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Tickets PORTLAND PILOTS (1-4-1) vs. #8 OREGON STATE BEAVERS (5-0-0)Date: Thursday, September 17, 2015
Location: Portland, Ore.
Kick-off: 7:00 p.m.
Pitch: Merlo Field (4,892)
Live Video: TheW.tvLive Stats: PortlandPilots.com POR vs. OSUOverall Series: 21-4-0
Here: 14-0-0
There: 7-4-0
Neutral: 0-0-0
Last: @OSU 2, POR 0 (Sept. 18, 2014)
THIS WEEK • The Pilots return to The Bluff to host the No. 8 Oregon State Beavers on Thursday night in Portland's lone game this week.
• Kickoff at Merlo Field is set for 7 p.m.
• The Pilots and Beavers have a lengthy history, with Portland claiming a decisive 21-4-0 advantage in the all-time series.
• OSU defeated the Pilots 2-0 last season in Corvallis, but it was Portland who prevailed 3-0 in 2013, the last time these two teams met in the Rose City.
LAST WEEK • The Pilots played the SMU Mustangs to a 0-0 draw on Friday night in Dallas, Texas, before dropping a 3-2 heartbreaker at Tulsa in overtime on Sunday.
• Against the Golden Hurricane in Tulsa, Okla., Erik Edwardson scored twice in the second half to help the Pilots climb back from a 1-0 halftime deficit.
• His second goal came in the 80th min and gave the Pilots the lead, but the Golden Hurricane found the equalizer in the 88th minute to push the game to extra time; Juan Sanchez then notched the game-winner in the 97th minute.
• Against the Mustangs, goalkeeper Paul Christensen denied a PK in the 66th minute and matched a career high with nine saves.
• Edwardson led the Pilots with five shots and freshman Reid Baez hit the post with a strike in the 59th minute.
ABOUT THE PILOTS... • Matthew Coffey and Erik Edwardson are tied for the lead in the WCC with two assists each; Paul Christensen is tops with 30 total saves, while Edwardson leads the league in shots with 18.
• Paul Christensen and Eddie Sanchez landed on OSU's Hensor/Zaher Classic All-Tournament Team earlier this season.
• The Pilots feature a deep and talented roster, which includes four players who received All-West Coast Conference recognition in 2014, but Portland is still somewhat young with only two true seniors and 10 newcomers.
• The Pilots returned 17 letterwinners and seven starters from last season, including senior defender Hugo Rhoads, who landed all-league second team accolades a year ago.
• Eddie Sanchez was Portland's leading goal scorer last fall and a 2014 All-WCC First Team Selection.
• Sanchez tallied five goals last year, despite missing six games due to an injury; he also added three assists, which matched a team-high.
• Both Rhoads and Sanchez were selected to the 2015 Preseason All-West Coast Conference Men's Soccer Team in a vote by the league's eight head coaches; it's the first league preseason honor for Rhoads, while it's the second straight year to be selected for Sanchez.
• San Francisco was selected as the preseason favorite to win the 2015 WCC men's soccer title, while the Pilots were picked to finish seventh.
• Hugo Rhoads and the Pilots received national attention last year after he scored a thunderous goal against Duquesne on Sept. 12; visit this link to see Rhoads featured on SportsCenter's Top 10 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HOx2lQFKHG0.
• Portland's game against then-No. 9 Michigan State (Aug. 28) set a program record with an attendance of 4,596; that record attendance included a remarkable 2,203 students.
• Portland has been to two College Cups (1988 & 1995) and has reached the NCAA Postseason 14 times, most recently in 2009 when they made a run to the quarterfinals.
• This fall the Pilots are celebrating the 20th anniversary of that 1995 College Cup visit.
• Head coach Bill Irwin is in his 13th year at the helm of the UP men's soccer program and his 29th year overall on the Portland staff; he began his UP coaching career as an assistant for legendary Clive Charles back in 1987.
• Assistant coach Rob Baarts is back for his 12th year on the Portland bench, while assistant coach Brandon McNeil is entering his eighth year on the staff; both Baarts (1987-90) and McNeil (1998-2001) played at UP.
ABOUT THE OPPONENTS • The Oregon State Beavers enter Thursday's match with an unblemished 5-0-0 overall record and OSU has climbed up to No. 8 in the NSCAA Rankings.
• Four of the Beavers wins have been shutouts and Oregon State is out-scoring its opponents 8-2; reigning Pac-12 Player of the Week Tim Mueller leads the team with four goals, and goalie Nolan Wirth has a goals against average of 0.49.
• Head coach Steve Simmons is in his sixth season at the helm and he led the Beavers to the second round of the 2014 NCAA Playoffs.
