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Video I Audio I Stats
Game Information
The No. 6 Portland Pilots will host the two top-ranked teams in the nation as No. 2 UCLA and defending champion and current No. 1 USC visit the Clive Charles Soccer Complex this weekend. The Pilots and West Coast rival UCLA kickoff on Saturday at 7 p.m., while the Women of Troy visit on Monday at 2:30 p.m.
Game Coverage
Saturday’s match will air live on Comcast SportsNet Northwest with Bob Akamian, Jimmy Clarke and Lindsey Huie calling the action. All UP home soccer matches will be video streamed (subscription) live at pilotsvideo.com, while free audio streams and live stats will continue to be available at www.portlandpilots.com.
Ticket Information
Single game tickets for all Portland home events can be purchased through Ticketmaster at (503) 224-4400, online at www.ticketmaster.com, at all Ticketmaster outlets, as well as in-person at the Pilot Box Office (11am-5pm, M-F).
Pilots Briefly
• UP opened the season at home last Saturday with a 3-1 win over Oregon in front of 5,104 fans.
• Five starters and 14 letterwinners return from 18-4-0 team in 2007.
• Twin sisters Megan and Rachael Rapinoe, and Megan Sweeney all returned from season ending injuries last year; Rachael scored the final goal against UO, while Megan assisted on the team’s first goal and Sweeney played all 90 minutes on defense for the Pilots.
• Sophomore Sophie Schmidt started every match for Canada at the 2008 Beijing Olympics.
• Michelle Enyeart, Elli Reed and Keelin Winters are expected to be named to the USA Under-20 National Team for the 2008 FIFA World Championships this November-December.
• Enyeart and Reed named to MAC Hermann Preseason Watch List.
• Freshmen class ranked No. 7 nationally by Soccer Buzz.
• Pilots ranked No. 6 by NSCAA and Soccer Times.
Scouting UCLA
The Bruins are ranked No. 1 by Soccer Buzz, No. 2 according to Soccer Times and No. 3 by the NSCAA and Soccer America. In 2007, UCLA lost to USC in the College Cup semifinals. Gold medalist Lauren Cheney and Canadian National Teamer Kara Lang will return to the lineup after participating at the 2008 Summer Olympics. Cheney is the Soccer Buzz Preseason Player of the Year. UCLA’s season started with a 2-1 victory over UC Santa Barbara on Tuesday.
Portland-UCLA Series
UCLA holds a 6-1-0 record all-time against the Pilots, including a 3-1 mark during the NCAA playoffs. Portland’s lone victory came in the 2005 championship game, a 4-0 win. The Bruins have bounced Portland from the playoffs the last two years in quarterfinals matches hosted in Los Angeles. This will be the second time that UCLA has visited Merlo Field (1997 playoffs).
Scouting USC
The Women of Troy captured their first NCAA women’s soccer title last season, racing to a 20-3-2 record along the way. First year head coach Ali Khosroshahin and USC knocked off UCLA (2-1) in the semifinals and Florida State (2-0) in the title game. The team allowed just 13 goals on the season while recording 15 shutouts. Olympic gold medalist Amy Rodriguez started all five matches for the USA in Beijing and returns as USC’s primary scoring threat. Goalkeeper Kristin Olsen and Ashley Nick also earned All-America honors last season. Ranked No. 1 by the NSCAA, Soccer America and Soccer Times, USC opened the year with a 1-0 overtime victory at No. 24 San Diego last weekend.
Portland-USC Series
USC owns a 2-0-0 all-time record against Portland, including a 2-1 victory last season in Los Angeles. Rodriguez notched the game-winner in that contest in the 69th minute. The other meeting was a 1-0 decision for USC in Lincoln, Neb. in 1999.
One Game; One Sellout
An announced crowd of 5,104 packed Merlo Field last Saturday to witness the team’s season-opening 3-1 win over Oregon. It was the third largest crowd in UP history and improved the program’s Merlo Field home openers record to 18-1-0.
Home Sweet Home
The Pilots have been dominant at home since Merlo Field’s inception in 1990 and currently post a 164-19-7 (.882) home record at Merlo. Portland has led the nation in average attendance each of the last three seasons: 3,403 in 2005, 3408 in 2006 and 3,771 in 2007. The average attendance in 2007 established a new school record and is the second most in NCAA women’s soccer history for a single season. Only North Carolina’s 2001 average of 3,983 was higher. Portland was the first program to ever eclipse 40,000 fans in a season during its run to the 2005 NCAA Championship. The Pilots brought in 40,841 fans to 12 home matches.
Portland is slated to play 10 matches at home in 2008 and are pushing to establish new NCAA records in both average and total attendance.
Rapinoes Return with Flair
Twin sisters Megan and Rachael Rapinoe each made a significant impact in their return from season-ending knee injuries. Megan Rapinoe, a 2005 All-American and member of the USA Women’s National team before her first knee injury during the 2006 season, played all 90 minutes in UP’s season-opening win over Oregon and assisted on the team’s first goal less than three minutes into play. Rachael Rapinoe came on as a second-half substitute and tallied a late insurance goal. Rachael scored five goals in the 2006 playoffs and had four goals in four matches to start the 2007 season before her injury. The sisters are serving as co-captains for the Pilots in 2008.
Polling Numbers
Breakdown of national rankings for the Pilots and this week’s opponents:
School NSC SA SB ST TDS
Portland 6 8 9 6 5
UCLA 3 3 1 2 2
USC 1 1 4 1 6
NSC (NSCAA); SA (Soccer America); SB (Soccer Buzz Magazine); ST (Soccer Times): TDS (Top Drawer Soccer)
Schmidt Busy in Beijing
Sophomore midfielder Sophie Schmidt returned to campus last week after starting all four matches for Canada at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing. Schmidt, along with former UP standout Christine Sinclair, helped Canada advance past group play, but lost to eventual Gold Medal winners the United States (including graduated Pilot Stephanie Cox) in overtime of the quarterfinals. Schmidt started all four matches for Canada. She will be a game time decision for this weekend’s games.
Recruits Ranked No. 7
Portland’s 2008 recruiting class has made headlines before even stepping on the collegiate pitch. Soccer Buzz ranked Portland’s six incoming freshmen as the No. 7 recruiting class in the nation. Danielle Foxhoven (Littleton, Colo.) is listed as the No. 15 individual recruit in the country, while Michelle Olivier (Roswell, Ga.) is ranked No. 18 overall. Charney Burk (North Tustin, Calif.) came in at No. 29, while Kassi McCluskie (Scottsdale, Ariz.) earned a Top 75 individual rating. Halley Kreminski (Eagle, Idaho) was the Gatorade Idaho Player of the Year, while Emma Nelson (Mill Creek, Wash.) is a talent that battled injuries throughout her prep career.
Challenging Slate
As usual, the Pilots will play one of the toughest schedules in the country this fall. Home games against defending national champion Southern California, perennial national power UCLA, and West Coast Conference rival Santa Clara highlight the 2008 slate.
Portland will face seven teams that competed in the 2007 NCAA playoffs, including the team that has knocked them out of the previous two playoffs in the quarterfinals, UCLA. The Pilots and Bruins meet for the second time at Merlo Field and the Clive Charles Soccer Complex on Saturday, August 30. Portland will host the defending champion Trojans two days later in a crucial early season weekend of soccer.
Other notable home games on the women’s schedule include a September 19 meeting with Florida, who was bounced in the third round by the Trojans, and a November 2 date with arch rival Santa Clara. Either Portland or Santa Clara has won or shared every West Coast Conference regular season title in the league’s history.
U-20 Duty
Three Pilots are expected to be named to the USA Under-20 National Team that will participate in the FIFA World Championships in Chile in late November. Junior Michelle Enyeart and sophomores Keelin Winters and Elli Reed have been mainstays on the team throughout qualifying. The Pilots expect to have all three for a majority of the regular season, but will be without the trio come the playoffs.
Preseason Honors
Michelle Enyeart and Elli Reed are two of 47 women’s soccer players who have been named to the MAC Hermann Preseason Watch List. Soccer America also listed sophomore midfielder Sophie Schmidt as a second team preseason All-American.
Finders Keepers
Coach Smith has two quality options between the pipes in redshirt junior Kelsey Davis, a member of the USA Under-23 National Team, and sophomore Hailee DeYoung, a phenomenal athlete from Draper, Utah.
Davis appeared in 17 games last year and recorded nine shutouts. She posted a 0.49 goals-against average, while making 49 saves. She saved her best performance for last, making a career-high 11 saves in the Pilots’ 3-2, double overtime loss at UCLA.
DeYoung started five matches and appeared in eight total as a true freshman. She posted a 0.67 goals-against average and three shutouts.
WCC Preseason Poll
1. Portland - 49 (7)
2. Santa Clara - 42 (1)
3. San Diego - 37
4. Loyola Marymount - 30
5. Pepperdine - 24
6. Gonzaga - 22
7. San Francisco - 11
8. Saint Mary’s - 9
Pilots and Ronald McDonald House Ask for your Support
The Portland Pilots women’s soccer team has had a long-standing relationship with the Ronald McDonald House. It’s a tradition that is passed down each year from the upperclassmen to the freshmen. This year, the team decided it wanted to do even more and they’re asking for your help. The Pilots have once again partnered with the Ronald McDonald House in efforts to adopt a room at the Emmanuel Hospital location. By adopting a room, the team would furnish and decorate a Pilot Women’s Soccer themed room. With the help of UP soccer fans, the Pilots are hoping to raise $6,000. Selected home games will provide fans the opportunity to go down to the Merlo Field pitch and take a shot on goal for $1. There will also be a special auction at the regular season home finale on November 2 against Santa Clara. Donations will also be accepted at the fan information booth near the main entrance at Merlo Field during games or by contacting Beth Connell in the UP Athletic Department (503) 943-7245 or connell@up.edu.
