The Portland women’s soccer team continues West Coast Conference play on the road this weekend, taking on No. 21 San Diego on Friday, Oct. 22 at 7:30 p.m. The Toreros and Pilots are the only remaining unbeaten WCC teams, both taking six-game unbeaten streaks into the match. The fourth-ranked Pilots will then face No. 10 Santa Clara on Sunday, Oct. 22 at 1 p.m., a match that will be featured on College Sports Television (CSTV) in a tape-delayed broadcast on Thursday, Oct. 28 at 5 p.m. and 8 p.m. (PST). The Pilots and Broncos have won two of the last three NCAA Championships and each have won at least a share of every WCC title.
ABOUT NO. 4 PORTLAND: The Pilots (14-2-0, 3-0-0 WCC) won all three matches last week, concluding their non-conference schedule with a 2-0 victory over Portland State, then holding off both Pepperdine and Loyola Marymount for WCC wins. Junior All-American Christine Sinclair tallied four goals last week, including all three game-winning goals to earn her third WCC Player of the Week award this season. Sinclair scored both goals in Friday’s 2-1, double overtime win over Pepperdine, then netted the overtime game-winner against LMU on Sunday. Fellow junior All-American Lindsey Huie assisted on all four of Sinclair’s goals last week.
Sinclair leads the West Coast Conference in total points (42), goals (17) and game-winning goals (9), while her eight assists are good for second behind teammate Lindsey Huie’s nine. Sinclair is currently third on Portland’s all-time goals-scored list with 66, and third in career points with 151. Her 26 game-winners are tied for tops on UP’s career charts with Shannon MacMillan. Huie has six goals and nine assists and recently becoming just the sixth player in school history to accumulate over 20 goals and 20 assists for her career. Senior defenders Kristen Moore and Kristen Rogers, as well as sophomore keeper Cori Alexander, anchor the Pilot defense which posts a 0.80 goals-against average and seven shutouts.
Associate director of soccer Garrett Smith will be without the services of sophomores Angie Woznuk and Stephanie Lopez, as well as freshman Megan Rapinoe, who will all redshirt the 2004 season to compete with the U.S. Under-19 National Team at the 2004 World Championships.
ABOUT NO. 21 SAN DIEGO: The Toreros (9-6-1, 3-0-0 WCC) enter the weekend as one of the hottest teams in the country, with five straight wins and a six-game unbeaten streak. Last week, USD dealt San Francisco and Saint Mary’s one-goal losses on the road. Michelle Rowe and Veronica Ambort had goals in a 2-1 win over USF, while Amy Epsten’s 97th minute strike gave the Toreros a 3-2 overtime win over Saint Mary’s. USD joins Portland at the top of the conference standings with a perfect 3-0-0 league record. The Toreros have outscored opponents 12-5 during the streak, while recording two shutouts. In each of their nine wins on the year, USD has scored multiple goals while outscoring opponents 27-7. In their six losses, the Toreros have allowed 13 goals, while only scoring one. Freshman striker Amy Epsten has scored 10 goals, including five game-winners to lead the USD offensive. Epsten is one of seven Toreros with multiple goals. Goalie Karen Cook posts a 1.20 goals-against average between the pipes with 60 saves and three shutouts. Head coach Ada Greenwood is in his second year at the helm with an 18-14-5 record.
ABOUT NO. 10 SANTA CLARA: The Broncos (9-4-2, 2-1-0 WCC) picked up their first West Coast Conference win of the season with a 2-1 road victory over Saint Mary’s on Friday, then defeated San Francisco 1-0 on Sunday. Against SMC, Bree Horvath scored the first goal of the match before an own goal by the Gaels in the second period put the game away. SCU’s Tina Estrada scored the game-winner in the 62nd minute against USF on Sunday as the Broncos outshot the Dons 17-5. The Broncos have doubled their opponents in both shot attempts (206-97) and shots on goal (104-51), while holding a 25-14 scoring edge. SCU has already played six ranked opponents, posting a 2-2-2 mark in those matches. Tina Estrada leads the Broncos with seven goals and three assists on the season. Senior All-American midfielder Leslie Osborne has six goals, three coming on penalty kicks. Julie Ryder has been the primary keeper and posts a 0.95 goals-against average with 25 saves and five shutouts. Head coach Jerry Smith has a 285-7324 career record at SCU in his 18th season.
PILOTS & BRONCOS FEATURED ON CSTV: The University of Portland women’s soccer team will be featured on national television when the Pilots travel to Santa Clara on Sunday, Oct. 24 to take on the Broncos at Buck Shaw Stadium. The rematch of last year’s NCAA women’s third round match will be aired on Thursday, Oct. 28 at 5:00 p.m. and 8:00 p.m. on College Sports Television’s as part of CSTV’s Soccer package this fall.
SINCLAIR GIVEN RAKING IN THE HONORS: For the third time this season, Christine Sinclair has been named both the WCC Player of the Week, and to the Soccer America Team of the Week. Last week’s four-goal performance with three game-winners warranted the latest recognition. Sinclair also earned the conference’s September Player of the Month award.
NON-CONFERENCE SUCCESS: With an 11-2-0 non-conference record this season, Portland has made it 13 consecutive seasons with a winning record outside of WCC play. The 11 wins ties for the second most among non-conference regular season games in UP history with four other seasons. The 1992 Pilots top the list as they finished with a 14-1 non-conference mark, as they played only four conference matches that season.
SHUTOUTS BECOMING COMMON: After recording just two shutouts through the first 10 games of the season, Portland has blanked five of its last six opponents. Over that span, the Pilots have out-shot the opposition 107-56, while sophomore keeper Cori Alexander has made 19 saves. With 18 career shutouts, Alexander has already ascended into sixth place on the Pilot career charts.
ALL-AMERICAN CONNECTION: Junior All-Americans Christine Sinclair and Lindsey Huie are the highest scoring tandem in the WCC so far this season with a combined 63 points. Sinclair leads the league in points (42), goals (17) and game-winners (9), while Huie leads the WCC in assists (9), is third in points (21) and tied for eighth in goals (6). The duo have set each other up for a combined 10 goals, with Huie assisting on seven goals -- including all four last week -- and Sinclair setting up a pair of Huie strikes.
CONFERENCE OPENERS: The Pilots improved to 12-1-0 all-time in West Coast Conference openers when they defeated Gonzaga 1-0 on Sunday, Oct. 10. Since joining the WCC prior to the 1992 season, Portland is 12-0-0 against Gonzaga in openers, while losing to Saint Mary’s in 2001 by a 1-0 margin.
AMONG THE NATIONAL LEADERS: Christine Sinclair ranks fourth nationally in points per game (2.63) and ninth in goals per game (1.06). Lindsey Huie is 26th in assists per game (0.56), while Portland as a team is tied for 39th in scoring (2.31), 41st in goals-against average (0.801) and tied for sixth in win-loss percentage (.875).
HUIE CLIMBING SCORING CHARTS: With four assists last week, Lindsey Huie climbed into 10th place on UP’s career scoring charts with 75 points (23g, 29a), while her 29 assists vault her to sixth all-time. Earlier this season, she became just the sixth Pilot in history to score over 20 goals and 20 assists for her career, joining the short list of Tiffeny Milbrett, Shannon MacMillan, Justi Baumgardt, Tammy Martindale and Jody Lim as the only Pilots to accomplish the feat. Huie’s two-goal effort against Weber State on Friday, Sept. 10 passed that milestone.
MOORE ASSISTS: Senior defender Kristen Moore continues to climb Portland’s all-time assists list after setting up two scores against Weber State on Sept. 10. The Mission Viejo, Calif. native now has 21 career assists, placing her in a tie for 13th on Portland’s charts. Three more assists will land her a spot in the top 10 along with teammate Lindsey Huie.
PILOTS KNOW HOW TO HOST: Portland captured its sixth Nike Invitational title in the tournament’s 10th year at Merlo Field on the weekend of Sept. 10-12. The Pilots defeated Weber State (4-0) and UAB (3-0), while also sweeping the individual tournament honors as junior striker Christine Sinclair and senior defender Kristen Moore claimed the Most Outstanding Offensive and Defensive Player awards.
SINCLAIR, HUIE ON MAC HERMANN WATCH LIST: Juniors Christine Sinclair and Lindsey Huie have been named to the 25-player M.A.C. Hermann Trophy preseason watch list. The 25 players are considered to be among the top players entering the 2004 college season. A list of 15 semifinalists will be announced in November, with three finalists selected in early December. The winner will be announced at the Missouri Athletic Club in St. Louis, Mo., on Jan. 7, 2005.
THREE PILOTS REDSHIRT: Pilot sophomores Angie Woznuk and Stephanie Lopez, as well as freshman Megan Rapinoe, will redshirt the 2004 season to play for the U.S. Under-19 National Team at the 2004 World Championships. Woznuk was a second team all-WCC selection as a freshman and one of the Pilots biggest playmakers. Lopez earned freshman All-America honors as a central defender and was named the Soccer Buzz West Region Freshman of the Year. Rapinoe was rated the sixth-best individual recruit in 2004 according to Soccer America.
A BRIGHT FUTURE: Portland’s seven-player freshmen recruiting class was ranked seventh nationally by Soccer Buzz, following a 2003 class that ranked fourth overall. Soccer America tabbed the Pilots eighth nationally and listed freshman Megan Rapinoe as the sixth-best individual recruit. Rapinoe and Kelli Cronkrite were listed among the top 50 high school seniors by Soccer Buzz. Freshmen Emily Michaelson has started every game, while Cronkrite has 13 starts. Freshman Michele Scifo has made one start and appeared in 13 contests as well.
NATIONAL RANKINGS: The Pilots are ranked No. 4 according to the NSCAA, Soccer Buzz and Soccer Times, while Soccer America has the Pilots ranked No. 5. In regional rankings, the Pilots are first in both the NSCAA and Soccer Buzz West Region polls.
TOUGH SCHEDULE: Portland has already played five ranked teams and will face two more schools this weekend earning national rankings as San Diego (No. 21) and Santa Clara (No. 10) both moved up in this week’s polls.
MERLO DOMINANCE: The Pilots have historically been dominant at Merlo Field since it’s inception in 1990. The team is 128-18-5 (.864) and finished 9-1-2 (.833) at home last season. The Pilots were among the national leaders in attendance in 2003, averaging 1,440 fans per contest. Portland is already 6-1-0 in 2004 and averaging 2,138 fans per match.
A SPECIAL NIGHT! The Clive Charles Soccer Complex at the University of Portland officially celebrated the first night match in Merlo Field history on Sept. 10, 2004 as the Pilots defeated Weber State, 4-0 with the sixth-largest crowd in Pilot history on hand (4,070). The inaugural night match had a wide-array of activities that began with the recognition of special donors Harry Merlo, Earle Chiles and Joe Garaventa. At halftime, former UP athletics director Joe Etzel and Clarena Charles, wife of the late Clive Charles, were honored at midfield along with over 50 Pilot soccer alums. The night was capped by a postgame fireworks display.
WCC PRESEASON POLL: Conference coaches picked Portland to finish second in the WCC, in the league’s preseason poll. Santa Clara, who has captured three-straight WCC titles, was tabbed as the favorite after receiving six first place votes and 48 total points. Portland collected the other two first place votes and had 44 total points.
COMING UP NEXT: Portland continues WCC play at home against San Francisco on Saturday, Oct. 30 at 7 p.m. The match will be Portland’s final regular-season home event, as the Pilots conclude their schedule at Saint Mary’s on Nov. 6.
SOCCER COACHING STAFF: Director of soccer Bill Irwin begins his second season at the helm of the Pilot soccer program. Irwin was named the director of soccer for both the men’s and women’s programs last season following the passing of legendary Pilot head coach Clive Charles, whom Irwin served 17 seasons under as an assistant.
Associate director of soccer Garrett Smith has been with Portland in a coaching capacity since the 1992 season. Smith handles the daily operations of the women’s team, leading last years’ squad to the NCAA third round and an 18-3-2 overall record. Assistant coaches Rob Baarts, Dan Schell and Lauren Orlandos enter their first season on the Portland combined staff, while Wynne McIntosh begins her third year with the program.
