CHARLESTON, S.C. --- Portland freshman R.J. Stretch scored his first career goal and junior Benji Michel claimed his fifth game-winner on the year as the No. 15 Pilots claimed a 2-1 win over the No. 24 Coastal Carolina Chanticleers on Monday night at MUSC Health Stadium. The win is the second this season over a ranked opponent for the Pilots, who remain unbeaten.
 
"Fantastic win for the boys tonight," said Portland head coach Nick Carlin-Voigt. "Coastal Carolina is synonymous with consistency and winning. We overcame many challenges to travel across the country after an in-state derby and earn a result against a top-20 program that will once again be an NCAA tournament team. The strength of our team continues to be the collective spirit and togetherness."

After the two sides played 35 minutes of scoreless soccer, Stretch gave the Pilots a 1-0 lead when he found the back of the net. Michel provided the assist, his first this fall.
 
The lead was short-lived as the Chanticleers answered less than a minute later. Saif AlHameli sent in a corner kick, and Henrik Mueller was there with the finish to level the score 1-1.
 
After the half, the Pilots continued to create chances in the attacking third, which resulted in a handful of corner kicks. Tristan Weber hit a shot high on a corner from Gio Magana-Rivera in the 59th minute, and Francesco Tiozzo did the same in the 70th minute.
 
But in the 73rd minute, Michel put away another corner from Magana-Rivera, this time giving the Pilots a 2-1 lead they would hold on to thanks to solid defense and a steady Kienan Weekes in goal.
 
Only two of CCU's 12 shots were on-frame, while the Pilots finished with 14 attempts on the night.
 
Michel has scored a goal in eight of Portland's nine games on the season, giving the forward a team-high eight. Magana-Rivera now has three assists.
 
At 7-0-2, the Pilots are off to their best start to a season since 1989. Coastal Carolina suffers their second setback to drop to 4-2-0.
 
The game was originally scheduled for CCU Soccer Stadium on the Coastal Carolina campus in Conway, S.C., but was moved to Charleston due to the effects of Hurricane Florence.
 
The Pilots now return home to host Northern Illinois in their final non-conference game at Merlo Field at 7 p.m. on Friday night. The Huskies checked in at No. 13 in the first official RPI rankings, which were released on Monday.

"I'm delighted for R.J. Stretch to score his first goal as he's been training very hard in the final third," added Carlin-Voigt. "The depth of our team was on display again and it was a total program effort. Shane Aranda came in and performed at a very high level to give the group a massive lift. We now recover and prepare for another good top-25 nationally ranked team in Northern Illinois at Merlo. We hope to see all of our fans and supporters back on The Bluff on Friday night."