco stopped a three-game losing skid, and Portland earlier this year had a three-game skid which was preceded by a tie with Wisconsin.
In 1994, Portland had consecutive losses at Hartford and Connecticut; in 1993, the Pilots had a loss at Santa Clara, followed by a tie at California; in 1991, the team had losses at Colorado College and Southern Methodist; in 1990, the team lost consecutive games at Santa Clara and California. In 1989 (Clive’s first season), the team opened with home losses (on what is now the practice field) to Santa Barbara and California, then later in the year lost at Saint Mary’s and Santa Clara.
Prior to Charles, the program had suffered 18 situations of consecutive non-wins.
CONSECUTIVE LOSSES, PART DUH
Unfortunately, the consecutive non-win games thread was carried even further after the Nebraska tournament, as the Pilots saw a non-winning streak reach four games.
Portland’s streak was just the sixth such non-win streak longer than three games in program history, and the first time it’s happened to a Clive Charles team. The longest stretch without a win: seven games in 1982, followed by a six-game streak in 1983, five in 1983, and two games each in 1987 and 1988.
SKY IS FALLING - LOSSES ON MERLO FIELD
REACHES DOUBLE DIGITS
Portland’s three losses in 1999 (6-3-1 at home), put Portland’s record on Merlo Field at 85-11-2 (.878). With its’ win, Virginia joined an elite group of three teams to register more than one win over Portland on the hallowed pitch. Virginia is 2-0 at Portland, joining Notre Dame (three wins), and North Carolina (two wins). Only seven teams have ever beaten Portland at home -San Diego, San Jose State, Virginia, Santa Clara, UCLA, Notre Dame and North Carolina.
