PORTLAND, Ore. --- The Portland Pilots women's soccer team welcomes the University of British Columbia Thunderbirds to The Bluff for an exhibition match on Wednesday night at Merlo Field. Kickoff for the Pilots and Thunderbirds is set for 7 p.m., and tickets can be purchased at PortlandPilots.com/Tickets.
 
Tickets will also be available at the Merlo Field Box Office beginning one hour before the match.
 
The Pilots return the majority of their roster from last fall as 17 letterwinners and eight starters are back. Highlighting the returners are 2018 All-WCC selections Olivia Dendinger, Kimberly Hazlett, and Taryn Ries. Ries, a junior forward, had a breakout season last year en route all-conference first-team and all-region honors. She ranked seventh nationally in both goals (15) and game-winners (6), and she led the league with 33 points.
 
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.
 
Joining the Pilots' experienced roster are 11 newcomers.
 
Back at the helm is UP alum Michelle French, who enters 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. The Pilots also exploded for 30 goals, nearly tripling the goal output from 2017.
 
The Pilots open the regular season at Washington on Friday, Aug. 23. Their first home match of the 2019 campaign is scheduled for Sunday, Sept. 8, against Denver at Merlo Field.