Michelle Enyeart |
Pilots will face host Colorado at noon (PST) on Sunday; match to be televised on Comcast SportsNet
BOULDER, Colo. --- The Portland Pilots routed the Denver Pioneers by a 5-0 margin in the first round of the 2007 NCAA women’s soccer playoffs on Friday afternoon before 841 fans at Prentup Field. The No. 2 seed Pilots outshot the Pioneers 29-6 for the match in a dominating effort.
Sophomore striker Kendra Chandhoke and senior midfielder Angie Woznuk notched first half goals, while freshman Sophie Schmidt added two second half goals to help Portland (16-3-0) advance. Michelle Enyeart added the final goal and contributed two assists. The win was the team’s ninth consecutive and seventh by way of shutout.
Portland will move on and face the site host Colorado on Sunday at noon in a live television broadcast on Comcast SportsNet. The Buffaloes defeated visiting Hawaii 2-0 in their first round meeting earlier on Friday. A Pilots watch party is slated for OnDeck Sports Bar and Grill in Portland’s Pearl District for fans wishing to see the match.
The Pilots controlled possession from start to finish and got on the board first in the 31st minute with a goal by Chandhoke off the bench. Enyeart slipped a through ball to Chandhoke who was one-v-one with Pioneers goalkeeper Mackenzie Snyder. Snyder came off her line to challenge and Chandhoke chipped her from the top of the box for the 1-0 lead and her ninth goal.
West Coast Conference Player of the Year Angie Woznuk doubled the margin late in the period after making a run into the penalty area, cutting back to the left post, and perfectly placing her shot to the upper right. It was Woznuk’s eighth goal of the season and Enyeart was credited with her team leading 14th assist on the play. She is now tied for second in UP single-season history for assists, two shy of the record set by Shannon MacMillan in 1995.
Schmidt pushed her season goals scored total to six with a pair of second half strikes. The first came in the 60th minute on a long pass sent by WCC Freshman of the Year Keelin Winters over the defense. Schmidt’s shot towards the left post went off the glove of Snyder and in for a 3-0 lead. She tacked on another in the 64th minute after Chandhoke’s initial shot was tipped off the crossbar, and freshman Elli Reed sent the rebound back in to Schmidt for an uncontested header.
Enyeart capped the scoring in the 89th minute after weaving through the defense and finishing past Snyder for her ninth goal of the year.
Sophomore goalkeeper Kelsey Davis logged a majority of minutes between the pipes and was substituted by freshman Hailee DeYoung in the closing minutes. The Pilot keepers were forced to make just two saves in the match. Snyder recorded eight saves for the Pioneers.
Denver nearly scored first midway through the first half when cross bounced around in front of the Pilots net and was not cleared. Denver’s shot by Jenna Billingsley was headed for goal but cleared off the line by freshman defender Jessica Tsao.
During the Pilots’ nine-match winning streak, the team has outscored opponents 29-1 with eight shutouts.
NOTES: Sunday’s match will be aired live on Comcast SportsNet at noon (PST) and will be replayed four other times in the coming week: Sunday at 9 p.m., Monday at 9 a.m. and 9 p.m., and Friday at 3:30 p.m.
QUOTES:
Portland Head Coach Garrett Smith
“That was a great result for us. That’s exactly what we are trying to do. We want to limit the opportunities for the other team, get shutouts and move on. That was just an overall quality performance. Every day is a new challenge and we overcame today’s challenge very well.”
Portland Senior MF Angie Woznuk
“Going into the second half up 2-0 is right where we wanted to be. Our defense has been awesome, just rock solid, and that is what you need in the playoffs.”
Portland Freshman F Sophie Schmidt
On her two goals: “They were just great balls (from my teammates). That third goal let us settle a little bit, but we still kept at it.”
