Freshman defender Heath Pearce had a goal and an assist Saturday as #16 Portland beat Oregon State 2-0 in the first round of the 2002 NCAA Men’s College Cup soccer tournament.

Pearce assisted on Nate Jaqua’s goal in the 31st minute, then scored his own goal in the 36th minute on an improbable 55-yard shot.

The Pilots (13-5-1) advance to face Stanford in the second round of the tournament, Wednesday, Nov. 27 in Palo Alto, Calif. Oregon State’s season ended at 13-7-0 after their first-ever NCAA tournament appearance.

“The first 15 minutes, Oregon State put a lot of pressure on us. Once the game slowed down, we found our rhythm and got into our passing style,” said Portland head coach Clive Charles.

Pearce was instrumental in not only giving the Pilots a 2-0 lead, but keeping the shutout intact. The assist on Jaqua’s goal came after Pearce held the ball deep in the OSU end, then turned the ball toward the endline before sending a quick cross to Jaqua for the finish.

“Heath got the ball wide and sent it onto my left foot,” said Jaqua of his game-winning goal. “It was a great ball after a great individual effort.”

Pearce’s goal five minutes later was hardly planned, but gave the Pilots a 2-0 lead with 55 minutes left to play. Attempting to clear the ball away just inside the midfield line, Pearce sent a high ball toward the OSU goal. OSU keeper Peter Billmeyer tracked the ball back, but the ball bounced on the goal line and into the net.

“I was just trying to get the ball behind their defense,” said Pearce of his second career goal.

Pearce later cleared away an OSU shot off the line, after his own poor clearance left Portland keeper Curtis Spiteri stranded away from the goal. Spiteri earned his seventh shutout of the season without making a save, as the Pilot defense thwarted most Beaver scoring opportunities.

Portland outshot the Beavers 13-9, and Billmeyer made three saves, including a pair in a 10-second span after Paul Robinson and Alejandro Salazar had two crossing headers.

“We were a bit unlucky on the second goal, but Portland deserved to go forward,” said OSU coach Dana Taylor. “In a tight game, we didn’t finish our opportunities. They capitalized on our mistakes.”