PORTLAND, Ore. --- The Portland Pilots opened up West Coast Conference play with a 2-1 overtime loss to the Gonzaga Bulldogs on Sunday afternoon at Merlo Field. Gonzaga's Conner Bevans led the Bulldogs with a goal and an assist for their sixth win of the season.

Gonzaga (6-5-1, 1-0-0 WCC) used a high work rate during the first fifteen minutes of the game to create a few opportunities. The Portland (2-7-2, 0-1-0 WCC) backline held strong blocking one shot and goalkeeper Paul Christensen had a pair of saves to keep the game scoreless.

Jackson Jellah controlled the ball on the right side of the box with a Gonzaga defender on his left shoulder in the 21^st minute. Jellah worked around the defender to send the Pilots first shot on frame forcing Bulldog goalkeeper Chris Lowrimore to make his first save of the day.

In the 28^th minute the Pilots earned a free kick just outside the right side of the Gonzaga box and left back Hugo Rhoads stepped up to take the kick. Rhoads sent a pass towards the middle of the field where Matthew Coffey took a first time shot that bounced around the traffic in front of the goal. The ball landed at the feet of Geoffrey Dunn who turned and hit a toe poker high over the net from seven yards out.   

The Bulldogs took advantage of a free kick from 35 yards out in the 47^th minute to take the lead 1-0. Gonzaga forward Bevans sent a driven ball to an open David Sigurdsson who redirected the ball with his head just outside of the reach of Christensen and into the side net.

Portland responded just four minutes later when Rhoads played Joey Jones in on goal. The freshman slotted his first career goal left of Lowrimore to set the game level at one.
Gonzaga looked to go up again in the 62^nd minute when Denis Kalamar ripped a grass cutter toward the Pilot net. Christensen dove to his left and got just enough of the shot to send it wide of the goal and out for a Bulldog corner.

Erik Edwardson looked to give the Pilots the lead in the final minute of regulation, but his shot from the left wing was just high of the Gonzaga goal. The two sides ended the second half tied 1-1 which meant the game would head into overtime.

There were only three minutes of overtime play before Gonzaga's Bevans drilled a knuckling shot from 30 yards out into the upper corner to win the game for the visiting squad.

The Pilots continue conference play with a game at San Diego on Friday Oct. 16 at 7:30 p.m.