Rachael Rapinoe

PORTLAND, Ore. --- Portland senior forward Rachael Rapinoe will miss the remainder of the 2007 soccer season after tearing her anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) in her left knee. Rapinoe suffered the injury in the second half of Portland’s 1-0 loss to Purdue on Sunday in Seattle. Doctors confirmed the ACL tear this week and she is scheduled to have surgery on September 25.

Rapinoe was off to a blistering start with a team-leading four goals in the team’s first four matches. She was named the WCC Co-Player of the Week and earned unanimous national team of the week honors after notching the overtime game-winner in Portland’s season-opening 2-1 victory over Florida State. She added two goals against Oregon State on Labor Day and also struck in a 2-1 win over Cal State Fullerton last Friday.

A defender her first two years on The Bluff, Rapinoe was shifted to the front midseason last year and tallied 13 goals and seven assists in 20 matches started at the forward position.

This is the second consecutive season that the Pilots’ have lost their leading scorer to a knee injury. Megan Rapinoe, Rachael’s twin sister and one of the nation’s leading scorers last season, went down last October with the same injury. She had 10 goals and two assists in 11 matches before her season was cut short.

The No. 4 ranked Pilots are home this weekend to host the Nike Portland Invitational. Portland will face Kansas today at 7 p.m. and Yale on Sunday at 1 p.m.