PORTLAND, Ore. --- Portland freshman Benji Michel scored a pair of goals and senior Eddie Sanchez added a goal and two assists as the Pilots rolled to a 4-1 win over the UC Irvine Anteaters on Sunday afternoon at Merlo Field. The brace gives Michel a team-best five goals on the year.
His first goal came in the 14th minute as he Pilots jumped ahead early. Jackson Jellah gained possession near the half-way line, dribbled up field and fed a through ball into the box. Michel then took a touch before finishing inside the right post to make it 1-0 with his fourth goal of the season. Jellah registers his third assist.
After the two teams emerged from the halftime locker room with the Pilots still leading 1-0, Portland continued its scoring binge. On a free kick in the 61st minute, Sanchez whipped in a perfectly placed ball near post. Dirk Van der Velde was there to finish with a header, finding the back of the net with his first career goal.
And then in the 73rd minute, Sanchez did it all himself. He took a short pass from Matthew Coffey, worked his way through a handful of Irvine players, and cracked a low shot inside the left post from 30 yards out, just out of the reach of keeper Alex Waldron. Sanchez's third goal of the season handed the Pilots a 3-0 lead.
The Anteaters pulled one back with a penalty in the 81st minute, which was awarded after a foul was called on the Pilots inside the area. Giovanni Godoy then stepped to the spot and tucked one away for his second goal this year.
But Michel responded, this time receiving a long pass from Sanchez, creating a 1-v-1 opportunity with Waldron. Michel then finished with a shot that got by the keeper, putting the game out of reach.
"The guys put together another dominate performance against a talented Irvine team," Portland head coach Nick Carlin-Voigt said. "I was very pleased with the game as our group is showing improvement. We scored four very good goals in different ways today and finished up a strong weekend. I liked how hungry and determined we came out of the gate today. Disappointed we didn't get the shutout as we lost discipline on the PK, but we will learn from it and grow. We still have areas of improvement and now we have some time to focus on specific parts of our game in training. What excites the coaching staff is that we haven't come close to peaking. We now will regroup and recover as we prepare for season two in a very competitive WCC. We will continue to push the group as we prepare for an excellent Gonzaga team."
Portland next takes a two-week hiatus before opening play in the West Coast Conference at Gonzaga on Sunday, Oct. 9. Kickoff for the Pilots and Bulldogs in Spokane is set for 2 p.m.
