Live Video/Audio/Stats: PortlandPilots.com

Series: POR leads 21-6-4

Last Season: @SMC 1, POR 1 (2ot); SMC 1, @POR 0

 

Live Video/Audio/Stats: PortlandPilots.com

Series: USF leads 19-14-2

Last Season: @USF 1, POR 0; @POR 5, USF 0

 

The Portland Pilots (5-2-4, 2-1-1 WCC) return home this week for a pair of key West Coast Conference matches at Merlo Field at the Clive Charles Soccer Complex. First the Saint Mary’s Gaels (6-4-1, 2-2-0 WCC) visit on Friday for a game at 5:00 p.m. Then on Sunday, the San Francisco Dons (2-7-2, 0-3-1 WCC) come to town for a 2:30 p.m. tilt.

Both matches are part of a UP soccer double-header as the women follow the men on Friday night with a game against LMU at 7:30 p.m. On Sunday, the Portland women precede the men with a 12:00 p.m. kick-off against Pepperdine.

 

New for 2010-11 is UP’s GameCentral, a free internet portal that combines free video, audio and livestats in one location, making following the Pilots easier and more accessible than ever before. All home, non-televised men’s and women’s soccer games, volleyball matches and men’s and women’s basketball games will be available through the free service, which is also available on your iPhone, iPad, or iTouch. To access GameCentral, simply visit PortlandPilots.com.

 

The Gaels split their two WCC games last weekend, winning 1-0 in double overtime at San Francisco on Oct. 6 and dropping a 2-1 decision at home against Santa Clara on Oct. 10. Junior defender Tom Mohoric leads the team with three goals, while sophomore defender Trevor Newquist has a team-high 11 points on two goals and three assists. Junior keeper Doug Herrick has played every minute in goal this fall, posting five shutouts and a goals-against average of 0.95. Reigning WCC Coach of the Year Adam Cooper is in his sixth year at the helm of Saint Mary’s. The Gaels returned 15 letterwinners and nine starters from last year, when SMC went 10-5-5 overall and 6-3-3 in the WCC to advance to the NCAA playoffs.

 

The Pilots own a healthy 21-6-4 advantage in the all-time series with the Gaels, but Saint Mary’s has won two of the last three meetings. Last season, the Gaels followed a 1-1 tie in Moraga with a 1-0 win in Portland.

 

Last Friday’s 2-2 tie at Santa Clara ended a four-game losing streak for the Dons. Senior defender/midfielder Victor Cortez scored both goals for USF against the Broncos, his first two of the season. Cortez leads the team with five points, while freshman forward Tanner Smith has also scored two goals. Sophomore goalkeeper Brendan Roslund has recorded one shutout and has a goals-against average of 1.24. Erik Visser is in his 11th year as head coach at San Francisco. The Dons, who have reached the NCAA playoffs 31 times and have won six national titles, were 7-10-2 (4-7-1 WCC) last season. 16 letterwinners and eight starters returned.

 

USF leads the all-time series with UP 19-14-2. Last season, the Pilots bounced back from a 1-0 loss in San Francisco with a 5-0 win in the season finale at Merlo Field.

 

The Pilots went on the road last week to earn a hard-fought 1-0 win at San Diego on Friday night. Connor Barbaree scored the game-winner in the 82nd minute, his second goal of the season, on a feed from Michael Nielsen. Goalkeeper Austin Guerrero made six saves for his third shutout this season and 19th of his career.

On Sunday, the Pilots fell behind by three goals at the half before dropping a 3-2 decision to LMU in Los Angeles. Steven Evans hit the post with a shot in the closing minutes, while Ben Hemphill sent a header high of the crossbar with just 12 seconds remaining. Jarad vanSchaik scored Portland’s first goal, while Ryan Kawulok pulled the Pilots within one with a goal in the 74th minute.

 

Celebrating 20 Years of Merlo Field

This season, the University of Portland is celebrating 20 years of playing on one of the finest pitches in the country. Built on the UP campus in 1990, Merlo Field instantly became one of the nation’s best collegiate soccer facilities. The facility has experienced several upgrades and expansion through the years and it remains one of the nation’s finest soccer environments.

Prior to Portland’s home game against Washington on Sept. 18, the University welcomed back members of the 1990 men’s soccer team for a pre-game ceremony. The night marked the rematch of the first match ever played on Merlo Field, which took place on Sept. 23, 1990, when Washington defeated the Pilots 1-nil on a UP own-goal.

 

The Pilots seem to be saving their scoring for after the half-time buzzer as 14 of the team’s 17 goals this season have come during the second half. During a 3-3 draw against Denver on Sept. 10, all three UP goals came during the game’s second 45 minutes.

 

Senior forward Ryan Luke was named the WCC’s Co-Player of the Month after netting a league-high five goals during September. Luke also led the conference with 11 points as the Pilots went 4-1-3 and reached a season-high national ranking of 15th during the month. Luke, a native of Bothell, Wash., also tallied an assist and a game-winner. His first two goals came during a 2-1 win over No. 30 Evansville at Merlo Field on Sept. 5. Luke also scored goals against Washington on Sept. 18, at Seattle on Sept. 26 and at Gonzaga on Sept. 29. He assisted on Jarad vanSchaik’s game-winner in the 92nd minute of a 2-1 overtime win over UC Davis on Sept. 24.

 

Portland senior midfielder Jarad vanSchaik was named the WCC’s Co-Player of the Week on Sept. 27 after helping lead the Pilots to a win and a draw in Seattle (Sept. 24-26). vanSchaik became the second UP men’s soccer player to earn the distinction this season, joining junior defender Ryan Kawulok who nabbed the WCC’s weekly honor on Sept. 13.

While in Seattle, the Pilots defeated UC Davis on Friday, Sept. 24 and tied Seattle U on Sunday, Sept. 26 at the Husky Fever Classic, UW’s annual tournament. During the 2-1 overtime win against UC Davis, vanSchaik scored the game-winner in the 92nd minute. He led the UP attack with six strikes against the Aggies. Then on Sunday, the native of Tualatin, Ore., assisted on Ryan Luke’s goal in the 70th minute as the Pilots earned a 1-1 draw with Seattle.

vanSchaik was also voted the Husky Fever Classic’s Offensive MVP.

 

Senior All-Conference goalkeeper and four-year starter Austin Guerrero already has three shutouts this season, with two coming against WCC foes. With his 1-0 blanking of San Diego last Friday, Guerrero tied former UP great Kasey Keller for the second most career shutouts during WCC games with 13. That’s just three shy of breaking the all-time mark held by San Francisco’s Geremy Uhl, who shutout 15 WCC foes from 2003-06. Coincidentally, UP was the only WCC school Uhl never recorded a shutout against.

Guerrero currently ranks third in UP program history in saves (314), is tied for fourth in overall shutouts (19) and is eighth in goals-against average (1.18). The native of Chula Vista, Calif., has earned all-league honors all three years on The Bluff. His six shutouts during the 2007 WCC schedule are tied for the most during a single conference season.

 

Portland freshman midfielder Steven Evans, who now has two collegiate goals, is making an obvious impact on the pitch for the Pilots this season. The Portland native out of Central Catholic High School leads the team and is third in the WCC with four assists. Evans, who assisted on both of Portland’s goals during a 2-1 win at No. 24 New Mexico on Sept. 12, was named to the UNM Invitational’s All-Tournament Team following UP’s 1-0-1 performance in Albuquerque. His first goal came during a 2-1 overtime win over UC Davis on Sept. 24. His second goal of the season came against Santa Clara on Oct. 3 as the Pilots earned a 1-1 draw.

Evans came to The Bluff already accustomed to winning, picking up two titles during the summer of 2010. First, Evans and his Eastside Club team (Liverpool) became the first club team from Oregon since 1993 (FC Portland) to win a national title. Evans then returned to help the Portland Timbers U-23’s cap a perfect season (20-0-0) by winning the USL’s Premier Development League championship.

 

Senior forward Ryan Luke is making the most of his final season on The Bluff, leading the team and ranking second in the WCC with five goals and 11 points. On Sunday, Sept. 5, the reigning WCC Co-Player of the Month scored both UP goals as the Pilots defeated No. 30 Evansville 2-1 to win the 2010 Nike Invitational at Merlo Field. Luke scored with a header in the first half, while his second-half goal was on a terrific finish. On a perfect feed from junior Michael Nielsen, Luke went airborne near the right post for a side-bike volley that found the far left corner of the net.

Luke was Portland’s top returning goal scorer after netting seven strikes last season, which ranked second on the team and in the WCC. He earned all-league honorable mention as a junior.

Senior and 2009 All-WCC First Team selection Jarad vanSchaik is providing steady veteran’s leadership at the attacking midfield spot and in the defensive backfield this fall. vanSchaik, who was named to the All-WCC Preseason Team, was named the WCC Player of the Week (Sept. 27) and he was named the Husky Fever Classic’s Offensive MVP. On Friday, Sept. 24, he scored the game-winner during the 92nd minute of a 2-1 win over UC Davis. Then on the following Sunday, he assisted on Ryan Luke’s goal as UP tied Seattle 1-1.

As a junior, he vanSchaik the Pilots and finished second in the WCC with eight assists. The Tualatin, Ore., native was fourth in the league in points (20) and tied for seventh in goals (6). Against Santa Clara on Sunday, the versatile vanSchaik started at left back.

 

The Pilots entered the season ranked in all four major national polls and are currently receiving votes in the NSCAA, the Soccer Times and the College Soccer News polls. UP was No. 19 in the NSCAA’s preseason poll, which was the highest of all four preseason rankings. Earlier this year, the Pilots reached 15th in the NSCAA poll for their highest ranking to date this season. Portland is currently No. 6 in the NSCAA Far West Rankings.

 

So how many Baarts does it take to make a college soccer team go? Apparently three, as UP freshman defender Tyler Baarts joins his dad (Rob) and cousin (Justin) on the pitch this season. Justin Baarts, a native of Surrey, B.C., is a sophomore goalkeeper in his second season with the Pilots. Assistant coach Rob Baarts, a former stand-out on the field for UP, is in his seventh year on the Pilot bench. Tyler, out of Portland’s Jesuit High School, is one of nine newcomers this season.

 

In a wide-open West Coast Conference, the Portland Pilots were picked to finish second, narrowly missing the top spot in the 2010 WCC Men’s Soccer Preseason Coaches Poll. Seniors Austin Guerrero and Jarad vanSchaik and junior Ryan Kawulok were voted to the WCC’s Preseason All-Conference Team, giving the Pilots a league-high three selections.

 

Visit it, bookmark it, you won’t be disappointed. Senior defender and team co-captain Alex Kraus has volunteered his services as the Pilots’ blogger this season. Kraus will give a unique, in-depth look at the UP soccer program, while also posting photos and videos. Fans can also send questions and comments to Alex, so make sure to visit the blog all season long!