PORTLAND PILOTS (4-3-2, 0-1-0 WCC)
WEEK 8: vs. Gonzaga / at Saint Mary's
 
Gonzaga Bulldogs (8-3-0, 1-0-0 WCC)
Day: Wednesday
Date: Oct. 9, 2019
Time: 7:00 PM
Place: Portland, Ore.
Pitch: Merlo Field
Online: Video I Stats
 
POR vs. GU
Overall Series: 25-1-1
H: 13-0-0  •  A: 12-1-1  •  N: 0-0-0
Last: @GU 1, POR 0 (11/3/2018)
 
Saint Mary's Gaels (6-5-0, 0-1-0 WCC)
Day: Saturday
Date: Oct. 12, 2019
Time: 3:00 PM
Place: Moraga, Calif.
Pitch: Saint Mary's Stadium
Online: Video I Stats
 
POR vs. SMC
Overall Series: 27-7-1
H: 12-3-0  •  A: 13-4-1 •  N: 2-0-0
Last: @POR 3, SMC 0 (10/5/2018)
 
THIS WEEK
• The Pilots have a home-and-away week, first hosting the Gonzaga Bulldogs in a West Coast Conference match on Wednesday night at Merlo Field, with kickoff set for 7 p.m.
• Portland then travels to Moraga, Calif., for a league contest with the Saint Mary's Gaels on Saturday afternoon.
• The Pilots and Gaels are set to face each other at 3 p.m. at Saint Mary's Stadium.
• Links for video streams and live stats can be found at PortlandPilots.com.
 
PROMOTIONS/TICKETS
• Wednesday's match against Gonzaga features a Megan Rapinoe Poster Giveaway, and it's Neighbor Night at Merlo Field.
• The first 500 fans at Merlo Field will receive a free commemorative poster, highlighting alum Megan Rapinoe and her recent accomplishments on the world stage.
• As part of neighbor night, every resident of North Portland will receive up to four tickets, which you can claim in advance by visiting PortlandPilots.com/neighbor.
• NoPo residents can also pick up their tickets at the Merlo Field box office the night of the game, and they must present a valid ID and mention neighbor night.
• For more ticket information for Wednesday and every Pilot home game, please visit PortlandPilots.com/Tickets or call or text 503-943-GoUP.
 
LAST WEEK
• The Pepperdine Waves overcame a comeback bid by the Pilots last weekend in Malibu, Calif., to prevail 2-1 in the WCC opener for both sides.
• Two of the three goals came on PK's, and the Pilots had another penalty saved.
• Down 2-0, the Pilots dominated the final 15 minutes of the match, and they pulled one back when Larkin Russell converted from the spot in the 80th minute.
• Moments later, Natalie Muth nearly provided the equalizer with a well-hit shot, but the Pepperdine keeper came through with a game-saving stop; even after the keeper got a touch on it, the shot still appeared destined for the back of the net, but it sailed over the crossbar by just a few inches.
 
ABOUT THE PILOTS
• Portland's wins at San Jose State (Sept. 20) and at Cal (Sept. 22) was the program's first two-game, weekend sweep on the road since winning back-to-back games at Saint Mary's and at Pacific in 2015.
• The win over then-No. 21 Cal on Sept. 22 was Portland's first win over a ranked opponent since 2013, which also came on the road at Santa Clara.
• Taryn Ries ranks fourth in the West Coast Conference in assists per game (0.44) and game-winners (2), she's fifth in assists (4), she's seventh in points per game (1.11), and she's 10th in overall points (10).
• Freshman goalkeeper Jenny Wahlen recorded back-to-back shutouts to begin her career with the Pilots, and she leads the WCC with three clean sheets this fall.
• During a 0-0 draw with the Washington Huskies on Aug. 23 in Seattle, Wahlen was stellar in her collegiate debut, providing seven saves to earn the clean sheet.
• She then made three more saves to earn the 1-0 win over New Mexico (Aug. 29) in Seattle, and she opened her career with 228 consecutive scoreless minutes.
• Eight players have scored a goal for the Pilots, with Taryn Ries leading the way with three.
• The Pilots have 10 assists on their 12 goals; Ries also leads the Pilots in this category with four assists.
• Portland returned 17 letterwinners and eight starters from 2018.
• Taryn Ries was voted to the 2019 All-WCC Preseason Team, and the Pilots were picked to finish fourth in a vote by the league's 10 head coaches.
 
THE OPPONENTS
• The Gonzaga Bulldogs sit on top of the WCC standings after cruising past San Diego at home last weekend, 6-0.
• Samantha Heilman registered a hat trick during the win en route to WCC Player of the Week honors.
• Gonzaga features the No. 12 offense in the nation, averaging 2.55 goals per game, and India Jencks has a team-high 12 points on three goals and six assists.
• GK Isabel Jones has started every game, posting a GAA of 1.10 and a .733 save percentage.
• Former BYU assistant Chris Watkins is in his third season as head coach at Gonzaga.
• The Saint Mary's Gaels opened conference play with a 4-0 home loss to USF.
• The Gaels have scored and conceded 14 goals this season.
• Jaylen Crim has a team-high five goals, while adding three assists.
• Keeper Maleah Milner has a GAA of 1.29 and a .714 save percentage.
• Head coach Travis Clarke is in his fifth year at the helm of the Gaels.
 
LAST SEASON
• Senior Kimberly Hazlett (Honorable Mention), and juniors Olivia Dendinger (Second Team) and Taryn Ries (First Team) all earned All-WCC last season; Ries also nabbed all-region honors.
• Ries ranked seventh nationally in goals (15) and was ninth in game-winners (6), and she led the league with 33 points.
• Ries also registered a pair of hat tricks, and her 15 goals are the most in a season for a Pilot since 2009 (Danielle Foxhoven).
• Dendinger, a junior center back, helped the Pilots produce eight shutouts in 2018, which are the most clean sheets for Portland since 2013.
• A senior, Hazlett has earned all-conference recognition every year on The Bluff.
• She was second on the team in points last season, finishing with five goals and six assists.
• Senior midfielder Larkin Russell recorded eight assists last fall, which is the most assists for a Pilot in a season since 2012 when Amanda Frisbie claimed nine.
• The Pilots also exploded for 30 goals overall last fall, nearly tripling the goal output from 2017.
 
THE STAFF
• UP alum Michelle French is in her second year as head coach of the Pilots.
• In her first season, French guided the Pilots to 11 wins, which was more than double the previous year's total.
• French came to The Bluff after spending the previous 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.
• Assistant coach Maite Zabala is in her second year on The Bluff, while assistant coach and UP alum Logan Emory is in his first year on the women's side after spending the previous three seasons with the men's program.
• Elli Reed, another Portland alum, is in her second year as the director of operations; Reed returned to The Bluff following a lengthy pro career, which ended with a five-year stint with the Seattle Reign in the NWSL.
 
THE HISTORY
• Portland has a strong 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 21 times overall.
• The Pilots led the nation in attendance for 10 consecutive seasons (2005-14); in 2018 UP ranked fourth in the country in attendance per game (1,679) and were sixth in overall attendance (18,474).
 
THE WORLD CUP
• University of Portland women's soccer alums Megan Rapinoe (USA), Christine Sinclair (Canada), and Sophie Schmidt (Canada) represented their countries last summer at the 2019 FIFA Women's World Cup in France, with Rapinoe taking the world by storm to claim the Golden Ball and Golden Boot awards.
• The Golden Ball award goes to the tournament's best player, while the top scorer receives the Golden Boot.
• In her third career World Cup, Rapinoe collected six goals and three assists as the U.S. won their second straight title and fourth overall.
• Rapinoe was also selected as the 2019 FIFA Women's Player of the Year.
• This was the fifth straight world cup for Sinclair, and the fourth straight for Schmidt.
• Additionally, Sinclair inched closer to becoming the all-time leading scorer in international women's soccer, producing her 182nd career goal; American Abby Wambach is the all-time leader with 184.