STANFORD, Calif..- Pilot freshman Jennifer Tuttle is making a name for herself as a super-sub off the Portland bench. In both Pilot wins so far this year, Tuttle has come in to provide game-winners. Her unassisted goal in the 33rd minute was enough for Portland to hold off the Cardinal and improve to 2-1-0. Stanford drops to 1-1-0 with the loss.

“These were two very good soccer teams on the field today,” said Pilot coach Garrett Smith. “It’s early in the year, but this was a big game for both schools and I am proud of how the team responded.”

Promptly after entering the contest, Tuttle got behind the defense and bent an impressive 30 yard drive high and wide over Stanford all-American keeper Nicole Barnhart’s head and into the upper left corner of the goal.

“An impressive goal,” said Smith. “Nobody was going to prevent that shot from going in, it was absolutely perfectly placed with good velocity behind it.”

Stanford controlled the early part of the match prior to Tuttle’s goal, but Portland settled down after the strike and finished out the first half with a better flow. The match was played fairly evenly once the young Pilots settled into the pace of the game.

The Pilots had six shots in the match, three coming from sophomore Lindsey Huie, two from freshman Angie Woznuk and Tuttle’s only shot found the net. Stanford got off six shots, with just one on goal.

“Huie stepped up for us big time,” Smith noted. “She had a settling effect on the team, and her presence as a leader won’t show up in the box score, but it was definitely prevalent on the field.”

Pilot freshman goalkeeper Cori Alexander recorded her second shutout with the help of a solid defensive effort from Portland’s back line. Senior captain Imani Dorsey was forced to leave about midway through the game, but sophomore Kelsy Hollenbeck came in to fill the void with a solid outing. Junior Kristen Rogers slid over to fill in the vacated central defender position admirably.

Stanford threatened on a few occasions and had some near misses. Alexander’s only save came as she was forced to tip a ball over the crossbar, saving the goal and ensuring the Pilot win.

“Both teams have room for improvement as it’s so early in the season,” said Smith. “But I’m very impressed with how our young team is maturing, they are well ahead of our expectations so far. A definite rivalry is developing between Portland and Stanford and I expect we’ll bump into them a little farther down the road ... hopefully it will be at our home next time.”

UP NEXT: Portland concludes their road trip on Sun., Sept. 7 at San Jose State. The game will begin at approximately 4:30 p.m. The Pilots home opener will be as the host of the NIKE Portland Invitational on the weekend of Sept. 13-14. Portland plays CS-Fullerton on Sat., Sept. 13 before concluding the tournament against Connecticut on Sun., Sept. 14. Both start times are set for 2:15 p.m.