PORTLAND, Ore. --- The University of Portland men's soccer program is adding Noah Beck, a center back/midfielder originally out of Peoria, Ariz., who signed a National Letter of Intent to join the Pilots, announced head coach Nick Carlin-Voigt. Beck has played for the Real Salt Lake Development Academy for the past two years.
"We are excited to add Noah to our program and soccer family," Carlin-Voigt said. "He was our first commitment in the 2019 class. Noah trains daily in one of the best soccer academies in our country with Real Salt Lake. He's someone who immediately stood out with his technical ability, positional flexibility, high soccer IQ and ability to solve problems with his passing and decision making. Noah is equally talented in the classroom earning a 3.9 GPA as he's deeply committed to academic excellence. He had numerous offers from around the country but was excited about our soccer culture and our team-first program values. I expect Noah to have a great career here on The Bluff and add to our already strong culture."
"University of Portland is everything I'm looking for when I think of my college experience," said Beck, who is the 120th ranked recruit in the country by Top Drawer Soccer. "When I first visited campus, I knew that Portland was the place I wanted to spend my upcoming years. The campus is a beautiful place with great weather year-round. However, the main reason I chose Portland was because of the soccer and the amazing atmosphere you experience while at the games. The combination of an amazing field and a supporting student section is exactly why i want to play for Portland."
A starter with the RSL Academy, Beck has also trained with the Real Salt Lake First Team, and he currently leads his academy team in assists. Previously Beck was a four-time state finalist with his SC Del Sol club team, and he won a regional championship. He was a team captain with SC Del Sol and he led his team in goals.
He played with Region IV ODP from 2014-17, and was a team captain, the leading scorer, and a two-time all-tournament team selection. He was with the ODP state team for four years, was in the regional camp for three years, and the regional pool for two, and he was chosen to play with the Region IV Team in Costa Rica in March of 2016.
Beck is the first announced recruit of Portland's 2019 class, which is already ranked 13th in the country by Top Drawer Soccer.
"We look forward to releasing the rest of our class throughout the spring semester," said Carlin-Voigt. "We have some exciting announcements ahead."
The Pilots are coming off their second postseason visit in the past three years as they advanced to the Second Round of the 2018 NCAA Playoffs. Portland opened the year with an impressive 10-0-3 record, climbing to No. 5 in the national rankings (Soccer America). The Pilots got off to the program's best start since the legendary squad of 1988, and the unbeaten streak was the longest for Portland since 1995 when the team put together 14 games without a loss.
By the end of the regular season they had suffered only three losses, which was the fewest for a Portland team since 1995, and the Pilots were rewarded with a home playoff game, the program's first since 2002. In that first-round game, the Pilots stifled storied UCLA 1-0 to advance to the second round.
The end of the season brought a plethora of individual accolades for the Pilots as seven Portland players landed All-West Conference recognition, five were named all-region, and Benji Michel was named a Second Team All-American by the United Soccer Coaches. Michel, who led the team with 11 goals and was No. 3 in the nation with seven game-winners, is the first Pilot to be named an All-American by the United Soccer Coaches, which was previously known as the NSCAA, since Nate Jaqua in 2002.
