PORTLAND PILOTS (2-2-0, 0-0-0 WCC)
WEEK 3: vs. New Mexico / #2 Florida
 
New Mexico Lobos (2-2-0, 0-0-0 MWC)
Day: Friday
Date: Sept. 1, 2017
Place: Seattle, Wash.
Time: 5:00 PM
Pitch: Husky Soccer Stadium
Video: GoHuskies.com
Stats: PortlandPilots.com
 
POR vs. UNM
Overall Series: 1-0-0
H: 1-0-0  •  A: 0-0-0 •  N: 0-0-0
Last: @POR 10, UNM 0 (1995)
 
#2 Florida Gators (4-0-0, 0-0-0 SEC)
Day: Sunday
Date: Sept. 3, 2017
Place: Seattle, Wash.
Time: 6:00 PM
Pitch: Husky Soccer Stadium
Video: GoHuskies.com
Stats: PortlandPilots.com
 
POR vs. FLA
Overall Series: 1-0-1
H: 1-0-0  •  A: 0-0-1  •  N: 0-0-0
Last: @POR 2, FLA 0 (9/19/2008)
 
THIS WEEK
• The Pilots make their annual trek north to Seattle for the 2017 Husky Nike Invitational, where they'll face the New Mexico Lobos and the No. 2 Florida Gators.
• First Portland will play the Lobos on Friday night at 5 p.m.
• On Sunday the Pilots and second-ranked Gators with battle at 6 p.m.
• A video stream for both matches is available on GoHuskies.com, while livestats can be found at PortlandPilots.com.
 
NEXT WEEK
• The Pilots return home next weekend to host the 2017 Nike Portland Invitational, which is set for Sept. 8-10 at Merlo Field.
• Portland will take on Baylor on Friday, Sept. 8 at 7 p.m., before facing Boise State on Sunday at 3 p.m.
• The Washington Huskies will also take part in the Nike Invite.
 
LAST WEEK
• Portland won its first road game of the season last Friday, which was a 1-0 decision at UC Davis.
• The Pilots took advantage of an Aggies' own goal in the 82nd minute to claim the win.
• On the play, Kimberly Hazlett whipped in a cross from the right side towards the far post; that's where Maddie Dieker was applying pressure, which forced the ball to deflect off a UC Davis defender and into the back of the net.
• On Monday night at UC Irvine, the Anteaters scored once before the half and twice more after the break en route to the win.
 
ABOUT THE PILOTS
• Senior Hannah Griffiths Boston, Portland's leading scorer a year ago with eight goals, is tied for No. 1 in the WCC with two goals; the Portland native ranked fourth in the WCC in goals last fall.
• The Pilots entered the season with 14 returning letterwinners and seven starters.
• Portland returned the majority of its offense from a year ago as seven of the Pilots' eight leading goal scorers from last season are back.
• Sophomore midfielder/forward Kimberly Hazlett was voted to the Preseason All-WCC Team; a year ago Hazlett, who had two goals and an assist in her first year on The Bluff, landed on the league's all-freshman team.
• Portland's roster includes a heralded freshman class, which is ranked 28th in the nation by Top Drawer Soccer.
• The freshman class features a handful of local players including Olivia Dendinger (Hillsboro), Taryn Ries (Ridgefield, Wash.) and Ellie Walker (Vancouver); Ries is the No. 62 ranked recruit in the country, while fellow freshman Kendra Steele (Bellingham, Wash.) is No. 102.
• Head coach Garrett Smith, who has been named WCC Coach of the Year six times, is in his 15th year at the helm of the Pilots.
• Smith, a Portland men's soccer alum, has posted a career overall record of 219-67-23, while guiding the Pilots to a remarkable 76-23-9 mark in the WCC; he led the Pilots to a national title in 2005.
• Portland's game at BYU on Oct. 15 of last season was the 300th career game at the helm of the Pilots for Smith.
• Redshirt-senior Ariel Viera returned to the pitch this after missing all of last year with an injury; Viera was part of Portland's fifth-ranked recruiting class in 2013, and she landed on the WCC All-Freshman team her first season on The Bluff.
• An outside back her first three seasons, Viera has taken on a more offensive role this year in the midfield.
• Viera, who calls Scappoose home, finished with 116 career goals during her four years at Scappoose High School, which is tied for the second most all-time in Oregon girls prep soccer history and is behind only fellow Pilot Tiffeny Milbrett's 131 goals at Hillsboro.
• Former Pilot midfielder Lisa Chambers is in her 11th year as an assistant coach, while UP men's soccer alum Miguel Guante (2002-05) is in his first season as an assistant coach for the women's program.
• Guante, who has coached at FC Portland since 2003, spent the past five years as the head coach for the Lincoln High School girls varsity team in downtown Portland.
• Guante played both in the midfield and at right back for the Pilots, earning All-WCC Second Team honors all four years.
• He helped lead the Pilots to the Second Round of the NCAA Playoffs three times, and he tallied six career goals and six career assists.
• Portland won the NCAA National Championship in 2002 and in 2005, and the 2005 team was inducted into the UP Athletics Hall of Fame last October.
• The 2002 squad will be inducted into the Oregon Sports Hall of Fame this fall.
• The Pilots have advanced to the post-season during 21 of the past 25 seasons.
• The Pilots have led the nation in attendance during 10 of the last 12 years.
 
ABOUT THE OPPONENTS
• The New Mexico Lobos are 2-2-0 on the year, claiming wins over Grand Canyon and UTEP.
• The Lobos have only allowed three goals, which is tied for the fewest in the Mountain West Conference.
• Three Lobos have scored one goal this season, while sophomore keeper Emily Johnson has played every minute in goal and boasts a goal-against average of 0.75
• Heather Dyche is in her third year as head coach of the Lobos, who have only one previous meeting with the Pilots, which was a 10-0 Portland win at UP in 1995.
• The No. 2 Florida Gators are perfect on the season and defeated then-No.1 3-2 in Gainesville, Fla., on Aug. 25.
• The Gators have outscored their opponents 11-3, and senior midfielder Gabby Seiler has scored a team-best four goals.
• Florida has been to 14 straight NCAA Tournaments and has made 20 postseason appearances overall.
• Head coach Becky Burleigh is in her 23rd year as head coach, and she led the Gators to the 1998 NCAA Championship.
• The Pilots and Gators have met twice, with the Pilots winning the most recent match-up 2-0 in Portland in 2008.