PORTLAND, Ore. --- Junior Benji Michel scored in the 31st minute and the Portland defense and goalkeeper Kienan Weekes repeatedly came through in the clutch to preserve the shutout as the No. 21 Pilots defeated the UCLA Bruins 1-0 on Thursday in an NCAA First Round game played at Merlo Field. The Pilots advance to the second round, where they'll face Kentucky in Lexington on Sunday.
 
"Tonight was a great program win for the University of Portland against a very talented UCLA team," head coach Nick Carlin-Voigt said. "I couldn't be more proud of our performance, execution and team unity. The game is about scoring goals and preventing them, and we accomplished both tonight. My guys played their hearts out and competed at a very high level on a big stage. Tonight the environment at Merlo Field was simply eclectic and we are grateful to everyone who came out tonight to support this team."

Michel's goal came after UCLA (10-9-0) had possession deep in its own territory, and a long ball across the field found the feet of Alejandro Pereira. The freshman then fed Michel, who took a couple of touches near the left edge of the area. Michel buried a well-struck shot into the back of the net, handing the home side the 1-nil lead with his 11th goal of the year.
 
The lead would stand into the second half, where the Bruins desperately searched for an equalizer. In the 58th minute, Weekes provided the game-saving stop when he elevated to tip a shot off the foot of Milan Iloski over the crossbar, maintaining Portland's 1-0 advantage.
 
Moments later Iloski took another crack at goal, and this time the Pilots were helped by the crossbar as the shot rattled the frame and bounced away.
 
Michel had a couple of attacks throughout the second half, looking to add to the Pilot lead, but his shot in the 47th minute was wide of the left post. He then found himself in a 1-v-1 situation after a through ball sprung the junior in the 65th minute. This time the UCLA keeper, Justin Garces, came off his line to reject the attempt.
 
The Pilots continued to remain solid on defense, while Portland's Greg Tracey had a hit from distance saved in the 84th minute, and Luke Hendel had a chip shot cleared off the line by UCLA defender Joab Santoyo in the 85th.
 
The Merlo clock would then hit 90 minutes, and the exulted Pilots (12-3-3) had moved on to the next round.
 
Weekes matched a career-high with six saves on the night to record his fifth solo shutout of the fall. Garces provided three saves before an injury forced him out of the game, and his replacement Cole Martinez also made three stops.
 
Both teams had a handful of chances during the first half, but it was the Pilots with the more dangerous opportunities. Jake Arteaga hit a header high of the cross bar on a ball whipped in by Rey Ortiz, and Gio Magana-Rivera hammered a shot on-frame in the 15th minute that forced Garces into making a diving save.
 
Moments late Ortiz ripped a dipping shot that Garces made a clutch stop on, and the Pilots had a pair of shots on-target seconds apart in the 29th minute. Hendel's initial hit was saved by Garces, and Magana-Rivera drilled one towards the goal on the rebound, but a Santoyo was in the right place to deny the attempt at the goal line.
 
Michel then gave the Pilots a lead they wouldn't relinquish.

"When you look at the numerous chances we created you saw some fantastic combination football tonight," added Carlin-Voigt. "We felt we had enough chances to get more of a cushion after being up 1-0. Full credit to UCLA as they have some special players and during the start of the second half they made a push. I knew we would have to manage their kick which we did with excellent collective defending. We were a bit unfortunate not to find that decisive second goal in the second half. For the fans, that was an excellent college game between two teams who like to attack. We can't thank the students and Portland Soccer community enough for supporting our program and players."
 
Kickoff for the Pilots and third-seeded Wildcats is set for 1 p.m. (Pacific) at the Wendell & Vickie Bell Soccer Complex. This is Portland's first visit to the NCAA Second Round since 2009, and the game with the Bruins was the Pilots' first playoff home game since 2002.