Friday • Nov. 6 • 7:00 p.m. • San Diego, Calif. (Torero Stadium - 7,000)
Live Stats: USDToreros.com
Series: USD leads 15-13-3
Last Meeting: USD 2, POR 1 - Oct. 9, 2009 @ Portland, Ore.
Pilots (8-4-4, 3-3-3) at Loyola Marymount (7-8-1, 2-5-1)
Sunday • Nov. 8 • 2:00 p.m. • Los Angeles, Calif. (Sullivan Field - 2,000)
Live Audio/Stats: LMULions.com
Series: POR leads 19-6-2
Last Meeting: POR 3, LMU 1 - Oct. 11, 2009 @ Portland, Ore.
This Week in Pilots Soccer...
The Portland Pilots (8-4-4, 3-3-3 WCC) head on the road for the final time during the regular season this weekend with a pair of games in Southern California. On Friday, the Pilots will face the 16th-ranked San Diego Toreros (11-4-0, 7-1-0 WCC), who sit in first place of the West Coast Conference. The game is set for 7:00 p.m. at Torero Stadium.
Then on Sunday, UP will be in Los Angeles to play the Loyola Marymount Lions (7-8-1, 2-5-1 WCC) at 2:00 p.m. at Sullivan Field.
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A Brief Look Back
The Pilots dropped a hard-fought 1-0 decision to Saint Mary’s on Friday night at Merlo Field before earning a 1-1 draw with Santa Clara on Sunday. Against the Broncos, Michael Nielsen scored on a perfect feed by Logan Emory to give the Pilots a 1-0 lead in the 31st minute. The Broncos equalized in the 71st minute before the two teams played 39 minutes of scoreless soccer. UP had several good opportunities during the game’s final 20 minutes of regulation, including one scenario when the Pilots fired off three consecutive shots. Two of the shots were knocked down by Santa Clara goalkeeper Larry Jackson before Joe Sleven sent a diving header left of the goal. That outburst came only moments after Ben Hemphill had a side-volley from point-blank range saved by Jackson.
On Friday, the Gaels notched the game’s only goal in the 75th minute. The Pilots controlled the pace of play after the break, outshooting the Gaels 8-2 in the second half and 11-7 for the game.
Scouting San Diego
The Toreros have won their last two conference games by a combined total of 7-2. Last week, USD defeated San Francisco 3-1 on the road in its only game of the week. Senior defender Sam Reeder was named the co-WCC Player of the Week following the win.
USD has outscored its opponents 29-14 this season, with freshman forward Patrick Wallen leading the way with a team-high seven goals. The Toreros lead the league with seven shutouts this fall, while senior keeper Kelin Briones boasts a goals against average of 0.93.
Head coach Seamus McFadden has racked up more than 300 wins in 29-plus years at USD. The Toreros, who were picked to finish fifth in the WCC, returned 19 letterwinners and nine starters from a team that was 6-10-4 overall and 6-5-1 in the league last season.
Pilots/Toreros Series
The Toreros hold a slim 15-13-3 advantage in the all-time series against the Pilots. Earlier this season at Merlo Field, USD notched the game-winner in the 69th minute to defeat the Pilots 2-1. UP is 4-8-1 all-time against the Toreros in San Diego.
Scouting LMU
The Lions have lost two straight games, most recently a 3-1 setback at San Francisco last week. Phil Da Silva scored LMU’s lone goal against the Dons.
Junior forward Rafael Baca leads the conference with nine goals and 20 points this fall. LMU has used three different goalkeepers this season, with redshirt-freshman Max Young posting a team-best 1.45 GAA.
Paul Krumpe, who is in his 12th year as head coach at LMU, recorded his 100th career win earlier this season. The Lions, who were picked to finish third this season in the WCC, went 7-8-5 last year (5-6-1 WCC) and returned 17 letterwinners and seven starters.
Pilots/Lions Series
UP owns an 19-6-2 lead in the all-time series with LMU. At Merlo Field on Oct. 11, both Collen Warner and Jarad vanSchaik scored a goal and handed out an assist to help the Pilots defeat LMU 3-1. The Pilots are 9-4 all-time against the Lions in games played in Los Angeles.
A Brief Look Ahead
The Pilots still have their sights set on the postseason with four games remaining during the regular season. After the road trip to California this weekend, Portland will conclude the season at home next week. On Thursday, Nov. 12, the Pilots will host the Seattle Redhawks in a non-conference game at 7:00 p.m. at Merlo Field. Portland then returns to the WCC for its regular season finale against the San Francisco Dons on Sunday, Nov. 15 at 3:00 p.m.
A Weekly Habit
After his four-goal performance in two games against Gonzaga, junior forward Ryan Luke became the third Pilot this season to be named the WCC Player of the Week (Oct. 26). Luke scored Portland’s two goals during its 2-2 tie with Gonzaga on Wednesday, Oct. 21 in Spokane before scoring twice more in the 5-1 win over the Bulldogs at Merlo Field on Sunday, Oct. 25. It’s the first conference player of the week honor for Luke, who followed junior goalkeeper Austin Guerrero (Sept. 28) and senior Collen Warner (Oct. 12) to earn the weekly honor this fall.
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.
Pick Your Poison
Portland has spread the wealth on offense with eight different players scoring UP’s 25 goals this season. 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 nine shots. Sophomore Michael Nielsen picked up his third goal of the season during the 1-1 tie with Santa Clara on Sunday.
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 1.01 and 53 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 227 career saves rank sixth. The Chula Vista, Calif., native was voted to the WCC’s 2009 Preseason All-Conference Team.
Man in the Middle... And Sometimes Up Top
After three stellar seasons on The Bluff, senior midfielder/forward 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 (47) and shots on-goal (18). 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 third in the league in assists, game-winners and shots.
The Not-So-Newcomers
So far this season, Portland’s nine freshmen have looked more like veterans, helping the Pilots notch 25 goals and 23 assists, which both rank second in the WCC. Freshman forward Ricardo Carrillo has been right at home up front for the Pilots with a goal and four assists.
Forward/midfielder Marc Tonkel has stepped up 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.
At Home on the Road
With nine games played away from Merlo Field, the Pilots have become quite comfortable on the road. So far, Portland is 2-1-3 in away games and 3-0-0 in matches played at neutral locations. Portland has also won two tournaments this fall, claiming the Smith Barney Classic (Sept. 11-13) in Burlington, Vt., and the Husky Fever Classic in Seattle (Sept. 25-27).
In addition, UP made what’s believed to be the second longest road trip in program history when it traveled 2,382 miles to Burlington, Vt. The visit back east marked Portland’s longest road trip since the Pilots traveled to Piscataway, N.J., for a tournament hosted by Rutgers in 1999.
