PORTLAND, Ore. – An experienced Wright State squad knocked off the Portland Pilots by a 3-1 margin in the men's soccer season-opener for both programs Friday night before an announced crowd of 3,892 fans at Merlo Field at the Clive Charles Soccer Complex.
Portland outshot Wright State by a 13-9 margin overall and had a 5-4 advantage in shots on goal. The Pilots also garnered a 6-3 edge in corner kicks.
"The breaks and bounces didn't go our way tonight," said Portland's first-year head coach Nick Carlin-Voigt. "We know we are capable of defending better and didn't truly get into a good tempo and rhythm until the second half. Credit to a solid Wright State program. That's a team that has won 24 games in the last two years so we learned some valuable lessons tonight. We allowed four shots on goal and conceded three. We outshoot them and had twice as many corners, but the name of the game is putting the ball in the back of the net so full credit to them. It's all about the process for this group. We have a new team that we are building. We knew it was never going to happen overnight. The positive is that we will grow and move forward."
The Raiders, who were picked to finish first in the Horizon League after a 12-8-1 record last season, scored two first half goals to grab the early lead.
The Pilots answered with a penalty kick goal from sophomore Jackson Jellah in the 56th minute. Portland freshman Benji Michel created the chance with a nice run down the right side. He sent a cross in the box to senior Eddie Sanchez, who was tripped up to earn the PK. Jellah blasted his shot from the spot down the middle to make it a 2-1 deficit.
Portland pressured for the next 15 minutes for the equalizer, but the Raiders picked up an insurance goal on a counter attack in the 70th minute. Eric Lynch looped a cross from the left side to the far post where an unmarked Peguy Ngatcha elevated and finished a header.
Wright State opened the scoring in the 30th minute when Alec Philippe found space in the right side of the penalty area a drilled a shot inside the left post from 15 yards out. The Raiders doubled the margin six minutes later when they were awarded a free kick at the top of the box. Sam DeRoy placed a perfect shot inside the left post to make it 2-0.
"I want to acknowledge the tremendous support we had from the students and Portland community," noted Carlin-Voigt. "The crowd was fantastic and our players appreciated the energy we received tonight from our loyal fans."
Portland will look to bounce back on Sunday when the Pilots host DePaul at 5 p.m. at Merlo Field. The Blue Demons tied Oregon State 1-1 in Corvallis, Ore. on Friday night.
