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PORTLAND (0-0-0) • OREGON STATE (0-0-0)
UC DAVIS (0-0-0) • CLEVELAND STATE (0-0-0)
Date: Friday, Aug. 30, 2013
Teams: Portland vs. UC Davis
Location: Portland, Ore.
Pitch: Merlo Field (4,982)
Kick-off: 7:00 p.m.
Live Video: PilotsVideo.com
Live Stats: PortlandPilots.com
Overall Series: 1-0-1
Last: POR 2, UCD 1 (ot) - 9/18/10 @ Seattle, Wash.
Teams: OSU vs. Cleveland State
Kick-off: 7:00 p.m.
Location: Corvallis, Ore.
Pitch: Lorenz Field (1,500)
Live Stats: OSUBeavers.com
Date: Sunday, Sept. 1, 2013
Teams: Portland vs. Cleveland St.
Location: Portland, Ore.
Pitch: Merlo Field (4,982)
Kick-off: 1:00 p.m.
Live Video: PilotsVideo.com
Live Stats: PortlandPilots.com
Overall Series: 0-0-0
Last: First Meeting
Teams: OSU vs. UC Davis
Kick-off: 1:30 p.m.
Location: Corvallis, Ore.
Pitch: Lorenz Field (1,500)
Live Stats: OSUBeavers.com
THIS WEEK
• The Pilots open the 2013 season with the annual Nike Invitational this weekend at Merlo Field.
• Portland will first face UC Davis at 7 p.m. on Friday night before battling Cleveland State on Sunday afternoon at 1 p.m.
• The Nike Invitational, which is in its 24th straight year of existence, takes on a new format as the Oregon State Beavers will also host a pair of games in Corvallis; the Beavs will play Cleveland State on Friday night and UC Davis on Sunday at Lorenz Field.
ABOUT THE PILOTS...
• Junior Derek Boggs was named to the West Coast Conference Preseason All-Conference Team, while the Pilots were picked sixth in a tight vote by the league's head coaches.
• Five different teams received a first place vote and just 13 points separate first-place choice Santa Clara and the Pilots.
• Portland features a bevy of newcomers as 10 players total will be slipping on a Pilots jersey for the first time this weekend.
• The Pilots also return 12 letterwinners and six starters as they begin their quest to return to the playoffs for the first time since 2009.
• Boggs was named to the all-conference second team as a sophomore last season after finishing the season with a pair of assists.
• Junior Michael Escobar and sophomore Jaime Velasco both landed All-WCC Honorable Mention accolades last season, while Velasco and Hugo Rhoads were also named to the WCC's All-Freshman Team.
• Portland has been to two College Cups (1988 & 1995) and has reached the NCAA Postseason 14 times.
• Head coach and Director of Soccer Bill Irwin is in his 11th year at the helm of the UP men's soccer program and he is just seven wins shy of career win No. 100; Irwin is in his 27th year overall on the Portland staff.
• Assistant coach Rob Baarts is back for his 11th year on the Portland bench, while assistant coach Brandon McNeil is entering his sixth year on the staff.
FOR STARTERS
• The Pilots are 22-8-6 all-time in season openers.
• The majority of UP's season openers have come at home, with the Pilots posting a 17-6-5 record when opening the season in Portland.
• The Pilots are 5-2-1 in season openers played on the road.
THE 2013 NIKE INVITE
• 2013 marks the 24th consecutive year in which the Pilots have hosted the Portland Invitational.
• Known as the Nike Invitational since 2002, the Pilots have won 11 tournament titles since the invitational's inception in 1990 and shared the 2012 title with Washington.
• The Washington Huskies, who have participated in every Portland Invitational save two, were replaced by Oregon State this season as the Invite has taken on a new look.
• Both Portland and Oregon State will host games at their respective homefields, as opposed to all four teams playing at Merlo Field.
• The Pilots will host UC Davis on Friday night and Cleveland State on Sunday afternoon, while OSU will host Cleveland State on Friday and UC Davis on Sunday.
• A tournament champ will still be crowned following the conclusion of Sunday's games, and the tourney will name both an Offensive and a Defensive MVP.
PILOTS IN THE MLS
• Four Portland men's soccer alums are currently on active rosters in the MLS, including Steven Evans here with the Portland Timbers.
• Both Luis Robles, a goalkeeper, and Heath Pearce, a defender, play for the New York Red Bulls, while Collen Warner plays for the Montreal Impact.
• Logan Emory was recently released by Toronto FC.
• Additionally, former UP defender Steve Cherundolo recently played his club record 100th game with Hannover 96 of Germany's Bundesliga, and he has 84 career caps with the U.S. Men's National Team.
IT'S A FAMILY AFFAIR
• The Baarts trio is back for their final season on the same bench.
• Assistant coach Rob Baarts' son Tyler is in his senior year as a defender with the Pilots, while Rob's nephew and Tyler's cousin Justin is a redshirt-senior goalkeeper.
• New to the Portland roster this year are freshmen twin brothers Conor and Rory Johnston, who come to The Bluff from Sonoma, Calif.
