PORTLAND, Ore. --- The 2018 men's soccer season is officially under way as University of Portland head coach Nick Carlin-Voigt and the Pilots held their first two practices of the year on Wednesday on the new grass field on the Franz River Campus.
 
After narrowly missing a first-place finish in the West Coast Conference in 2017, the Portland Pilots will look to return to the top of the league standings and earn an NCAA playoff berth this fall as they return the bulk of their key players. Leading the way offensively are juniors Benji Michel and Rey Ortiz, who both landed on the All-WCC First Team and earned all-regional honors as sophomores. Michel, a forward out of Orlando, Fla., was among the nation's leaders in goals for most of the season, and he ended the year with a conference-best 10 goals. Ortiz ranked second nationally in assists per game (0.76) and he was third in total assists with 13. A native of Acapulco, Mexico, Ortiz missed matching the program's single-season assist record by one. He also scored six goals, which ranked third in the conference, to give him a league-high 25 points.
 
Carlin-Voigt begins his third year at the helm of the program after winning a conference title and taking the Pilots to the post-season in 2016, his first season on The Bluff. For the third straight year, Carlin-Voigt brought in a nationally ranked recruiting class as the current crop of newcomers is ranked No. 3 in the country. The class, along with a trio of transfers, will help replace the loss of four-year starting goalkeeper Paul Christensen and all-league defender Kris Reaves, who are both currently playing in MLS with Atlanta United FC and FC Dallas, respectively
 
The UP program is rich in tradition as the Pilots claim men's soccer alums Kasey Keller, Steve Cherundolo, Conor Casey, Heath Pearce, and Luis Robles. In 1988, legendary coach Clive Charles led Keller and the Pilots to the school's first ever NCAA College Cup. Portland has been to two NCAA College Cups and has made 15 trips to the NCAA Playoffs.
 
The Pilots open the regular season when they host Sacramento State on Merlo Field on Friday, Aug. 24. Portland will also play Corban College in an exhibition match at Merlo Field on Sunday, Aug. 12, before hosting the University of British Columbia for a friendly on Wednesday Aug. 15.