The Pilots open the season with the Nike Portland Invitational on August 31

PORTLAND, Ore. --- The Portland Pilots open the 2007 season with a pair of home games at the Nike Portland Invitational, which begins on August 31. The Pilots are set to play eight games total at Merlo Field at the Clive Charles Soccer Complex next fall.

Eight regular season men’s home matches and nine women’s contests are scheduled to be played at home in 2007. Bleacher seat season tickets for all 17 matches at Merlo Field are $96 and will go on sale June 4 at 11 a.m. by contacting the Pilot Box Office at 503.943.7525.

Washington, Cal State Bakersfield and New Hampshire are the other three participants at the Nike Invitational. After Washington and New Hampshire get the tourney going at 4 p.m. on Friday, August 31, the Pilots face Cal State Bakersfield in the night cap. The Roadrunners are currently in transition to NCAA Division I status. Bakersfield is one of four teams that the Pilots will be playing for the first time ever in 2007.

On Sunday, September 2, the Huskies will face the Roadrunners, while Portland follows with a match against New Hampshire. The Wildcats, of the America East Conference, went 12-5-2 last year and will be meeting Portland for the first time.

The Pilots follow the Nike Invitational with a trip to the Sacramento State Tournament in Sacramento, Calif. Portland begins the tourney with a match against tournament host Sacramento State on September 7. The Hornets and Pilots have split two previous meeting, with Portland claiming a 4-0 win the most recent meeting in 2004 at Merlo Field. Portland then concludes the Sacramento tournament with a game against UC Davis on September 9.

Before heading to yet another tournament, Portland travels to Seattle, Wash. for a match against Northwest rival Washington on September 18. This marks the 41st meeting all-time between the Pilots and Huskies, with UW holding a 22-15-3 advantage. Washington advanced to the NCAA Third Round last year, where it lost 3-2 to Santa Clara.

The Pilots then return to Seattle the following weekend for the annual Husky Fever Classic, hosted by UW. Portland will face the Furman Paladins and Denver Pioneers. On September 21, the Pilots play the Paladins for the first time in school history. Furman, a member of the Southern Conference and the alma mater of U.S. National Team member Clint Dempsey, has reached the NCAA postseason six times, most recently in 2002.

The Pilots and Pioneers are slated to play on September 23. Denver finished 11-5-2 last season and was ranked as high as 16th in the country.

Portland kicks off its West Coast Conference schedule with a home game against Gonzaga on September 29. The WCC will once again feature a double round robin format. The Bulldogs took both meetings against Portland last season, but the Pilots lead the all-time series 8-6-1.

The Pilots follow its home match against Gonzaga with a pair of conference road games. First San Francisco hosts Portland on October 5 before Saint Mary’s welcomes the Pilots on October 7. USF has won two of the past three league titles and lost in the NCAA First Round last season. The Pilots split their two meetings with the Dons last season. The Gaels finished with a 4-10-6 overall record last fall and a 2-7-3 mark in the conference. UP leads the all-time series with SMC 19-4-2.

Portland then plays two straight at home as San Diego and Loyola Marymount visit Merlo Field. The Pilots host the Toreros on October 12 and the Lions on October 14. USD took both meetings against Portland last year and has won four straight in the series. LMU also won both meetings with UP last fall, but the Pilots lead the all-time series 15-5-2.

The Pilots’ first meeting with reigning conference champion Santa Clara falls on October 19 in Santa Clara, Calif. The Broncos posted a 13-5-5 overall record (8-2-2 WCC) last season and advanced to the NCAA Quarterfinals. SCU holds a 15-10-5 advantage in the all-time series with Portland after taking both contests last year.

The second half of the conference season begins October 26 as Portland travels to Gonzaga. The Pilots welcome Saint Mary’s and San Francisco on the weekend of Nov. 2-4, then travel to San Diego and Loyola Marymount on November 9 and November 11, respectively.

A non conference match at Cal Poly is scheduled for November 16 before the Pilots host Santa Clara in a pivotal regular season finale on November 18.

The Pilots will look to make their 13th NCAA playoff appearance of all-time with the postseason kicking off with first round action the weekend of November 23-25.