Friday • Oct. 30 • 7:00 p.m. • Portland, Ore. (Merlo Field - 4,892)
Live Audio/Stats: PortlandPilots.com
Live Video: PilotsVideo.com
Series: POR leads 21-5-4
Last Meeting: POR 1, SMC 1 (2ot) - Oct. 4, 2009 @ Moraga, Calif.
Pilots (8-3-3, 3-2-2) vs Santa Clara (3-9-3, 1-5-1)
Sunday • Nov. 1 • 2:00 p.m. • Portland, Ore. (Merlo Field - 4,892)
Live Audio/Stats: PortlandPilots.com
Live Video: PilotsVideo.com
Series: SCU leads 17-12-6
Last Meeting: POR 1, SCU 0 - Oct. 2, 2009 @ Santa Clara, Calif.
This Week in Pilots Soccer...
The Portland Pilots (8-3-3, 3-2-2 WCC) will look to move up the West Coast Conference standings this weekend as they host the Saint Mary’s Gaels (9-2-3, 5-1-1 WCC) and the Santa Clara Broncos (3-9-3, 1-5-1 WCC) in two key matches at Merlo Field at the Clive Charles Soccer Complex. The Gaels, who sit just ahead of the Pilots in the league standings, visit for a 7:00 p.m. match on Friday, while the Broncos come to town for a game at 2:00 p.m. on Sunday.
Game Day Coverage
All non-nationally televised home soccer matches will 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.
Stay Connected
Fans can now follow the Portland Pilots like never before. Just visit Twitter (@PortlandPilots), facebook (facebook.com/PortlandPilots) and YouTube (youtube.com/UPPurplePride) for access to everything Pilots.
A Brief Look Back
The Pilots bounced back from a 2-2 tie with Gonzaga in Spokane on Wednesday with a 5-1 drubbing of the Bulldogs at Merlo Field on Sunday. Both Jarad vanSchaik and Ryan Luke scored two goals during Sunday’s win, with vanSchaik also picking up an assist. vanSchaik opened the scoring on a penalty kick in the 16th minute before scoring from 22 yards out inside the right post in the 21st minute. Luke then notched his first goal in the 41st minute to give the Pilots a comfortable 3-0 lead heading into the break. Luke picked up where he left off in the second half with another goal in 52nd minute.
Freshman Joe Sleven then joined the offensive onslaught with his first collegiate goal in the 64th minute. Sleven finished with header on a corner kick from freshman Ricardo Carrillo. GU scored in the 74th minute to avoid the shutout.
On Wednesday, Luke scored once before the half and again after to give the Pilots a 2-0 lead. GU would rally with two second-half goals to earn the draw.
Scouting Saint Mary’s
The Gaels, who are in second place in the WCC and sit just outside of the NSCAA’s top 25, are coming off back-to-back wins over Santa Clara last week. The Gaels topped the Broncos 1-0 in Santa Clara and 2-1 in overtime in Moraga.
Four different Gaels have scored three goals this season, with junior midfielder Dylan Leslie adding a conference-high seven assists to his three scores. Sophomore goalkeeper Doug Herrick has posted five shutouts and boats a league-best GAA of 0.73.
Head coach Adam Cooper is in his fourth season at the helm of the SMC program. The Gaels went 6-9-4 last season and finished fourth in the WCC with a 5-4-3 league mark. 20 letterwinners and 10 starters returned.
Pilots/Gaels Series
Portland claims a 21-5-4 advantage in the all-time series against the Gaels. The two teams battled to a 1-1 draw earlier this season in Moraga. UP is 12-2-0 all-time against SMC in Portland. Six of the last 10 matches between Portland and Saint Mary’s have gone to overtime.
Scouting Santa Clara
The Broncos are coming off two straight losses to Saint Mary’s. Santa Clara has not won a game since a 1-0 victory against Gonzaga on Oct. 4, going 0-4-1 during that span.
Sophomore defender Eric Masch and forward Erik Hurtado have each scored a team-high three goals this season, while sophomore midfielder Brandon Zimmerman has a team-best three assists. SCU’s opponents are outscoring the Broncos 23-13. Freshman keeper Larry Jackson has spent a majority of the minutes in goal and has a 1.16 GAA.
Cameron Rast is in his eighth season as head coach of Santa Clara. 19 letterwinners and eight starters returned from a team that was 4-9-7 overall and 2-5-5 in the WCC (7th) last year.
Pilots/Broncos Series
Santa Clara holds a 17-12-6 advantage in the all-time series with Portland. Earlier this season in Santa Clara, UP’s Collen Warner scored on a PK in the 77th minute to hand the Pilots a 1-nil win. The Pilots and Broncos are tied 6-6-1 all-time in Portland.
A Weekly Habit
After his four-goal performance last week, junior forward Ryan Luke became the third Pilot this season to be named the WCC Player of the Week. Luke scored Portland’s two goals during its 2-2 tie with Gonzaga on Wednesday in Spokane before scoring twice more in the 5-1 win over the Bulldogs at Merlo Field on Sunday. It’s the first conference player of the week honor for Luke, who follows junior goalkeeper Austin Guerrero (Sept. 28) and senior Collen Warner (Oct. 12) to earn the weekly honor this fall.
On the women’s side, Danielle Foxhoven was named the WCC Player of the week to make it a Portland sweep for the second time this season.
The RPI
The Pilots, who were ranked No. 10 in the initial RPI rankings released on Oct. 13, currently sit at No. 37. The RPI, or Ratings Percentage Index, is the most important of the criteria used to determine the at-large bids for the 48-team field for the NCAA Division I Men’s Tournament. The RPI is a mathematical formula designed to objectively compare results and strength of schedule.
San Diego is the highest rated team from the West Coast Conference, coming in at No. 5. Loyola Marymount is ranked 15th and Saint Mary’s is No. 40, giving the WCC four teams in the top 48.
Starting Strong and Moving On
Portland’s 8-3-3 record is the program’s best mark after 14 games since the 1999 squad opened at 9-3-2. UP’s best start ever came in 1988 when the Pilots won their first 21 games of the season.
Pick Your Poison
So far this season, Portland has spread the wealth on offense with eight different players scoring UP’s 24 goals. Senior Collen Warner and junior Ryan Luke lead the way with a team-high five goals each. Junior Jarad vanSchaik isn’t far behind with four goals, while sophomore defender Ryan Kawulok has three goals on just six shots.
In the Polls
The Pilots re-entered the national rankings this season for the first time since November of 2007. Portland was ranked in all four national polls earlier this month, reaching No. 16 in Soccer America’s Top 25 on Oct. 5. The Pilots, who are No. 37 in the most recent RPI rankings (Oct. 27), dropped out of the national polls last week following the hard-fought 1-0 loss at San Francisco. UP is currently receiving votes in the NSCAA national poll and is ranked seventh in the NSCAA’s Far West regional poll.
The Show Stopper
All-conference goalkeeper junior Austin Guerrero has been stellar between the pipes this season with three shutouts, a goals against average of 1.02 and 49 saves, which rank second in the WCC. After helping Portland win the 2009 Husky Fever Classic, Guerrero was named the WCC Player of the Week (Sept. 28) and he landed on Soccer America’s Team of the Week. He was also named the defensive MVP of the Smith Barney Classic (Sept. 11-13) to help the Pilots win the tourney title.
Guerrero currently ranks No. 5 all-time in UP program history with 14 career shutouts, while his 225 career saves rank sixth. The Chula Vista, Calif., native was voted to the WCC’s 2009 Preseason All-Conference Team.
Man in the Middle
After three stellar seasons on The Bluff, senior midfielder Collen Warner has taken his game to a new level this fall. Warner, who was named WCC Player of the Week on Oct. 12, leads the Pilots in goals (5), assists (5), points (15), shots (42) and shots on-goal (17). He has also converted all three of his penalty shots and has two game-winners.
The Denver, Colo., native was voted to the WCC’s 2009 Preseason All-Conference Team and he is currently ranks second in the league in assists, game-winners and shots and is third in points and goals.
The Not-So-Newcomers
So far this season, Portland’s nine freshmen have looked more like veterans, helping the Pilots to their best start in 10 years. Freshman forward Ricardo Carrillo has been right at home up front for the Pilots with a goal and four assists, which are tied for second most on the team.
Forward/midfielder Marc Tonkel has stepped his play lately and now has four assists on the season. Defender Keith Grubisich has taken over at the right back position, while also tallying a goal and an assist, and Colin Barich, a midfielder/forward, has two goals this fall.
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 118-41-13 (.724) 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 12 of the past 14 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.
