PORTLAND, Ore.- Lindsey Huie’s header in the 23rd minute was the only score Portland needed as they beat Denver, 1-0 in the first round of the 2003 NCAA College Cup. The Pilots advance and will take on Nebraska, who beat Washington 2-1 in the early match. The Pilots and Huskers will square-off this Sunday at 1:00 p.m. at Merlo Field.

Huie, a redshirt sophomore from Mission Viejo, Calif., started the sequence that led to the score. She found junior Kristen Rogers down the right sideline unmarked, then circled back into the penalty box awaiting the cross. Rogers beat one defender and centered to Huie who placed the header into the upper left of the goal. It was the 11th goal of the season for Huie and one of the few header attempts from the 5-3 midfielder.

“Huie’s ability to start and stop is tremendous,” said Denver head coach Jeff Hooker. “She freelances really well and can pop inside and out. The one time we lost her she scored. I think we did a great job overall of keeping track of her, but you just can’t let Portland have even one, they’ll finish you.”

Portland dominated the first period in terms of possession and keeping the ball on Denver’s side of midfield. The Pilots continually found Rogers and Kristen Moore coming from the backline down the flanks creating scoring opportunities. Moore had three shots with two on goal in the first period alone. Rogers tallied two shots after recording the assist on Huie’s goal.

The Pilots nearly found the net again in the 34th minute as freshman Jennifer Tuttle was freed up by a Huie pass over the defense. Tuttle was one-on-one with Pioneer keeper Danielle Wiley but sent the shot wide right. Wiley stopped four Pilot shots in the first half to keep Denver alive.

Laura Mann had the best shot attempt for Denver as she bent a shot in the 59th minute to the left corner of the Pilot goal. Freshman goalkeeper Cori Alexander read the shot perectly and snagged the ball to preserve the lead. It was the only shot for Denver in the second period.

In the 73rd minute, Denver threatened as substitute Carlynn McCallum stole the ball from the Pilot defense and attacked with Jenni Harris streaking down the left side of the box. McCallum sent a cross towards Harris, but it sailed over her head and out of bounds. It was the last relevant opportunity for the Pioneers.

Portland countered with two more quality tries within the last ten minutes. Freshman midfielder Lisa Sari sprung Angie Woznuk free inside the Denver box in the 82nd minute. Woznuk slashed between two defenders and blasted a shot that was stopped by Wiley. A minute later, Woznuk sped past the Pioneer backline and centered to Huie, who’s 18 yard rocket bounced off the crossbar. The Pilot defense did the job throughout to preserve the shutout win. WCC Defensive Player of the Year Imani Dorsey, first team all-WCC selection Stephanie Lopez, and conference honorable mention honorees Moore and Rogers all played stellar defense and jumpstarted Portland’s attack.

“We are much more experienced than the first time we played Denver,” said Rogers, referring to an early-season 4-3 loss to Denver on the road. “We were mentally prepared this time and we played hard the entire game. We opened it up wide and confused them. We didn’t let them play, and we were always on top of them.”

The Pilots had a 19-6 shot advantage for the match, and had four corners to Denver’s two. Woznuk had four shots on the day, while Huie and Moore had three apiece. Alexander made four saves to earn her 11th shutout of the season, Wiley made six stops for the Pioneers.

Nebraska is the next challenge for Portland. The Huskers upset Washington with an 89th minute goal scored by Jenna Harris that skimmed off a Washington defender and snuck inside the left post for the win.

“This team has seen Nebraska before,” said Pilot head coach Garrett Smith. “We’ve played them twice in the last two years. We can deal with any team right now. Our team’s ready for challenges and they don’t back down from anybody. Nebraska is as tough as always and they’ll be tough on Sunday.”