About the Pilots

The Portland Pilots (9-4-5, 6-1-4 WCC) are ranked 25th in the country and face a pair of crucial match-ups this weekend. First, the Pilots step out of conference to face the Cal Poly Mustangs (10-3-4, 5-2-4 Big West) in San Luis Obispo, Calif., on Friday at 7:00 p.m. Portland then returns home to host the West Coast Conference champion and third-ranked Santa Clara Broncos (13-1-4, 8-0-2 WCC) in the regular season finale at Merlo Field on Sunday at 3:00 p.m. UP will honor its six seniors prior to Sunday’s game.

               

With the NCAA postseason a little more than a week away, Portland comes in at No. 42 in the latest RPI rankings released by the NCAA. The Pilots can improve their standing against Cal Poly (No. 31 RPI) and Santa Clara (No. 9 RPI) this weekend. RPI is used to help determine the 48 teams that make the NCAA postseason.

               

Portland is currently working on a seven-game unbeaten streak and sits alone in second place in the WCC. The Pilots have recorded four straight shutouts after blanking both San Diego and Loyola Marymount on the road last weekend.

               

On Friday, UP senior Michael Gavin buried the game-winner on a free kick in the 110th minute as the Pilots defeated the Toreros 1-0 in San Diego. Gavin’s strike, his second of the season, came with 53 seconds left in the second overtime. Portland freshman keeper Austin Guerrero made nine stops for his league-high eighth shutout. On Sunday, sophomore Collen Warner scored a goal and handed out an assist in a 3-0 win over the Lions in Los Angeles. Junior Alex Elliott tallied the game-winner for Portland in the 22nd minute.

               

Gavin landed on Soccer America’s team of the week after his performance last weekend.

               

Elliott ranks 12th in the country in assists per game (0.50 apg) and leads Portland and the WCC with 21 points, nine assists and three game-winners. His six goals are tied for second in the conference.

               

Junior Bryan Irwin and freshmen Ryan Luke and Frankie Lopez each have four goals this season, while sophomore Collen Warner has three strikes and four assists.

               

Guerrero leads the league in shutouts and saves (75). He’s lowered his goal-against average to 0.82 and has not allowed a goal in the last 402 minutes played.

               

Director of Soccer and head men’s coach Bill Irwin is in his fifth season at the helm of the soccer program and in his 21st year overall with UP.

 

Scouting Cal Poly

Cal Poly enters the weekend with a 10-3-4 (5-2-4 Big West) overall record. The Mustangs fell out of the national rankings this week after a 3-2 loss to UC Davis last weekend. Cal Poly is ranked sixth in the latest NSCAA far west rankings, one spot ahead of the Pilots.

               

Leading the Mustangs is freshman David Zamora with 15 points on five goals and five assists. Junior Julian Alvarez, sophomore Daniel Cumming and freshman Kyle Montgomery have each scored five goals this fall as the Mustangs have outscored their opponents 27-16. 10 different Mustangs have found the back of the net.

               

Cal Poly has recorded 10 shutouts this season, with junior goalkeeper Eric Branagan-Franco posting a goals-against average of 0.93. He’s made 57 saves and has started all 17 games this fall.

               

Head coach Paul Holocher is in his second season at the helm of the Mustangs. An All-American at Santa Clara, Holocher played in the first MLS game ever. Cal Poly went 7-8-4 last season and returned 16 letterwinners and nine starters.

 

Pilots/Mustangs Series

Portland leads the all-time series with Cal Poly 7-1-1. In the most recent meeting, Alex Elliott collected his first collegiate goal and game-winner in a 1-0 Portland win at Merlo Field in 2005. Cal Poly’s lone win in the series came in San Luis Obispo in 1999. The tie (3-3) was at Merlo Field in 1995.

 

Scouting Santa Clara

The Broncos clinched their 10th West Coast Conference crown last weekend with 4-1 win over Saint Mary’s in Santa Clara, Calif. Santa Clara enters Friday’s game at Gonzaga with a 13-1-4 overall record and a 8-0-2 mark in the WCC. The Broncos are working on a 15-game unbeaten streak. Portland and Gonzaga handed Santa Clara its two ties during conference play this fall.

               

Two-time reigning WCC player of the week Peter Lowry, a senior midfielder, leads the conference with eight goals this season and ranks second with 20 points. Junior forward Jide Ogunbiyi has five strikes and two assists. Sophomore midfielder Stephen McCarthy also has five goals this season, while senior defender Jamil Roberts has three goals and five assists.

               

In goal, SCU freshman keeper Kevin Klasila has started 12 games this season, posting six shutouts and a goals-against average of 0.47. Junior goalie Joseph Buttitta has started six matches and has a 0.99 GAA.

               

Head coach Cameron Rast is in his sixth season at the helm of the SCU men’s soccer program. The Broncos have won three straight conference titles and returned 19 letterwinners and eight starters from a team that was 13-5-5 (8-2-2 WCC) a year ago.

 

Pilots/Broncos Series

Santa Clara owns a 15-10-6 advantage in the overall series with UP. The Broncos won both games against the Pilots last season and have won five out of the last eight meetings. Portland played the Broncos to a scoreless draw in Santa Clara earlier this season (Oct. 19).

 

Last Dance

Sunday’s match against Santa Clara marks the final regular season appearance at Merlo Field for six Pilots. Defenders Eric Fredback, Michael Gavin and Jeff Griffin, midfielder Ryan Oakes, forward Kevin Thornton and goalkeeper Nick Comstock will all be playing in their final regular season match with the Pilots.

               

The six players will be honored in a ceremony prior to kick off against the Broncos.

 

Postseason In Sight

Portland enters the weekend ranked 25th in the country and has a good chance to reach the NCAA postseason for the first time since 2004. Portland checks in at No. 42 in the latest RPI standings, released this week by the NCAA. RPI plays a key role in determining the 48-team NCAA postseason field.

               

UP has an excellent opportunity to improve its postseason standings this weekend with two games against highly-ranked teams. Cal Poly checks in at No. 31 in the RPI, while Santa Clara is ranked third in the nation and sits at No. 9 in the RPI.

               

In 2004, the Pilots advanced to the second round of the NCAA playoffs. Portland has advanced to the postseason 12 times, twice reaching the College Cup (1988, 1995).

 

National Recognition

Senior Michael Gavin became the second Pilot in as many weeks to earn national acclaim. Soccer America named Gavin to its national team of the week after the defender scored the game-winner against San Diego and helped Portland to its third and fourth straight shutout. Gavin’s game-winner against the Toreros came on a free kick in the 110th minute. With 53 seconds left in the second overtime, Gavin’s second strike of the season lifted the Pilots to a 1-nil victory in San Diego. Gavin and the UP defense then blanked LMU 3-0 on Sunday.

               

After scoring a goal and handing out two assists during Portland’s two wins the previous weekend, junior midfielder/forward Alex Elliott landed on Top Drawer Soccer’s and Soccer America’s national teams of the week last week.

 

iPilots

The Portland Pilots have gone worldwide. Pilot fans can now find interviews with players and coaches, pre and post-game audio, archived game broadcasts and more on iTunes, all for the very reasonable price of free.

               

iTunes can be downloaded onto any computer for free by visiting itunes.com. Once downloaded, simply select ‘Podcasts’ in the iTunes Store, then search for ‘Portland Pilots’ in the search box in the upper, right-hand corner of the screen.