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PORTLAND PILOTS (1-2-3) vs. OREGON STATE BEAVERS (5-1-0)
Date: Thursday, September 18, 2014
Location: Corvallis, Ore.
Kickoff: 7:00 p.m.
Pitch: Lorenz Field
Live Video: N/A
Live Stats: OSUBeavers.com
 
POR vs. OSU
Overall Series: 21-3-0
Here: 14-0-0
There: 7-3-0
Neutral: 0-0-0
Last: @POR 3, OSU (Sept. 19, 2013)
 
PORTLAND PILOTS (1-2-3) vs. #21 DENVER PIONEERS (4-2-0)
Date: Sunday, September 21, 2014
Location: Denver, Colo.
Kickoff: 4:00 p.m. (Pacific)
Pitch: Denver Soccer Stadium
Live Video ($): DenverPioneers.com
Stats: DenverPioneers.com
 
POR vs. DU
Overall Series: 1-2-1
Here: 0-2-0
There: 0-0-0
Neutral: 1-0-1
Last: DU 1, @POR 0 (Sept. 27, 2013)
 
THIS WEEK
• The Pilots (1-2-3) play of pair of challenging road games this week against the Oregon State Beavers (5-1-0), who sit just out of the NSCAA rankings, and the 21st-ranked Denver Pioneers (4-2-0).
• First Portland will be in Corvallis, Ore., on Thursday night for a 7 p.m. match against the Beavers.
• The Pilots then jump on a plane and head to Denver, Colo., to face the Pioneers at Denver Soccer Stadium at 4 p.m. (Pacific) on Sunday.
 
LAST WEEK
• The Pilots played Duquesne to a 1-1 draw at Merlo Field last Friday before succumbing to Siena 2-1 in double overtime on Sunday at Ronaldo Field at Nike's World Headquarters.
• Friday's game featured a world-class goal by Portland junior Hugo Rhoads, who made perfect contact and hammered a half-volley into the top right corner of the net from 20 yards out; the goal received national attention and was No. 3 that evening on SportsCenter's Top 10 plays on ESPN.
• On Sunday, Michael Escobar scored the equalizer in the 56th minute, but the Saints would net the game-winner in the 107th minute; Portland was forced to play a man down for the final 24 minutes in a match that featured 12 yellow cards and one red.
• Both games were part of Oregon State's Hensor/Zaher Classic, and Escobar and Rhoads were both named to the All-Tournament Team.
 
ABOUT THE PILOTS...
• Hugo Rhoads and the Pilots received national attention last Friday after Rhoads scored a thunderous goal against Duquesne; visit this link to see Rhoads featured on SportsCenter's Top 10 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HOx2lQFKHG0.
• Rhoads and Michael Escobar, who registered a goal and an assist last weekend, were both named to the Oregon State Hensor/Zaher Classic All-Tournament Team.
• Rhoads was also named the Defensive MVP at the 2014 Nike Portland Invitational, which took place at Merlo Field the weekend of Aug. 29-31; Rhoads and the Pilots blanked UCF at the Invite before playing Evansville to a 1-1 draw.
• The Pilots had been regularly receiving votes in NSCAA Poll before last weekend.
• Sophomore Eddie Sanchez was named to the WCC Preseason All-Conference Team, while the Pilots were picked to finish third in a vote by the league's head coaches.
• Sanchez was tops in the WCC last year in overall points (27), goals (12) and game-winners (4), and he ranked sixth nationally in goals per game (0.71), was 10th in points per game (1.59) and 13th in total goals.
• Sanchez registered a hat trick during a 4-1 win at Santa Clara on Oct. 20 becoming the first Pilot to score three goals in a game since 2003.
• He was named the 2013 WCC Freshman of the Year, landed on Soccer America's All-Freshman First Team and he was named to the All-WCC First Team.
• Fellow sophomore Matthew Coffey landed on the All-WCC Second Team and joined Sanchez on the all-freshman team, while senior Derek Boggs and junior Hugo Rhoads both earned all-league honorable mention.
• The Pilots featured the most prolific offense in the WCC in 2013, leading the way with 33 goals and an average of 1.75 goals per game; UP was second in total assists (27), assists per game (1.35), total points (97) and points per game (4.85).
• Portland has been to two College Cups (1988 & 1995) and has reached the NCAA Postseason 14 times.
• Head coach Bill Irwin notched career win No. 100 on Oct. 11 last season when the Pilots defeated San Diego 2-1 at Merlo Field; Irwin is in his 12th year at the helm of the UP men's soccer program and his 28th year overall on the Portland staff.
• Assistant coach Rob Baarts is in his 11th year on the Portland bench, while assistant coach Brandon McNeil is in his seventh year on the staff; both Baarts (1987-90) and McNeil (1998-2001) played at UP.
 
#SCTop10
• Hugo Rhoads and the Pilots received national attention last Friday after Rhoads scored a thunderous goal during a 1-1 draw with Duquesne at Merlo Field.
• After 42 minutes of scoreless soccer, Portland earned a corner kick, which was taken by senior Michael Escobar; Escobar sent a ball towards the top of the box where it took a bounce before Rhoads made perfect contact and hammered a half-volley into the top right corner of the net from 20 yards out.
• The goal was No. 3 that evening on SportsCenter's Top 10 plays on ESPN, and you can see it by visiting this link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HOx2lQFKHG0.
 
THE RANKINGS
• Currently five of Portland opponents are either ranked in the NSCAA Coaches' Poll or are receiving votes; Washington is the highest ranked opponent at No. 8, while Denver checks in at No. 21.
• Oregon State, Siena and South Florida are each receiving votes.
 
THAT'S A LOT OF PEOPLE
• It was a record-setting night on Friday, Aug. 22, when the Pilots hosted the Linfield Wildcats in an exhibition match at Merlo Field.
• A program record crowd of 4,194, which included a then-record 2,205 students, watched the Pilots defeat the Wildcats 4-0 behind a pair of goals from freshman Erik Edwardson.
• The 2,205 students represent 55.6 percent of the UP student body.