#21 PORTLAND PILOTS (11-3-3)
NCAA First Round: vs. UCLA
 
UCLA Bruins (10-8-0)
Day: Thursday
Date: Nov. 15, 2018
Time: 4:00 p.m.
City: Portland, Ore.
Pitch: Merlo Field
Live Video: PortlandPilots.com
Live Stats: PortlandPilots.com
 
POR vs. UCLA
Overall Series: 1-7-2
H: 1-0-1  •  A: 0-4-1  •  N: 0-3-0
Last: @UCLA 2, POR 0 (9/21/2003)
 
THIS WEEK
• The No. 21 Pilots return to the NCAA Playoffs this week when they host the UCLA Bruins in a First Round game on Thursday at Merlo Field, with kickoff slated for 4 p.m.
• Links for a live stream and live stats can be found at PortlandPilots.com.
• The winner of the Portland-UCLA match will advance to face third-seeded Kentucky in the Second Round, with that game scheduled for Sunday in Lexington, Ky.
 
LAST WEEK
• The Pilots hosted unbeaten and fifth-ranked Saint Mary's in the regular season finale on Saturday night at Merlo Field, and the Gaels escaped with a 1-0 victory.
• The game's lone goal came on a free kick just outside the box in the 44th minute.
• Portland controlled possession for long stretches and created more quality opportunities than the Gaels, and the Pilots appeared to find the equalizer in the 79th minute when the ball ended up in the back of the net after a corner kick.
• But the head referee evidently called a foul and waved off the goal, allowing Saint Mary's to cap an unbeaten season.
 
THE NCAA'S
• This is the Pilots' second trip to the NCAA Men's Soccer Championships in the past three years, and it's the program's 16th visit overall to the NCAA Postseason.
• Portland has an all-time playoff record of 14-12-3 and they've been to two College Cups, in 1988 and 1995.
• Portland's most recent postseason visit was in 2016 when they traveled to Albuquerque to battle the New Mexico Lobos; after playing to a 0-0 tie, the Lobos advanced 6-5 on PK's.
• This is Portland's first home playoff game since 2002, when they hosted Oregon State in a first-round match-up.
• Portland has since played 10 straight postseason games on the road.
 
THE WCC'S
• Juniors Benji Michel and Gio Magana-Rivera were named to the All-West Coast Conference Men's Soccer First Team as seven Pilots total earned all-league postseason recognition.
• Michel has been selected to the All-WCC First Team all three of his seasons on The Bluff, while it's the first time on the league's top team for Magana-Rivera.
• Portland's Rey Ortiz landed on the All-WCC Second Team, Esteban Calvo, Malcolm Dixon, and Lionel Mills all received honorable mention, and Jake Arteaga was named to the conference's all-freshman team.
 
ABOUT THE PILOTS...
• The Pilots enter the playoffs ranked 21st in the country in the United Soccer Coaches Poll.
• The Pilots first entered the rankings during week three of the season and have stayed there since; at one they reached a season-best No. 7 ranking.
• The Pilots didn't suffer their first loss of the season until their 14th match, which is the longest unbeaten streak to start a year since 1995.
• The 13-match unbeaten string is also the longest for the Pilots since that '95 team went 14 games without a blemish.
• The 10-0-3 open to the season ranks as the program's third best start ever, behind only 1995 and the 1988 squad.
• The 1988 team, led by legendary goalkeeper Kasey Keller, own the program's best start ever as they won their first 21 games before succumbing to Indiana in the College Cup Semifinals.
• Portland features the No. 21 offense in the country, averaging 1.94 goals per game.
• The Pilots have battled through significant injuries, including to key players Rey Ortiz and Benji Michel, who were both named to the Mac Hermann Trophy Preseason Watch List.
• Benji Michel started the season by scoring a goal in six straight games.
• Michel's goal streak was the longest to begin a season for a Pilot since at least 2001.
• Despite missing some time and playing limited minutes, Michel still ranks third nationally with six game-winners.
• The junior forward landed Top Drawer Soccer Team of the Week Honorable Mention following his one goal, one assist performance at Gonzaga, and he was previously the Top Drawer Soccer National Player of the Week (Oct. 1) and WCC Player of the Week after providing two game-winners and an assist as the Pilots won at Coastal Carolina and defeated Northern Illinois at home.
• Gio Magana-Rivera, who had an assist at Coastal Carolina and two against NIU, also landed Top Drawer Soccer Team of the Week Honorable Mention accolades after the Pilots went 2-0 against the No. 24 Chanticleers and Huskies.
• Redshirt-senior goalkeeper Kienan Weekes nabbed WCC Player of the Week honors after the Pilots shutout the No. 9 Washington Huskies 1-0 on Sept. 14.
• It was the first conference honor for Weekes, who also landed on the Top Drawer Soccer Team of the Week earlier this season when he registered his first career shutout with five saves during a 1-0 win over UCSB on Aug. 31.
• Weekes made a career-best six saves against the Huskies.
• Rey Ortiz was named to Top Drawer Soccer's National Team of the Week (Sept. 10) after registering a goal and an assist during a 4-1 win over Jacksonville.
• Portland ranks seventh nationally in attendance.
• Michel made history when he registered a hat trick during the first 26 minutes of a 6-0 win over Fairfield (Aug. 27); the hat trick was the first at Merlo Field since UP's Alejandro Salazar accomplished the feat in 2003.
• Portland's newcomers were ranked as the No. 3 class in the nation, according to Top Drawer Soccer.
• Freshman midfielder Jake Arteaga was named to Top Drawer Soccer's Preseason Best XI Freshman Team.
• Head coach Nick Carlin-Voigt is in his third year at the helm of the Pilots, and in his first year on The Bluff he led Portland to an improbable turn-around en route to the 2016 WCC title and an NCAA Playoff berth.
• It was the program's first WCC Championship since 2002, and it was their first trip to the NCAA postseason since 2009.
• In 2016 Carlin-Voigt became the program's first WCC Coach of the Year since Clive Charles in 2002.
• Carlin-Voigt, who came to The Bluff from UCLA during the winter of 2016, was named one of the Top 10 American Coaches under 40 by Top Drawer Soccer in 2017.
• The Pilots claim renowned men's soccer alums Kasey Keller, Steve Cherundolo, Conor Casey, Nate Jaqua, Heath Pearce, and 2015 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; the Pilots returned to the College Cup in 1995.
• The Pilots have made 15 appearances in the NCAA Postseason all-time, which includes two appearances in the College Cup (1988 & 1995).
 
ABOUT THE OPPONENT
• The UCLA Bruins are one of four Pac-12 teams to earn a spot in the tournament, joining Stanford, Oregon State, and Washington; the Bruins were 5-5 in the Pac-12 this fall.
• This is UCLA's 45th overall appearance in the NCAA Tournament; the Bruins are 73-40 all-time in the NCAA Tournament, including a 2-1 mark against Portland.
• UCLA has made it to the NCAA Tournament in 14 of 15 seasons under head coach Jorge Salcedo.
• The Bruins out-scored opponents 25-21 and posted six shutouts.
• 12 different players have found the back of the net, led by Matt Hundley with five goals and seven assists.
• Freshman keeper Justin Garces has played the majority of minutes in goal, producing a GAA of 1.22 and a save percentage of .660.