Complete Release (pdf)
at Sac State:  Stats
at UC Davis:  Video  Stats
 
PORTLAND PILOTS (4-1-1)
at SACRAMENTO STATE HORNETS (1-3-0)
Date: Thursday, September 15, 2016
Location: Sacramento, Calif.
Kick-off: 4:30 p.m.
Pitch: Hornet Field (1,050)
Live Video: N/A
Live Stats: HornetSports.com
 
POR vs. SAC ST
Overall Series: 3-1-0
Here: 2-0-0
There: 1-1-0
Neutral: 0-0-0
Last: POR 2, @SAC ST 0 (Sept. 7, 2007)
 
PORTLAND PILOTS (4-1-1)
at UC DAVIS AGGIES (1-2-2)
Date: Sunday, September 18, 2016
Location: Davis, Calif.
Kick-off: 3:00 p.m.
Pitch: Aggie Soccer Field (1,000)
Live Video: BigWest.org
Live Stats: UCDavisAggies.com
 
POR vs. UCD
Overall Series: 2-0-1
Here: 1-0-0
There: 0-0-0
Neutral: 1-0-1
Last: @POR 1, UCD 0 (Aug. 30, 2013)
 
THIS WEEK
• The Pilots stay on the road this week with a pair of non-conference games in the Sacramento, Calif., area.
• First is a match-up with the Sacramento State Hornets on Thursday afternoon at 4:30 p.m. at Hornet Field.
• Portland will then face the UC Davis Aggies next door in Davis, Calif., on Sunday, with kickoff slated for 3 p.m. at Aggie Soccer Field.
 
LAST WEEK
• The Pilots traveled across the country to win the ProRehab Aces Soccer Classic in Evansville, Ind.
• Portland claimed a 2-2 come-from-behind tie with host Evansville on Friday night before blanking Bradley 3-0 on Sunday to win the team trophy.
• Against the Purple Aces, the Pilots fell behind 2-0 before Eddie Sanchez got one back in world class fashion; the senior scored on an overhead volley in the 65th minute, and the stellar goal ended up at No. 6 on that night's SportsCenter Top 10.
• Eric Edwardson then leveled the score on a penalty shot in the 88th minute, and the two teams would play to a draw.
• On Sunday, the Pilots received goals from Benji Michel, Sanchez and Matthew Coffey, and keeper Paul Christensen registered his second shutout of the year.
• Sanchez was named the classic's offensive MVP, Lionel Mills was the defensive MVP, and the pair were joined on the all-tourney team by Coffey and Michel.
 
ABOUT THE PILOTS...
• The Pilots are receiving four votes in this week's NSCAA Coaches' Poll; Portland is also fifth in the Far West region rankings.
• Portland is currently in the middle of a five-game unbeaten streak (4 wins, 1 tie), which is the program's longest such streak since the Pilots won six straight in 2011.
• Eddie Sanchez had quite the weekend in Evansville, Ind., scoring two goals and ending up on SportsCenter as the Pilots won the 2016 ProRehab Aces Classic.
• Sanchez also was named the WCC's Player of the Week, he nabbed the tourney's offensive MVP award and he was voted to Top Drawer Soccer's Team of the Week.
• Sanchez, who landed All-WCC First Team accolades a year ago, was selected to the Preseason All-West Coast Conference Team for the third straight year prior to the season.
• Center back Lionel Mills was the ProRehab Ace's Classic Defensive MVP, and both he and Sanchez were joined on the all-tourney team by Benji Michel and Matthew Coffey.
• Previously, the Pilots were co-champions at the 2016 Nike Invitational (Sept. 2-4), and Coffey was named the tournament's defensive MVP.
• Coffey, Erik Edwardson, Paul Christensen and Geoffrey Dunn were all named to Nike Invitational's All-Tournament Team.
• Sophomore Jackson Jellah played a part in Portland's first five goals of the season, which included beginning the year with three straight goals; Jellah scored one goal against Wright State and he netted a pair during a 2-1 win over DePaul; he then assisted on UP's two goals against No. 25 Ohio State.
• Jellah leads the WCC in points (8) and points per game (1.33) and is tied for the lead in the WCC in goals (3); he entered the year with just an assist to his credit.
• The Pilots are under the guidance of first-year head coach Nick Carlin-Voigt, who was hired to lead the program in January; Carlin-Voigt spent the past four years as the associate head coach for the UCLA Bruins.
• With the Bruins, he helped put together the nation's number one recruiting class in 2013, 2014 and 2015, and in 2014 he helped lead the Bruins to the No. 1 ranking nationally and to the NCAA College Cup Championship.
• Joining Carlin-Voigt on the bench are new assistant coaches Leonard Griffin, who came with Carlin-Voigt from UCLA, and UP alum Logan Emory, who spent time with Toronto FC of the MLS after graduating from Portland in 2009.
• Volunteer assistant coach Emerson De Oliveira and undergraduate assistant coach Steven Evans, a former Pilot standout, complete the staff.
• The Pilots feature a sizeable group of 23 returning letterwinners and 10 returning starters.
• Junior Brandon Zambrano also landed All-WCC accolades (Honorable Mention) a year ago, as did sophomores Reid Baez and Lionel Mills, who were on the league's all-freshman team.
• Portland features a group of nine newcomers, who were tabbed as the No. 17 recruiting class in the nation by Top Drawer Soccer.
• The group of newcomers includes five freshmen who played for MLS Academy teams, and a pair of transfers who both came to the Rose City from the ACC; Malcolm Dixon is a sophomore forward who spent one year at Virginia, while Kris Reaves is a center back who began his career with two years at Wake Forest.
• The Pilots claim renowned men's soccer alums Kasey Keller, Steve Cherundolo, Conor Casey, Nate Jaqua, Heath Pearce, and reigning MLS Goalkeeper of the Year Luis Robles.
 • In 1988, legendary coach Clive Charles led Keller and the Pilots to the school's first ever NCAA College Cup.
• Portland has been to two NCAA College Cups ('88 & '95) and has made 14 trips to the NCAA Men's Soccer Championships.
 
ABOUT THE OPPONENTS
• Thursday marks the first home game of the year for the Hornets.
• The Hornets notched their first win of the year last Friday at LMU, blanking the Lions 1-0; junior goalkeeper James Del Curto was selected at the Big West Defensive Player of the week following the shutout.
• Head coach Michael Linenberger is in his 28th year at Sacramento State.
• UCD's match with the Pilots is the fifth this season against a WCC foe, with the Aggies posting a 1-2-1 record so far in those games.
• The Aggies have recorded three shutouts, and sophomore forward Kristian Heptner leads the team with two goals; senior GK Armando Quezada has played most of the minutes between the pipes and has a GAA of 0.81.
• Dwayne Shaffer is in his 20th year at the helm of the UC Davis program.