PORTLAND, Ore. --- The Portland Pilots finished with a sizable 16-4 edge in shots, but in the end a stellar goal scored by CSUN's Ariana Tran in the 57th minute proved to be the difference as the Matadors claimed a 1-0 win at the Nike Portland Invitational on Sunday afternoon at Merlo Field. The Pilots (2-5-0) also had 10 corner kicks and were led by Jess Kennedy with five shots.
 
Neither team found the back of the net during the first 45 minutes, but the Pilots did control possession for much of the first half. Parkes Kendrick nearly gave Portland the lead when she was able to block an attempted clearance by CSUN (6-2-0) goalkeeper Cynthia Tafoya. But Tafoya recovered in time to deny the ensuing shot by Kendrick with a one-handed save in the 24th minute.
 
Hannah Griffiths Boston also forced Tafoya into making a save with a header just before the half.
 
Portland continued to win the battle of possession after the break, but it was Tran who gave the Matadors the lead with a world class goal. From just outside the box, Tran drilled a ball into the top left corner of the net, out of the reach of diving Portland goalkeeper Hanna de Haan. Camille Watson set up the strike with a short pass to earn the assist.
 
From there the Pilots increased their pressure in the CSUN half the field and repeatedly sent crosses into the area. Kennedy tried to re-direct a cross from Ariel Viera in the 64th minute, but the attempt from the sophomore midfielder was just wide of the right post.
 
Kennedy's shot came just moments after Noelle La Prevotte hit a pair of shots that seemed destined for the back of the net. The first was a sinking, bending ball that sailed wide of the right post, while her second was driven towards the top of the frame. Tafoya was there to make a key save, sending the ball over the crossbar.
 
The Pilots continued to search for the equalizer, and again La Prevotte nearly found it in the 84th minute. But her header on a ball from Ellie Boon was a little wide as she was looking for the top right corner.
 
Devlyn Jeter had Portland's final quality look in the 86th minute as she tried a first-time finish on a cross from Kendrick. But again it was off the mark, missing high by just a few inches.
 
De Haan finished with two saves on four shots from the Matadors. Tafoya countered with four stops and the Matadors had four corners.
 
Next up for the Pilots is a road trip to Seattle to face the Washington Huskies on Thursday night at 7 p.m. The Huskies picked up a pair of wins this weekend over CSUN and UC Irvine at Merlo Field to win the 2015 Nike Portland Invitational team title. UW's Shannon Simon was named the invite's offensive MVP, while her teammate McKenzie Karas claimed defensive MVP honors.