STOCKTON, Calif. --- Portland's Hannah Griffiths Boston scored twice and goalkeeper Rachel Lusby made a handful of saves as the Pilots rolled to a 4-0 win over the Pacific Tigers on a warm Sunday afternoon at Knoles Field. It's the second straight shutout for the Pilots and it's the first two career goals for Griffiths Boston.
Portland (6-8-0, 2-2-0 WCC) also received goals from Allison Wetherington and Cecilia Pedersen, who both also earned an assist. Wetherington tallies her second game-winner of the year.
After withstanding some early pressure from the Tigers (2-9-1, 1-3-0 WCC), the Pilots stayed patient and put some decent possession together. In the 18th minute, Jess Kennedy had Portland's first quality look, hitting a shot high after Noelle La Prevotte found her with a nice pass in the box.
Moments later Kennedy helped earn a PK for the Pilots after her perfectly placed through ball to Ellie Boon had the Pacific backline scrambling. The ref then pointed to the spot after a hard tackle on Boon, and Wetherington stepped up and put away her second goal of the year, handing the Pilots a 1-0 lead.
The Pilots continued to control possession from there, and in the 40th minute Boon sent in a brilliant ball toward the far post. That's where Griffiths Boston hammered one home with a first-time finish. It's the sophomore forward's first career goal and it allowed the Pilots to take a 2-0 lead into the half.
The second half brought more Portland possession and the second goal for Griffiths Boston. This time she buried a well-hit shot into the top right corner of the net. Pedersen earned the assist after a deflected shot fell to her feet in the center of the box, allowing her to find Griffiths Boston with a short pass.
And then in the 76th minute, Pedersen was on the receiving end of a long ball played by Wetherington. The Wetherington pass allowed the freshman forward to get behind the Pacific backline for a 1-v-1 with the Pacific keeper, and Pedersen finished low inside the left post for her team-best fourth goal of the year.
Lusby made four saves on the day, including a diving stop on a shot from Samia Adam in the third minute. The freshman keeper was also forced to make a save in the 69th minute when she flawlessly controlled a shot off the foot of Courtney Callister.
Other than those two chances, Lusby was never seriously threatened and she allowed the Pilots to run their streak of not allowing a goal to 230 minutes.
The Pilots next return home to host WCC rival Santa Clara on Sunday afternoon at Merlo Field. Kickoff between the Pilots and Broncos is scheduled for 1 p.m. and the game will be broadcast live nationally on ESPNU and the WatchESPN app.
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