Live Video/Stats: USFDons.com

Series: USF leads 19-15-2

Last Meeting: @POR 3, USF 1 - Oct. 17, 2010

 

Live Stats: SMCGaels.com

Series: POR leads 22-6-4

Last Meeting: @POR 1, SMC 0 (ot) - Oct. 15, 2010

 

The Portland Pilots (8-2-4, 5-1-1 WCC), who are now tied with LMU on top of the West Coast Conference standings with 16 points, travel to Northern California this week for a pair of league games against San Francisco and Saint Mary’s. On Friday, the Pilots are set to play the Dons (2-10-2, 0-6-1 WCC) in San Francisco, Calif., at 7:00 p.m. at Negoesco Stadium. Then on Sunday, the Gaels (7-5-1, 3-3-0 WCC) will host Portland for a 1:00 p.m. match at Saint Mary’s Stadium in Moraga, Calif. The Pilots re-entered the rankings this week, coming in at No. 30 in the College Soccer News poll.

 

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 Pilots extended their winning streak to three games with 2-1 home win over Gonzaga last Saturday. During a constant downpour at Merlo Field, Portland battled back from a 1-0 deficit to pull out the win. Jarad vanSchaik scored the equalizer on a penalty kick in the 78th minute, while Ryan Luke notched the game-winner with barely two minutes to play. Gonzaga’s Colin Flynn had given the Bulldogs a 1-nil lead with a goal in the 35th minute.

Both vanSchaik and Luke lead the team this season with six goals and two game-winners each. Luke, who is the reigning WCC Player of the Month, was tabbed as the conference player of the week after his game-winner against the Bulldogs.

Schedule Change

Kick off for Portland’s final home game of the season against San Diego on Nov. 7 has been moved to 1:00 p.m. to accommodate the Toreros’ travel plans. The original starting time was 2:30 p.m. at Merlo Field.

 

The Gaels haven’t played since a 1-0 win at Gonzaga on Oct. 17. 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 posted five shutouts and has a goals-against average of 0.94. 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 defeated the Gaels 1-0 in overtime in Portland on Oct. 15 to improve their all-time record against Saint Mary’s to 22-6-4. During that OT win, Ben Hemphill scored the game-winner on a break away in the 97th minute.

 

The Dons have lost seven of their last eight games, including a 2-1 set-back at home against Santa Clara last Friday. USF’s last win came on Sept. 24. Senior defender/midfielder Victor Cortez leads the team with three goals and seven points. Sophomore goalkeeper Brendan Roslund has recorded one shutout and has a goals-against average of 1.58. 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.

 

The Pilots, who defeated the Dons 3-1 at Merlo Field on Oct. 17, trail in the all-time series with USF 15-19-2. UP senior Jarad vanSchaik scored twice in the second half to break a 1-1 tie during that 3-1 win.

 

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 have defended their home turf over the years, going 125-43-16 all-time at the friendly confines for a winning percentage of .723. The Pilots have ranked in the top 15 in home attendance nationally in 13 of the past 15 years, including the nation’s top attendance in 1996.

 

Portland senior forward Ryan Luke became the third Pilot to be recognized as the WCC Player of the Week after picking up the game-winner during UP’s 2-1 win over Gonzaga last weekend. Portland senior midfielder Jarad vanSchaik (Sept. 27) and junior defender Ryan Kawulok (Sept. 13) have also been recognized this year. Luke, the reigning WCC Co-Player of the Month, scored the game-winner against the Zags came in the 88th minute as Portland battled back from a 1-0 halftime deficit. Luke, a native of Bothell, Wash., is now tied for the team-high with six goals and two game-winners, which both rank second in the conference.

vanSchaik was named the WCC’s Co-Player of the Week after helping lead the Pilots to a win and a draw at the Husky Fever Classic (Sept. 24-26). During the 2-1 overtime win against UC Davis on Sept. 24, vanSchaik scored the game-winner in the 92nd minute. Then on Sept. 26, the native of Tualatin, Ore., assisted on 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.

Previously Kawulok earned the league’s weekly distinction after he scored the game-winning goal during UP’s dramatic 2-1 win at No. 22 New Mexico on Sept. 12. With the score tied 1-1 with less than two minutes to play against the Lobos, Kawulok put away the game-winner on a rebound, sending Portland to the win. Kawulok was also named the New Mexico Invitational’s Defensive MVP after helping the Pilots to a win and a draw in Albuquerque.

 

The Pilots seem to be saving their scoring for after the half-time buzzer as 17 of the team’s 23 goals this season have come during the second half, while two scores have come during overtime. During a 3-3 draw against Denver on Sept. 10, all three UP goals came during the game’s second 45 minutes. Last weekend, UP outscored Gonzaga 2-0 during the second half en route to a 2-1 come-from-behind victory.

 

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.

 

Senior All-Conference goalkeeper and four-year starter Austin Guerrero has four shutouts this season, with three coming against WCC foes. With his 1-0 blanking of Saint Mary’s on Oct. 15, Guerrero passed former UP great Kasey Keller for the second most career shutouts during WCC games with 14. That’s just two 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 (325), is fourth in overall shutouts (20) and is seventh in goals-against average (1.16). 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 in league history.

 

Senior and 2009 All-WCC First Team selection Jarad vanSchaik is proving to be invaluable for the Pilots this season, both offensively and defensively. After starting a couple of games at left back, vanSchaik returned to his usual spot in the midfield to score three goals and a game-winner during the last two games. He and Ryan Luke both lead the team this season with six goals and two game-winners.

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. As a junior, he led the Pilots and finished second in the WCC with eight assists, was fourth in the league in points (20) and tied for seventh in goals (6).

 

Portland freshman midfielder Steven Evans 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 with four assists, while also scoring a pair of goals. 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.

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, scoring six goals and two game-winners. On Sunday, Sept. 5, the reigning WCC Co-Player of the Month and Player of the Week 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. He scored his second game-winner last Saturday against Gonzaga.

Both Luke, who earned all-league honorable mention as a junior, and Jarad vanSchaik have scored a team-high six goals, which rank second in the WCC.

 

The Pilots entered the season ranked in all four major national polls and are currently ranked 30th in the College Soccer News poll, while receiving votes in the NSCAA and the Soccer Times 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. 5 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.