MORAGA, Calif. --- The No. 11 Saint Mary's Gaels, who had already clinched the West Coast Conference title, defeated the Portland Pilots 5-1 in the regular season finale at Saint Mary's Stadium on Saturday afternoon. Rey Ortiz scored Portland's goal on a PK in the 68th minute.
 
It was the Pilots (9-7-1, 3-4-0 WCC) who were knocking on the door early, and Ortiz put a quality shot on-target in the third minute. On a free kick from just outside the box, Ortiz hit a hard, low shot towards the right post, but it was saved by the SMC keeper, Remi Prieur.
 
Moments later Greg Tracey sent a header high of the crossbar, and Luke Hendel did well to get a shot off in the 12th minute when he was able to get behind the backline with possession. His shot from a tight angle was wide of the left post as the game remained scoreless.
 
The Gaels (16-1-0, 7-0-0 WCC) then scored their three first-half goals within a six-minute span. Jake Rudel opened the scoring when he made a lengthy run with possession down the far touch line, cut into the 18-yard box, and tucked one away to make it a 1-0 game in the 31st minute.
 
Anders Engebretsen then pushed their lead to two when he converted from the penalty spot, and Phillipe Van der Lof put away a nice cross from Younes Dayekh to give the Gaels a 3-0 edge.
 
The Gaels then scored another one early in the second half, and Engebretsen scored his second on another penalty in the 61st minute.
 
The Pilots pulled one back seven minutes later when they were awarded a PK after the Gaels were called for a foul inside the area. Ortiz stepped to the spot, and he slotted it in for his third goal of the season.
 
Ortiz, a senior midfielder, finishes the season with a team-high 13 points. He also led the Pilots with seven assists this fall, and he'll end his stellar career No. 7 on Portland's all-time list with 27 career assists.

"When we step back and reflect, our seniors will be incredibly proud of the foundation they helped develop," Portland head coach Nick Carlin-Voigt said following the match. "They helped put Portland men's soccer back on the national map. While we are disappointed we didn't get back to the NCAA tournament this year, I want to acknowledge and thank all of our seniors for their accomplishments. Gio Magana-Rivera and Rey Ortiz who spent four years as part of our first recruiting class leave the program as champions and winners. The seniors have been the pillars of our turnaround and their drive and desire to help build something special was central to our success. Just as importantly, they represented UP well off the field as all five undergrad seniors are on course to graduate. They have done what we ask of every player that joins our program: leave the program better than you found it. 
 
"They helped me build a special culture that connected with the community in a real way," continued Carlin-Voigt. "We had many wonderful memorial victory nights at Merlo and the magic returned during their time on The Bluff posting an 31-7-4 home record during their career. They were part of our first WCC Championship in 2016 and were integral to help achieve a record breaking 2018 season that saw us rise to a national ranking of seventh while hosting our first NCAA tournament game since 2002. They played in big important games during their careers and beat every Pac-12 program we played at least once on Merlo Field. They are going to leave The Bluff with numerous life skills that they will apply to help make their communities better as future leaders and young men of character."