THIS WEEK: The Portland Pilots will take on crosstown rival Portland State in a River City Rivalry match on Wed., Oct. 8 at Merlo Field. Start time is set for 4:00 p.m. Portland begins West Coast Conference action at home against Gonzaga in the first match of a doubleheader on Sun., Oct. 12. The teams square off at 12:00 p.m. and are followed by the Portland men against Saint Mary’s at approximately 2:15 p.m.

LAST WEEK: The Pilots continued their winning ways with two victories over in-state rivals Oregon and Oregon State. Portland extended their winning streak to six games after defeating the Ducks 1-0 and the Beavers 2-1. A late goal scored by Oregon State broke a string of five straight shutouts by the Pilots.

Friday’s road match at Oregon was no pushover for the favored Pilots. Portland got off to a slow start and did not manage their first shot on goal until about 36 minute minutes into the first half. The Pilots out-shot the Ducks 5-2 in the first period, and 8-6 for the game. Portland had three corners, the Ducks zero.

Oregon held Portland scoreless until sophomore Lindsey Huie finally broke free and gave Portland the game-winner in the 79th minute. Huie, returning from a foot sprain that forced her to miss the two previous matches, once again came up big for Portland in a clutch situation. A fabulous individual effort created the opportunity and the team’s leading scorer capitalized. After beating two Oregon defenders to the top of the penalty box, Huie spun and blasted a 19-yard shot to the top right shelf over Duck keeper Domenique Lainez. The Pilots notched their fifth straight shutout with the win.

The Pilots returned home the next day to face Oregon State and put forth a dominating effort. Despite a final score of 2-1, the match was a one-sided affair. Portland outshot Oregon State 18-3, and held an 8-0 corner kick advantage. The Pilots put seven shots on goal, while the Beavers managed just one. Portland’s midfield and defenders controlled the match from beginning to end, maintaining possession and preventing any Beaver threats until an 88th minute score by OSU.

Lindsey Huie assisted on both Portland scores to give her six assists on the season. Huie and senior Imani Dorsey connected for a header off a corner kick in the 11th minute to give Portland the early lead. Huie then found freshman Angie Woznuk just inside the penalty box on the right side to make it 2-0 in the 59th minute. Woznuk dribbled by a defender, settled at the six yard line and slotted a shot to the right post past beaver goalie Melissa Onstad.

Portland’s shutout streak came to an end in the 88th minute when Tessa Baker gathered a goal kick from Pilot substitute keeper Ruth Gilliam and beat Gilliam unassisted for the Beavers only goal. It was the only shot attempt for OSU in the second half.

A QUICK LOOK AT PORTLAND: Portland returns 11 letterwinners, six starters and adds 10 newcomers to the 2003 roster. Junior Christine Sinclair and sophomore Lindsey Huie have been named preseason all-America selections entering the 2003 season. Last year, Portland won the school’s first NCAA National Championship with a 2-1 double overtime win over conference rival Santa Clara in the College Cup Championship.

The 2002 team finished with a 20-4-2 overall record, 4-2-1 in the West Coast Conference. The Pilots went 7-2-1 at home, 6-2-1 on the road and 7-0-0 at neutral sites in 2002. Portland ran through the NCAA Playoffs, recording five consecutive shutouts before having to come from behind to take the title in the final game.

Portland returns five players who earned 2002 all-WCC honors. Sinclair was the WCC Player of the Year, while Huie took Freshman of the Year honors. Senior Imani Dorsey was joined on the second-team by junior Kristen Rogers and junior Kristen Moore was an honorable mention selection.

SCOUTING PORTLAND STATE: The Vikings are 5-6-0 on the season and enter the match having lost 5-0 to No. 13 Washington on Fri., Oct. 3. Prior to the Washington loss, Portland State had won four straight, out-scoring the competition 12-4 in those matches. The Vikings are 0-2 against WCC opponents, falling to Gonzaga (1-3) and Loyola Marymount (0-2).

Head coach Tara Erickson is in her third season at the helm of the Vikings. Last season, Erickson led PSU to a 13-5-4 overall record and a tie for second place in the Big Sky Conference. Jamie Blakesley leads the Vikings with six goals and 13 points. Sophia Mundy has 10 points (4g, 2a) while Julie Forrest has racked up nine points (2g, 5a).

In the PSU goal, Joell Giger has seen a majority of the action posting a 1.82 goals against average while making 32 saves in 10 matches. Niki Brooks has a 1.67 GAA in 162 minutes between the pipes.

SCOUTING GONZAGA: The Bulldogs are off to the best start in program history with a 7-4-0 record. Gonzaga has won four consecutive matches, the longest winning streak ever for the Zags. Head coach Shannon Stiles is in her fifth year at Gonzaga, and improved from an 0-15-2 in 2001 to 6-13-0 in 2002. With seven wins before the conference-opener, Stiles already has her best season at the helm under her belt.

Gonzaga beat Wyoming, 1-0 on Fri., Oct. 3 in Spokane, Wash. Amy MacIntyre’s seventh minute strike held up as Bulldog keeper Ashley Haugen made eight saves in preserving the win. Gonzaga came back on Sun., Oct. 5 and knocked off Northern Iowa, 1-0. Ashley Pryor was the hero with another early goal for the Bulldogs. Haugen again made eight saves and for the second straight contest, Jessie Torres assisted on the lone score.

The Bulldogs are led by the scoring tandem of sisters Annie and Sarah Hawkins. Annie has eight goals and 17 points, while Sarah has eight points (3g, 2a). Walker Loseno leads the Bulldogs with four assists.

Haugen posts a 1.21 goals against average in the Bulldog net, giving up 13 goals in just over 970 minutes of action. Haugen has made 73 saves in recording two shutouts.

SERIES SHORTS: The River City Rivalry between the Pilots and the Vikings will kick off on Wednesday with the first-ever meeting of the crosstown rivals.

Portland holds an 11-0-0 all-time record against Gonzaga. The Bulldogs have managed just two goals in history against Portland, with one coming in last year’s 4-1 Pilot win at Martin Field. The Pilots are 5-0 at home against the Bulldogs, and have never scored less than two goals in any match against their Northwest foe.

RANKINGS: The Pilots either held steady or improved in all four polls after another 2-0 weekend. Soccer America moved Portland up one spot to No. 5. The NSCAA/adidas poll and Soccer Times have Portland ranked sixth. The Pilots stayed at No. 7 according to Soccer Buzz.

In regional rankings, Portland stayed at No. 2 in the NSCAA poll, and held steady at No. 3 according to Soccer Buzz.

DORSEY WCC CO-PLAYER OF THE MONTH: Senior defender Imani Dorsey was selected as the WCC women’s soccer co-Player of the Month for September. Dorsey has been the leader of a young defense that hasn’t skipped a beat since a record-setting 2002 season, registering an 8-2 record on the season, with the defense yielding just seven goals through the end of September. All eight of Portland’s wins through the month were shutouts, despite playing one of the most competitive schedules in the nation. Led by the play of Dorsey, the defense has registered impressive shutouts versus Stanford, Texas and Washington, all of which were in the nation’s top-10 at the time.

THE NIL FACTOR: With another shutout over the weekend, Portland increased their season total to nine. All but one Pilot win has been a shutout (the 2-1 win over OSU being the only non-shutout win) and Portland has given up just one goal in the last six matches.

The shutout against Oregon propelled the 2003 Pilots into sole possession of ninth on the all-time season shutouts list. In their run to the 2002 National Championship, last year’s squad racked up 17 shutouts to top the list.

ALEXANDER CLIMBING CHARTS: Freshman goalkeeper Cori Alexander has rapidly ascended to the top-10 of both Portland’s single-season and career shutouts lists. Alexander moved into sole possession of seventh place for single season shutouts and eighth in career shutouts, just 12 games into her college career. Erin Fahey holds the single season shutout record with 16 in 1995, and Cheryl Loveless (1996, 98-00) is the career leader with 35.

Alexander’s streak of minutes without giving up a goal has increased to 527:23, and she has decreased her goals against average to 0.57, second in the WCC and 25th in the nation. Her nine shutouts are tops for the conference.

FOR THE STATS JUNKIE: Portland statistically is among the nation’s leaders in three categories. They are second in shutout percentage (9-12, .750), tied for 15th in win percentage (10-2, .833) and 32nd in goals against average (0.65).

Among WCC schools, the Pilots are first in shutouts (9), tied for second in goals allowed (8), fourth in goals (21) and first in average home attendance (1,407). The Pilots have the longest current unbeaten streak in the conference with six consecutive wins.

MORE STATISTICS: Lindsey Huie ranks in the top-10 of every offensive statistical category in the WCC. Huie is tied for second in assists (6), third in shots (36), tied for fourth in points (14) and game-winning goals (2), and tied for eighth with four goals. Jennifer Tuttle is tied for first in game-winning goals with three. While Wanda Rozwadowska is tied for seventh with four goals.

YOUTH MOVEMENT: The young Portland team is gaining valuable experience with each new match under their belt. Seven freshman see action on a regular basis, and at least five freshman have started in each of the first 12 matches. Combined, the freshman have scored nine goals and tallied seven assists.

WORLD CUP NOTES: Both the U.S. and Canada lost their semifinal matches in the 2003 FIFA Women’s World Cup at PGE Park in Portland, Ore. on Sun., Oct. 5. The teams will square off in the third place match on Sat., Oct. 11 at the Home Depot Center in Los Angeles, Calif. Three members of the teams have ties to the University of Portland. Shannon MacMillan and Tiffeny Milbrett of the U.S. team are former Pilots, while Canadian striker Christine Sinclair is currently a junior on the Portland team and taking time off to compete in the World Cup.

PILOT PRESEASON ALL-AMERICA SELECTIONS: Christine Sinclair and Lindsey Huie have received preseason national honors. Sinclair was a Soccer America preseason pick and also a member of the 15 player M.A.C. Hermann Trophy watch list as released by the NSCAA. Both Sinclair and Huie were selected to Soccer Buzz’s “Elite 12” preseason all-American team.

WCC COACHES TAB PORTLAND, SANTA CLARA FAVORITES: In a preseason poll of the league’s head coaches, the Pilots were selected as the co-favorites along with Santa Clara to win the WCC. Both Portland and Santa Clara received four first place votes and 46 total points. Pepperdine was selected to finish third and San Diego was picked No. 4.

MERLO DOMINANCE: The Pilots have historically been dominant at Merlo Field since it’s inception in 1990. The women’s team improved their record to 116-17-3 (.864) with the win over Oregon State. Portland concluded the 2002 season 7-2-1 (.750) on their home turf. The Pilots were ranked second in national attendance last season, averaging just over 1,685 fans per contest.

COMING UP: After the conference-opener against Gonzaga, Portland hosts Saint Mary’s on Oct. 17 and San Francisco on Oct. 19. The Pilots hit the road for three more WCC matches at Pepperdine, Loyola Marymount and Santa Clara before concluding the regular season against San Diego at Merlo Field on Nov. 8.

PILOTS ON THE INTERNET: The University of Portland women’s soccer team will have live stats via the internet for their final match. Check out the Pilot matches at: http://www.portlandpilots.com/livestats/wsoccer/xlive.htm.

REGULAR-SEASON PRACTICE SCHEDULE: The Pilot soccer team’s practice time vary, for regular scheduled practice times, please contact Jason Brough. Portland soccer practices are open to the media and public. To set up interviews before or after practice with coaches or Pilots players, please contact Jason Brough, men’s and women’s soccer SID at: (503) 943-7439 (office).

REGULAR-SEASON POST-MATCH SERVICES/INTERVIEWS: The coaching staff and Portland players will be available for interviews following a 10 minute cooling off period. A member of the Portland sports information staff will gather interview requests immediately following the match. Box scores will be provided and faxed upon request.