PORTLAND PILOTS (4-3-1)
Week 6: vs. UC Riverside (5-2-2)
Day: Friday
Date: Oct. 4, 2019
Time: 7:00 PM
Place: Portland, Ore.
Pitch: Merlo Field
Online: Video I Stats
 
POR vs. UCR
Overall Series: 0-0-0
H: 0-0-0  •  A: 0-0-0  •  N: 0-0-0
Last: N/A
 
THIS WEEK
• The Pilots return to Portland this week to host the UC Riverside Highlanders in a non-conference match on Friday night at Merlo Field.
• Kickoff for the Pilots and Highlanders, who are receiving votes in the most recent United Soccer Coaches Poll, is set for 7 p.m.
• Links for a live stream and live stats for the game can be found at PortlandPilots.com.
 
PROMOTIONS/TICKETS
• Friday night is the annual Oktoberfest Festival at Merlo Field, and Portland athletics is offering fans special ticket and food deals, which can be accessed by visiting PortlandPilots.com/Tickets and using the promo code 'OFEST'.
• Oktoberfest will feature a German food truck (Urban German), games, and a beer tasting, and it will begin before the game in the main Merlo Field Plaza and last until the end of halftime.
• Halftime will also feature the fan favorite wiener dog races on the Merlo Field pitch.
• For ticket information for this weekend and every Pilot home game, please visit PortlandPilots.com/Tickets or call or text 503-943-GoUP.
 
LAST WEEK
• No. 10 Washington scored the game's only goal in the 81st minute and the Pilots couldn't find the equalizer during the final nine minutes as the Huskies claimed a 1-0 win on Sunday evening at Husky Soccer Stadium.
• Both teams finished the match with only 10 men as the two sides each lost a player due to a red card in the second half.
• UW's goal came on a free kick with only nine minutes remaining in regulation after the Pilots were called for a foul near the top of the 18; Ethan Barlow took the free attempt, and he planted a well-struck shot into the corner of the net.
 
ABOUT THE PILOTS...
• Delentz Pierre became the second Pilot this season to land on the Top Drawer Soccer Team of the Week after scoring his first career goal and helping secure a 3-1 win over CSUN (Sept. 20).
• Previously, junior Luke Hendel earned the honor after scoring both of Portland's game-winners against George Washington (Sept. 6) and Davidson (Sept. 8).
• Three of Portland's four wins this season have been shutouts; the Pilots have four shutouts overall.
• Portland ranks 18th nationally in save percentage (0.828).
• As a team, the Pilots lead the WCC in assists (13) and assists per game (1.86).
• Individually, freshman midfielder Jacobo Reyes ranks 25th in the country in overall assists with four, and he's second in the WCC in assists and assists per game (0.50).
• Senior goalkeeper Josh Lagudah has recorded a shutout in two of his three starts this season.
• Offensively, the Pilots have out-scored their opponents 13-5, and nine different players have scored a goal.
• For the second straight season, senior midfielder Rey Ortiz was named to the Preseason Watch List for the MAC Hermann Trophy, which is awarded annually to the best collegiate player in the nation.
• Ortiz, who collected three goals and three assists in limited action as a junior, was also named to the All-West Coast Conference Preseason Team, as was senior midfielder Gio Magana-Rivera.
• Portland's 2019 recruiting class was ranked ninth in the nation by Top Drawer Soccer; the 10 newcomers are the program's third straight top-10 recruiting class.
• The Pilots received a first-place vote and were selected to finish second in the WCC this season by the league's eight head coaches.
 
THE OPPONENT
• The UC Riverside Highlanders are 0-2-1 in their last three contests, and they're coming off a 1-0 home loss to San Diego last Friday.
• The Highlanders have out-scored their opponents 8-5 and they've registered three shutouts.
• Roberto Garcia-Vargas, Caio Guazzelli, and Hugo Magana Jr. each have two goals, while Olli Pirinen has a team-best three assists.
• Keeper Edwyn Gutierrez has played every minute in goal and has a GAA of 0.55 and an .849 save percentage.
• Tim Cupello is in his sixth year as head coach at UC Riverside, and last year he guided the Highlanders to a Big West title and to the NCAA First Round.
 
THE STAFF
• Head coach Nick Carlin-Voigt is in his fourth year at the helm of the Pilots.
• 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 in 2016, was named one of the Top 10 American Coaches under 40 by Top Drawer Soccer in 2017.
• Joining Carlin-Voigt on the staff are first-year assistant coaches Ben Zemanski and Austin Nyquist.
• Zemanski entered the coaching ranks after a lengthy MLS career, which featured a five-year stint and an MLS Cup with the Portland Timbers.
• Nyquist was previously the Pilots' director of performance analysis.
• Assistant coach Emerson De Oliveira is in his fourth year with the Pilots, and he was recently elevated to the program's director of goalkeeping.
 
LAST YEAR
• The Pilots are coming off their second playoff visit in the past three years as they reached the second round of the 2018 NCAA Tournament.
• After receiving an at-large bid to the playoffs, the Pilots were awarded their first home postseason game since 2002, and they blanked UCLA 1-0.
• It was also the first time the Pilots advanced to the second round since 2009.
• Other highlights from the 2018 season include:
- The Pilots didn't suffer their first loss of the season until their 14th match, which was the longest unbeaten streak to start a year since 1995.
- The 13-match unbeaten string was also the longest for the Pilots since that '95 team went 14 games without a blemish.
- The 10-0-3 record open to the season ranked as the program's third best start ever, behind only 1995 and the 1988 squad.
 
MOVING ON
• Following last fall, forward Benji Michel signed a homegrown contract with Orlando City SC of MLS; Michel has 15 appearances and eight starts with Orlando, and he's scored three goals.
• A 2018 United Soccer Coaches All-America Second Team selection, Michel ended his career with 31 goals in three years, eight assists, 70 points, and 12 game-winners; he ranks third all-time in program history in game-winners, and he's 12th in career goals.
 
MERLO MADNESS
• Portland has re-asserted itself among the national leaders in attendance during the past few years, and last fall the Pilots ranked sixth in the country in total fans.
 
THE HISTORY
• 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 16 appearances in the NCAA Postseason all-time, which includes two appearances in the College Cup (1988 & 1995).