The University of Portland women’s soccer team will begin defense of its national championship with a difficult road trip to open the 2006 season. The Pilots will open against No. 11 Florida on Friday, Aug. 25 at 5 p.m. (Pacific) in Gainesville, Fla. Portland will then travel to Tallahassee and face 2005 College Cup semifinalist and No. 4 ranked Florida State on Sunday, Aug. 27 at 10 a.m. (Pacific). Both games will be video broadcast via the web at gatorzone.com and seminoles.com, respectively.
Portland is coming off of a banner year in which it became just the second program in Division I women’s soccer history to finish an unbeaten season with a championship. The Pilots became the third program with multiple national championships (joining North Carolina and Notre Dame) and established a new school record for wins (23-0-2) in 2005.
A total of 40,841 fans witnessed 12 home matches at the Clive Charles Soccer Complex, setting a new NCAA single-season record, for either men and women.
Gone is unanimous national player of the year Christine Sinclair and her 110 career goals, second in the NCAA annals. Also graduated is four-time All-American Lindsey Huie and starting right back Kelsy Hollenbeck, but the Pilots have reloaded with a talented recruiting class and an experienced group of 17 returning players, including eight starters.
Juniors Stephanie Lopez (D) and Angie Woznuk (MF), as well as sophomore Megan Rapinoe (MF), have each earned preseason All-America recognition and will have the support of three-year starting seniors Cori Alexander (GK), Lisa Sari (MF) and Kari Evans (D).Two-year starters Natalie Budge (F) and Emily Michaelson (D) also have a bevy of experience.
Head coach Garrett Smith has a career record of 61-7-4 (.875) through three years at the helm on The Bluff. Smith was an assistant to the late Clive Charles for 11 years before taking over the program prior to the 2003 season.
Smith’s Pilots had no national team commitments in 2005, but the young coach must juggle with various lineups early in 2006 as Lopez is currently with the U.S. Under-20 National Team in Russia. Smith will also be without prized freshman Sophie Schmidt as she is committed to Canadian National Team duty all season.
The Pilots will face seven teams during the regular season who earned a preseason national ranking, including a much-anticipated home game with North Carolina on Sept. 10.
Scouting No. 11 Florida
The Gators are ranked in the top 25 of all four national preseason polls. Florida is ranked 11th in the Soccer Buzz rankings and also holds preseason rankings of No. 18 by the NSCAA, No. 15 by Soccer Times and No. 24 by Soccer America.
The Gators return six starters from a 2005 team that finished with a 13-6-1 overall record and reached the first round of the NCAA playoffs. Junior KeLeigh Hudson led the Gators in 2005 with six goals and was second with 13 points.
Senior goalkeeper Brittni Goodwin split time in the net with Jen Gardner in 2005. She turned in her lowest goals against average (0.82) of her collegiate career in 2005 and started 12 matches.
The Gators will be without senior All-American defender Melanie Booth this year as she will redshirt while playing for the Canadian National Team alongside current Pilot freshman Sophie Schmidt.
Head coach Becky Burleigh enters her 16th year as a college head coach and 11th at Florida. She currently holds a 280-72-18 (.781) career record that includes two trips to the College Cup (1998, 2001).
Portland-Florida Series
The Pilots and Gators have never previously met, although both teams advanced to the NCAA semifinals in 1998 and 2001.
Scouting No. 4 Florida State
The Seminoles have developed a premier women’s soccer program over the last few years, highlighted by runs to the NCAA College Cup in 2003 and 2005. Florida State fell to UCLA in the semifinals last year after setting a school record with 20 wins.
FSU has earned preseason Top 10 rankings in all four major polls this season. Soccer America and Soccer Buzz have the Seminoles No. 4, while the NSCAA and Soccer Times have FSU No. 6 and No. 7, respectively.
The team returns nine starters and 13 letterwinners from last year’s squad, including unanimous preseason All-Americans India Trotter and Selin Kuralay.
Trotter and defender Sara Wagenfuhr will not be uniform against the Pilots. Both players are with the U.S. Under-20 National Team (along with Pilots Stephanie Lopez and Kelsey Davis) at the FIFA World Championships.
Head coach Mark Krikorian enters his second year at FSU and 13th overall as a college coach. Krikorian posts a 188-53-6 (.773) career mark.
Portland-Florida State Series
Portland won the only previous meeting between the two schools, a 3-1 victory on Sept. 7, 2001 at the Wake Forest Invitational in Winston Salem, N.C.
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