PORTLAND PILOTS (5-4-0, 0-0-0 WCC)
WEEK 6: at North Dakota / vs. Seattle U
 
North Dakota Fighting Hawks (6-1-1, 0-0-0 Summit)
Day: Friday
Date: Sept. 21, 2018
Time: 10:30 AM (Pacific)
Place: East Grand Forks, Minn.
Pitch: East Grand Forks HS
Video: N/A
Stats: PortlandPilots.com
 
POR vs. UND
Overall Series: 0-0-0
H: 0-0-0  •  A: 0-0-0  •  N: 0-0-0
Last: N/A
 
Seattle Redhawks (2-4-2, 0-0-0 WAC)
Day: Sunday
Date: Sept. 23, 2018
Time: 1:00 PM
Place: Portland, Ore.
Pitch: Merlo Field
Video: PortlandPilots.com
Stats: PortlandPilots.com
 
POR vs. SU
Overall Series: 9-3-4
H: 7-0-1  •  A: 2-2-2  •  N: 0-1-1
Last: POR 1, @SU 1 (9/22/17 @SU)
 
THIS WEEK
• The Pilots play their final two non-conference matches of the year, first traveling to North Dakota on Friday before coming home to host Seattle on Sunday.
• Friday's game with the Fighting Hawks is scheduled for 10:30 a.m. (Pacific) at East Grand Forks High School; it's the first meeting ever between the Pilots and UND.
• On Sunday, the Pilots and Redhawks will face each other at 1 p.m. at Merlo Field; the last three contests between the two northwest rivals have ended in a 1-1 tie.
• Live video for the UP-SU match is available at PortlandPilots.com.
 
LAST WEEK
• The Pilots split their two matches last week, dropping a tough 2-1 decision at home to Oregon on Friday before dominating Oregon State 3-0 on Sunday in Corvallis.
• Against the Ducks, the short-handed Pilots jumped out to a 1-0 lead when Taryn Ries found the back of the net with a header in the 54th minute.
• Oregon responded with two goals, in the 60th and 79th minute, to complete the comeback win.
• Against the Beavers, Ries again finished with a header late in the first half before the Pilots scored twice more after the break en route to the convincing shutout.
• Hazlett scored a world-class goal from the top of the 18 in the 51st minute, and Ries added her second of the night in the 63rd minute, giving the sophomore five goals in the past four games.
• The clean sheet is Portland's fourth on the year.
 
ABOUT THE PILOTS
• Sophomore midfielder/forward Taryn Ries has scored a goal in four straight games, and she has five goals overall during that streak.
• She leads the Pilots and ranks second in the WCC with five goals on the year; she also has two assists this fall and is No. 2 in the league with 12 points.
• The Pilots have been solid defensively and are tops in the league in fewest goals allowed (7) and goals against average (0.77); their tied for No. 1 in the WCC with four shutouts.
• Senior goalkeeper Rachel Lusby has played every minute in goal this season and also leads the WCC in goals allowed, GAA, and shutouts.
• The shutout at OSU (Sept. 16) was the 14th in the career for Lusby, which sends her into Portland's all-time top 10 in that category; she's also No. 2 all-time at UP in career saves per game (3.96), she's fourth in overall career saves (186), and her career save percentage of .785 ranks ninth.
• Lusby's 5.05 saves per game in 2017 are an all-time program single season record, while her 96 total saves missed matching a program record by one.
• 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 is Portland's first league player of the week since Rachel Lusby nabbed the award in September of 2016.
• The Pilots opened the season with two straight shutout wins (2-0 vs. NAU & 1-0 vs. SJSU) for the first time 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.
• 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.
• The Pilots returned the bulk of their roster, 17 letterwinners and eight starters, from 2017, which includes two players who earned all-conference accolades last fall.
• Senior goalkeeper Rachel Lusby landed all-league honorable mention, while junior forward Kimberly Hazlett was named to the All-WCC Second Team.
• Hazlett landed on the 2018 All-WCC Preseason Team, which is the second straight year to earn that distinction.
• Portland has a strong and proud 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 North Dakota Fighting Hawks is 6-1-1 on the season and is coming off a 12-0 win over Alcorn State, who is winless.
• UND has only allowed one goal this season, while scoring 25.
• Senior forward Katie Moller has team-bests of nine goals and four assists, while senior keeper Olivia Swenson has five shutouts, a GAA of 0.13, and a .971 save percentage.
• Chris Logan is in his second year as head coach.
• The Seattle Redhawks host Gonzaga on Friday before traveling to Portland.
• The Redhawks have 12 goals on the year, while conceding 15.
• Junior forward Jessie Ray leads six Redhawks who have scored a goal with a team-high four.
• Junior Mackenize Curry and freshman Ariana Romero have split time in goal, with the pair combining for a GAA of 1.77 and a save percentage of .681.
• Julie Woodward is in her 22nd season at the helm of the Redhawks and she's lead Seattle U to three NCAA Tournament appearances since 2013.