PORTLAND PILOTS (8-5-0, 1-1-0 WCC)
WEEK 8: vs. Saint Mary's / Pacific
 
Saint Mary's Gaels (6-4-2, 1-0-1 WCC)
Day: Friday
Date: Oct. 5, 2018
Time: 7:00 PM
Place: Portland, Ore.
Pitch: Merlo Field
Video: PortlandPilots.com
Stats: PortlandPilots.com
 
POR vs. SMC
Overall Series: 26-7-1
H: 11-3-0  •  A: 13-4-1 •  N: 2-0-0
Last: @SMC 2, POR 1 (9/29/2017)
 
Pacific Tigers (2-9-0, 0-2-0 WCC)
Day: Sunday
Date: Oct. 7, 2018
Time: 1:00 PM
Place: Portland, Ore.
Pitch: Merlo Field
Video: PortlandPilots.com
Stats: PortlandPilots.com
 
POR vs. PAC
Overall Series: 7-1-0
H: 4-0-0  •  A: 2-1-0  •  N: 1-0-0
Last: @PAC 2, POR 0 (10/1/2017)
 
THIS WEEK
• The Pilots return home this week for a pair of West Coast Conference matches at Merlo Field.
• First the Pilots host the Saint Mary's Gaels on Friday night, with kickoff set for 7 p.m.
• The match against the Gaels is Portland's annual 'Cancer Awareness Game', and the American Cancer Society will be on hand taking donations; special Portland Gear t-shirts will also be available to purchase, with those funds going to cancer research as well.
• Sunday brings a 1 p.m. contest with the Pacific Tigers.
• A live stream and live stats for both games can be found at PortlandPilots.com.
 
LAST WEEK
• The Pilots split their first two WCC road games, winning 4-1 at San Diego on Thursday before dropping a 3-0 decision at BYU on Saturday.
• Taryn Ries recorded a hat trick against the Toreros, with two of those goals coming on a penalty; Kimberly Hazlett provided Portland's other goal, which came in the second minute.
• It was the first career hat trick for Ries, a sophomore, and it was the first three-goal performance by a Pilot since August of 2016.
• After a scoreless first half in Provo, the Cougars scored three times after the break en route to the win.
 
ABOUT THE PILOTS
• Taryn Ries notched her first career hat trick last Thursday at San Diego; the hat trick was the first for a Pilot since Hannah Griffiths Boston accomplished the feat against Portland State on Aug. 26, 2016.
• The sophomore forward/midfielder now ranks 10th in the nation with nine goals, and she's sixth with four game-winners
• Ries is also tied for first in the WCC in goals, and she has two assists to rank second with 20 points.
• Six of Portland's eight wins have been shutouts.
• The Pilots are the No. 1 team defensively in the West Coast Conference, leading the league in fewest goals allowed (11), goals against average (0.84), and shutouts (6).
• The Pilots recently produced three straight shutouts (Sept. 16-23), going 347 consecutive minutes without allowing a goal.
• Previously the Pilots opened the season with two straight shutout wins, something that hasn't been accomplished since 2009.
• Portland didn't allow a goal for the first 250 minutes of the season before Washington found the back of the net against the Pilots in the 71st minute on Sunday, Aug. 26.
• Following Portland's two shutouts over North Dakota (Sept. 21) and Seattle (Sept. 27), senior keeper Rachel Lusby was named the WCC's Player of the Week after totaling 11 saves during the two wins
• She also landed Honorable Mention National Team of the Week accolades from Top Drawer Soccer.
• Lusby, who has played every minute in goal this season, leads the WCC goals against average (0.84) and shutouts (6) and she ranks 16th nationally in clean sheets.
• Lusby now has 16 career shutouts, which ranks eighth all-time at UP; she's also No. 1 all-time at UP in career saves per game (4.04), she's third in overall career saves (206), and her career save percentage of .789 ranks ninth.
• Lusby's 5.05 saves per game in 2017 are an all-time program single season record.
• The weekend of Sept. 7-9 The Pilots won the 2018 Nike Portland Invitational at Merlo Field, while Larkin Russell and Natalie Muth were named the tournament's offensive and defensive MVP's, respectively.
• Both Portland and Washington picked up two wins at the Invite, over Utah Valley and UC Irvine, but the Pilots claimed the team title via goal differential (4-1 to 4-2)
• Russell, who had two assists during the 2-1 win over Utah Valley and the game-winner in the 2-0 shutout over UC Irvine was named the West Coast Conference Player of the Week following the weekend.
• Russell was Portland's first league player of the week since Rachel Lusby nabbed the award in September of 2016.
• During the season opener on Friday, Aug. 17, the Pilots allowed just one shot in their 2-0 win over the Northern Arizona Lumberjacks at Merlo Field; the one shot allowed was the fewest given up by the Pilots since San Diego also attempted one shot on Oct. 1, 2015, which happened to be a 1-0 win for the Toreros in Portland.
• The Pilots are under the guidance of first-year head coach Michelle French, a Portland alum who was hired to take the reins of the program in December.
• French is the sixth head coach in program history, dating back to 1980, and she's just the third for the Pilots in the last 29 years.
• French came to The Bluff after spending the past 12 years coaching in the U.S. Soccer system, most recently as an assistant coach with the Senior Women's National Team.
• With the Pilots, French (1995-98) was an All-American defender, a four-year starter, and a finalist for National Player of the Year as a senior in 1998; she led the Pilots to three NCAA Final Four appearances as a player, including the NCAA title game in 1995.
• Joining French on the staff are assistant coaches Dominic Doty and Maite Zabala, volunteer assistant coach Rachael Rapinoe, and Director of Operations Elli Reed.
• Doty, who's a native of nearby McMinnville, was previously the head assistant coach at San Jose State.
• Zabala is a heralded goalkeeper coach who came to UP from Boise State.
• Rapinoe is a UP alum who was a member of the 2005 National Championship team.
• Reed, who is also a Portland alum, recently retired following a lengthy pro career, which ended with a five-year stint with the Seattle Reign in the NWSL.
• Kimberly Hazlett landed on the 2018 All-WCC Preseason Team, which is the second straight year to earn that distinction.
• Portland has a strong women's soccer tradition and is one of just four programs to win multiple NCAA Championships in the sport (2002, 2005).
• The Pilots have made eight Final Four appearances (1994-96, 1998, 2000-02, 2005) and they've won 13 WCC Championships.
• The Pilots have advanced to the post-season during 21 of the past 26 seasons.
• The Pilots led the nation in attendance for 10 consecutive seasons (2005-14).
 
ABOUT THE OPPONENTS
• The Saint Mary's Gaels are coming off 1-0 home win over Pepperdine, with Jasmine Edwards providing the game-winner on a PK in the 21st minute.
• The Gaels, who have scored 13 goals and allowed 13 goals, feature a balanced offensive attack, with eight different players finding the back of the net.
• Jordyn Cunningham has a team-best four goals, while Jaylen Crim leads the Gaels with five assists.
• Sophomore keeper Maleah Milner has a GAA of 1.04, a save percentage of .809, and four shutouts.
• Travis Clarke is in his fourth year as head coach at Saint Mary's.
• The Pacific Tigers dropped both their WCC matches at home last weekend.
• Opponents have outscored the Tigers 24-9, and Kendall Bietsch leads the squad with three goals.
• Senior Regan Heslop has played every minute in goal, posting a GAA of 2.11 and a .727 save percentage.
•Head coach Kerri Scroope is in her third year at the helm of the Tigers.