Live Video/Stats: USDToreros.com

Series: USD leads 15-13-4

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

 

Live Audio/Stats: LMULions.com

Series: POR leads 19-7-2

Last Season: @POR 3, LMU 1; @LMU 1, POR 0

 

The No. 25 Portland Pilots (4-1-4, 1-0-1 WCC) head back on the road for a pair of West Coast Conference games this week in Southern California. On Friday, the Pilots are set to face the San Diego Toreros (4-4-1, 1-1-0 WCC) for a 7:00 p.m. match at Torero Stadium. Then on Sunday, the first-place LMU Lions (6-3-1, 2-0-0 WCC) will host the Pilots for a 2:30 p.m. tilt at Sullivan Field.

 

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.

 

Last week, the Pilots blanked the Gonzaga Bulldogs 2-0 in Spokane, Wash., before earning a 1-1 draw with Santa Clara at Merlo Field. On Wednesday, the Pilots scored once in the first half and again in the second to open the WCC slate with a shutout of Gonzaga. Michael Nielsen’s goal in the first half, his first of the season, proved to be the game-winner. Ryan Luke added a little insurance in the second half with his team and conference-high fifth goal of the year. Goalkeeper Austin Guerrero made a pair of saves for his second shutout of the fall and 18th of his career.

 

The Pilots then returned to the Rose City and tied Santa Clara 1-1 on Sunday. After the Broncos took a 1-nil lead with a goal in the 50th minute, Steven Evans recorded the equalizer in the 72nd minute. Evans scored with a first-time finish on a long ball sent from center back Marc Tonkel. The game featured 36 fouls and four yellow cards, with Santa Clara accounting for 22 and three, respectively. Guerrero had another solid outing, finishing with eight saves to preserve the point for Portland.

 

The Toreros opened WCC play last week with a 1-0 overtime loss at Saint Mary’s and a 3-1 win at San Francisco. USD features one of the top offenses in the WCC, leading all teams with 15 goals and an average of 1.67 goals per game. Senior forward Marcelo Carminatti leads the team with four goals, while junior forward Stephen Posa and sophomore midfielder Dan Delgado have handed out a team-best three assists. Redshirt-freshman goalkeeper Michael D’Arrigo has spent the majority of the time goal, boasting a GAA of 1.10. Head coach Seamus McFadden is in his 32nd year at San Diego. The Toreros went 12-5-2 last season and finished first in the WCC (8-2-2), advancing to the postseason.

 

San Diego owns a 15-13-4 advantage in the all-time series with Portland. Last year, the Toreros defeated the Pilots 2-1 at Merlo Field, while the two teams tied 0-0 in San Diego.

 

The Lions blanked their first two WCC opponents last week, winning at Saint Mary’s and at San Francisco by 1-0 margins. Junior goalkeeper Jack McCormack made nine saves during the weekend to earn WCC Player of the Week honors. McCormack has four shutouts this year and a GAA of 0.76. Junior forward Artur Jozkowicz has a team-high four goals, while senior forward Rafael Baca leads the conference with six assists. Paul Krumpe is in his 12th year as head coach of the Lions. LMU advanced to the NCAA playoffs last year after going 10-9-2 and 5-5-2 in the WCC. 20 letterwinners and nine starters returned.

 

The Pilots lead the all-time series with LMU 19-7-2. Last season, the Pilots defeated the Lions 3-1 at Merlo Field, with Jarad vanSchaik scoring a goal and handing out an assist. LMU then blanked UP 1-0 in Los Angeles.

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 entered the season ranked in all four major national polls and are currently ranked 25th in the Soccer Times rankings. Portland is also receiving votes in the NSCAA 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.

 

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.

 

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 second 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 goal came during a 2-1 overtime win over UC Davis on Sept. 24. His second goal of the season came against Santa Clara last Sunday 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 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 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.

 

Senior All-Conference goalkeeper and four-year starter Austin Guerrero has picked up right where he left off last season, stifling opposing strikers. Guerrero has two shutouts this season after blanking Gonzaga 2-0 in Spokane last Wednesday.

Guerrero currently ranks fourth in UP program history in saves (302), fifth in shutouts and seventh in goals-against average (1.17). The native of Chula Vista, Calif., has earned all-league honors all three years on The Bluff, and has posted 12 career shutouts during WCC games, which is just four shy of setting a new all-time conference mark. His six shutouts during the 2007 WCC schedule are tied for the most during a single conference season.

 

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!