Friday • Sept. 19 • 4:30 p.m.
Seattle, Wash. (Husky Soccer Stadium - 1,500)
Live Stats: gohuskies.com
Series: UNM leads 0-1-1
Last Meeting: POR 0, UNM 0 (2ot)
Aug. 26, 2006 in Portland, Ore.
Pilots (2-2-1) vs. Cal State Fullerton (2-4-0)
Sunday • Sept. 21 • 11:00 a.m.
Seattle, Wash. (Husky Soccer Stadium - 1,500)
Live Stats: gohuskies.com
Series: POR leads 3-2-1
Last Meeting: CSF 3, POR 2 (ot)
Sept. 19, 2003 in Fullerton, Calif.
This Week in Pilots Soccer...
The Portland Pilots (2-2-1) make their annual trek north this weekend for the Husky Fever Classic, hosted by the Washington Huskies in Seattle, Wash. On Friday, the Pilots are slated to face the 24th-ranked New Mexico Lobos (3-2-1) at Husky Soccer Stadium at 4:30 p.m. On Sunday, UP concludes play at the Husky Fever Classic with a match against the Cal State Fullerton Titans (2-4-0) at 11:00 a.m. Livestats for both of Portland’s games in Seattle will be available at gohuskies.com.
Game Day Coverage
All men’s soccer home soccer matches will now be video streamed live at www.pilotsvideo.com. A season pass is available for $50, while single-game matches are $8. Free audio streams and live stats will continue to be available at www.portlandpilots.com.
Looking Back
Portland bounced back from two tough losses with a convincing 3-1 win over Northwest rival Washington on Friday at Merlo Field. The game, which was broadcast live nationally on Fox Soccer Channel, was tied 1-1 at the half before UP notched two second-half goals. Senior midfielder Leland Wright scored what proved to be the game-winner in the 53rd minute. Wright received a through-ball from junior Collen Warner, took a touch and buried a shot into the lower left corner. Sophomore Frankie Lopez returned to his scoring ways in the 61st minute with an absolute strike from 22 yards out. On a Portland corner, the UW clear found the chest of Lopez, who was unmarked just beyond the top left corner of the 18-yard box. Lopez then volleyed in a shot, perfectly placed into the top right corner to make it a 3-1 game.
Following the win, Wright was named the West Coast Conference Player of the Week. It’s the second conference award for the Pilots this season, as Lopez nabbed player of the week honors on Sept. 2.
Scouting New Mexico
The No. 24 Lobos split last weekend’s matches with No. 2 Akron and Cal Poly. UNM topped the second ranked Zips 1-0 on Friday night at the UNM Soccer Complex. Justin Davis scored the game-winner in the 68th minute. Cal Poly then defeated New Mexico 2-1 on Sunday.
Seven different Lobos have scored a goal this season, led by junior Stephen Brown and senior Chris Wright with two each. Wright was tabbed a pre-season, second team All-American by College Soccer News. Sophomore keeper Eric Staver has played every minute in goal and has one shutout. He has made 23 saves and boasts a goals-against average of 1.26.
Head Coach Jeremy Fishbein is in his seventh year at UNM. The Lobos advanced to the NCAA First Round last year, going 12-5-3 overall. 14 letterwinners and eight starters returned.
Pilots/Lobos Series
UNM claims a slim 1-0-1 advantage in the all-time series with UP. The Pilots earned a 0-0 draw with UNM at Merlo Field to open the 2006 season. The Lobos won the only other meeting 4-1 in New Mexico during the 2004 NCAA post-season
Scouting Cal State Fullerton
The Titans split a pair of road games last weekend, defeating Air Force 2-0 on Friday before dropping a 4-1 decision at Denver on Sunday. Shay Spitz and Kevin Venegas each notched a goal during the win over the Falcons.
Sophomore Celso Alvarez has three of Fullerton’s seven goals this season. Senior Kevin Puder (1.00 GAA) and freshman Trevor Whiddon (1.97 GAA) have split time in goal this season, with each posting a shutout.
Fullerton went 7-10-3 last year and is led by fourth-year head coach Bob Ammann. 11 letterwinners and five starters are back.
Pilots/Titans Series
UP leads the all-time series with Fullerton 3-2-1. The Titans won the most recent match, 3-2 in overtime in Fullerton during the 2003 season.
Looking Ahead
The Pilots follow their trip to Seattle with their West Coast Conference opener on Friday, Sept. 26 against Gonzaga at 7:00 p.m. at Merlo Field. A week later, UP is set to host Santa Clara on Oct. 3 and San Francisco on Oct. 5.
Among the Conference Elite
It’s just three weeks into the season and the Pilots have already nabbed two of the three Player of the Week honors handed out by the West Coast Conference. Senior Leland Wright is the league’s current player of the week after scoring Portland’s game-winner during a 3-1 win over Washington on Friday, Sept. 12. It’s the first strike this season for Wright.
Sophomore Frankie Lopez earned the WCC’s initial player of the week honor after scoring four of UP’s first six goals of the season. Lopez scored twice during a 2-2 draw with tenth-ranked Virginia Tech (Aug. 29) before adding a pair of goals and an assist as Portland blanked Fairleigh Dickinson (Aug. 31) 4-0.
Offensive Surge
So far this season, Portland sophomore forward/midfielder Frankie Lopez has been on an absolute tear, helping the Pilots move on without Alex Elliott, UP’s leading scorer from last season. Lopez leads the team and the conference this season with five goals, 11 points and one game-winner. He is also one of four Pilots to hand out at least one assist this fall, while his eight shots on-goal lead the squad. Nationally, Lopez is tied for seventh in goals per game (1.0)
After scoring four of UP’s six goals to help the Pilots claim the 2008 Nike Invitational (Aug. 29-31), Lopez was tabbed the West Coast Conference Player of the Week and was named to the national team of the week by Soccer America, College Soccer News and Top Drawer soccer. He was also named the tourney’s offensive MVP, helping Portland win the Nike Invitational for the first time since 2004.
Merlo Magic
Merlo Field at the Clive Charles Soccer Complex has proven to be tough on opposing teams as Portland has compiled an all-time record of 111-36-13 (.734) at the friendly confines.
Since its opening in 1990, the UP men have consistently brought in some of the biggest men’s soccer crowds in the country to Merlo Field. The Pilots have ranked in the top 15 in home attendance in 11 of the past 13 years, including the nation’s top attendance in 1996 when they averaged 2,554 fans per game. In 2006, 26,919 fans turned out to 11 men’s soccer home games to set a new all-time attendance high.
Portland went 4-2-1 at Merlo in 2007 and is already 2-0-1 this fall.
Among the Conference Leaders
After just four games, Portland as a team is already on top or near the top of the West Coast Conference in several offensive categories. The Pilots lead the league in goals (10), assists (6), points (26), shots (74) and corner kicks (36). UP is also tied for the league high with one shutout, while ranking second in saves (18).
Individually, sophomore Frankie Lopez leads the WCC with five goals and 11 points and is tied for the league high with one game-winner. Sophomore Collen Warner is tops in shots (16) and is tied for the league high with two assists. Senior Leland Wright is tied with Lopez with one game-winner.
Sophomore goalkeeper Austin Guerrero leads the WCC with 16 saves.
1988-2008: Celebrating the 20th Anniversary of UP’s First Visit to the College Cup
This year marks the 20th anniversary of Portland’s first visit to the College Cup in 1988. In Clive Charles’ third year at Portland, the Pilots ran the table during the regular season and won their first two playoff games to advance to the College Cup in Bloomington, Ind. In the semifinal match, the host school Indiana defeated the Pilots 1-0.
UP ended the year with a 21-1-0 overall record. Current Portland coaches Garrett Smith and Rob Baarts both played on that ‘88 team, while current Director of Soccer Bill Irwin was an assistant coach.
Since 1988, the Pilots have made 13 playoff appearances, including a return to the College Cup in 1995. Meanwhile, the women’s team has become one of the most successful programs in the country, winning national titles in 2002 and 2005.
