PORTLAND PILOTS (11-8-0, 4-4-0 WCC)
WEEK 12: at Gonzaga
 
Gonzaga Bulldogs (9-4-4, 4-2-2 WCC)
Day: Saturday
Date: Nov. 3, 2018
Time: 7:00 PM
Place: Spokane, Wash.
Pitch: Luger Field
Video: PortlandPilots.com
Stats: PortlandPilots.com
 
POR vs. GON
Overall Series: 25-0-1
H: 13-0-0  •  A: 12-0-1  •  N: 0-0-0
Last: @POR 1, GU 0 (10/21/2017)
 
THIS WEEK
• The Pilots travel to Spokane, Wash., this weekend for the 2018 season finale against the Gonzaga Bulldogs at Luger Field.
• Kickoff for the northwest rivals is set for 7 p.m. on Saturday night, and links for a live stream and live stats can be found at PortlandPilots.com.
 
LAST WEEK
• The Pilots split their final home weekend at Merlo Field, shutting out LMU 1-0 on Friday night before succumbing to No. 25 Pepperdine 2-0 on Sunday afternoon.
• Against the Lions, Jasmine Garibay provided the night's only goal when she finished on a deflected ball, which was initially sent into the 18-yard box by Kimberly Hazlett.
• Portland keeper Rachel Lusby collected five saves to claim her league-best eighth shutout.
• On Sunday, one of the league's top defensive teams held the Pilots without a goal, and the Waves converted a PK in the first half before adding an insurance goal after the break.
 
THANK YOU SENIORS
• Last Sunday marked the final regular season appearance at Merlo Field for Portland's two seniors, Hanna Armendariz and Rachel Lusby.
• Armendariz, who originally hails from West Covina, Calif., has played multiple positions during her career, and this season as a forward she has two goals and an assist.
• Lusby is a local product out of nearby Beaverton, and the goalkeeper has registered 18 career shutouts, which ranks eighth all-time at UP; she's currently tops in the WCC with eight clean sheets this fall.
• She's also No. 1 all-time at UP in career saves per game (4.16), she's third in overall career saves (237), and her career save percentage of .787 is ninth.
• In 2017 Lusby earned All-WCC Honorable Mention accolades and landed on the WCC All-Academic Team.
 
ABOUT THE PILOTS
• Taryn Ries is enjoying a phenomenal sophomore campaign, and she currently ranks fourth nationally with six game-winners; she's also No. 6 in the country in goals (15), is 10th in points (33), No. 11 in goals per game (0.79), and ranks 20th in points per game (1.74).
• The sophomore forward also leads the WCC in all of those categories, and she has two of the three hat tricks recorded this season by a WCC player.
• Ries' two hat tricks came at San Diego (Sept. 27) and vs. Pacific (Oct. 7), and she's the first Pilot to score three goals twice in the same year since Danielle Foxhoven accomplished the feat in 2009.
• Her 15 goals are the most in a season since Foxhoven netted 25 during that same 2009 campaign.
• Junior midfielder Larkin Russell ranks 26th in the country with eight assists; the eight assists are the most for a Pilot since 2012 when Amanda Frisbie claimed nine.
• The Pilots have more than doubled last year's win total of five victories.
• After scoring only 11 goals all of last season, the Pilots have compiled 30 this year.
• Eight of Portland's 11 wins have been shutouts, and the Pilots rank second in the West Coast Conference in clean sheets.
• During one stretch this season, the Pilots 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.
• 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 leads the WCC in save percentage (.796) and shutouts (8); her eight clean sheets rank 26th nationally.
• Lusby now has 18 career shutouts, which is eighth all-time at UP; she's also No. 1 all-time at UP in career saves per game (4.16), she's third in overall career saves (237), and her career save percentage of .787 is tied for 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.
• 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.
• 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.
• 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); they're fourth nationally in attendance this year.
 
ABOUT THE OPPONENT
• The Gonzaga Bulldogs earned a scoreless draw at home last Friday with No. 25 Pepperdine before out-lasting LMU 4-3 on Sunday.
• The Bulldogs are second in the WCC in both goals allowed (18) and goals against average (0.99), and they're third in shutouts (6).
• Gonzaga has out-scored opponents 24-18, and an impressive 12 different Bulldogs have found the back of the net, let by India Jencks with five goals; Sam Heilman has a team-high seven assists.
• Redshirt-sophomore keeper Isabel Jones has a 0.95 GAA, a .767 save percentage, and five solo shutouts.
• Former BYU assistant coach Chris Watkins is in his second year at the helm at GU.