Kendra Chandhoke

Sophomore Kendra Chandhoke now has a team-leading eight goals on the year

SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. --- University of Portland sophomore forward Kendra Chandhoke tallied a career-high four goals as the No. 6 Pilots women’s soccer team moved to the top of the West Coast Conference standings with a 6-0 win over San Francisco on Sunday.

San Francisco (2-9-3, 2-1-0) entered the match on a two-game win streak and tied atop the league standings with Portland and No. 11 San Diego. USF went winless in the non-conference season before opening league play with wins over Saint Mary’s and Gonzaga.

The Pilots (11-3-0, 3-0-0 WCC) snapped that streak and are now alone at the top of the league standings after San Diego and Pepperdine played to a 1-1 draw earlier today. Portland has now won four straight by a combined 14-1 margin since the return of All-American defender Stephanie Lopez from the Women’s World Cup. Lopez added an assist and helped the Pilots record their third shutout in the last four matches.

“It was nice to see us get after it like we did today on the second game of a weekend road trip,” Portland coach Garrett Smith said. “We were able to score a lot of goals and get everyone into the game. Kendra got some good rest on Friday (versus Saint Mary’s) and came out on fire today.”

Chandhoke started the scoring onslaught in the sixth minute, taking a bouncing corner kick from Lopez and volleying it past USF goalkeeper Katie Hodgson.

Senior All-American midfielder Angie Woznuk gave Portland a 2-0 lead in the 24th minute after turning around a USF defender and depositing her shot to the upper left. It was Woznuk’s fifth goal of the season.

Chandhoke recorded three second half goals over a 16 minute span beginning with a sharp-angled finish from the left side off of Hodgson and inside the left post in the 55th minute. She blasted home a cross from from Sophie Schmidt in the 61st minute and then collected a rebound on a shot from Michelle Enyeart and finished for her fourth and final goal.

Chandhoke becomes the 12th player in Portland history to score at least four goals in one game. The last to accomplish the feat was Christine Sinclair, who tallied five strikes in a 6-0 win at Oregon on August 31, 2005.

Enyeart, who is among the national leaders with 11 assists, added her third goal of the year in the 84th minute to cap the scoring.

Portland now returns home and will host a pair of nationally televised games against ranked opponents. On Thursday, Oct. 25 the Pilots will welcome No. 11 San Diego at 8 p.m. live on Fox Soccer Channel. The Pilots then welcome No. 13 Santa Clara on Sunday, Oct. 28 at 2 p.m. in a game televised live on ESPNU.