PORTLAND PILOTS (2-2-2, 0-0-0 WCC)
WEEK 5: at San Jose State / #21 California
 
San Jose State Spartans (3-3-1, 0-0-0 MWC)
Day: Friday
Date: Sept. 20, 2019
Time: 7:00 PM
Place: San Jose, Calif.
Pitch: Spartan Soccer Complex
TV: Pac-12 Network
Online: Video I Stats
 
POR vs. SJSU
Overall Series: 4-1-0
H: 2-1-0  •  A: 1-0-0  •  N: 1-0-0
Last: @POR 1, SJSU 0 - OT (8/24/2018)
 
#21 Cal Bears (7-0-0, 0-0-0 Pac-12)
Day: Sunday
Date: Sept. 22, 2019
Time: 12:00 PM
Place: Berkeley, Calif.
Pitch: Edwards Stadium
Online: Video I Stats
 
POR vs. CAL
Overall Series: 6-5-2
H: 4-1-1  •  A: 2-4-1  •  N: 0-0-0
Last: @Cal 1, POR 0 (8/26/2016)
 
THIS WEEK
• The Pilots travel to the Bay Area for a pair of road games, first playing at San Jose State on Friday before battling No. 21 Cal in Berkeley on Sunday.
• Kickoff for the Pilots and Spartans at the Spartan Soccer Complex in San Jose is set for 7 p.m.
• Sunday's game with the Bears at Edwards Stadium will begin at 12 p.m., and it will be broadcast live on the Pac-12 Network.
• Links for video streams and live stats can be found at PortlandPilots.com.
 
LAST WEEK
• Both games last weekend went to overtime as the Pilots earned a 2-2 draw at Oregon on Friday before suffering a 3-2 setback to Seattle at home on Sunday.
• Against the Ducks in Eugene, the Pilots came from behind twice as Kimberly Hazlett and Emily Collier both found the back of the net.
• Collier's goal, the first in her career, came in the 71st minute and proved to be the equalizer.
• Against the Redhawks, the Pilots again had to battle from behind.
• MJ Roe provided a goal in the first half, and Taryn Ries converted a PK after the break, which leveled the score 2-2.
• SU then found the game-winner in the 91st minute to escape with the victory, despite the Pilots controlling possession for much of the soggy afternoon and claiming a 17-10 edge in shots.
 
ABOUT THE PILOTS
• After starting the year at right back for the Pilots, Kimberly Hazlett has thrived since moving up top, scoring two goals during the last three games.
• Taryn Ries ranks second in the West Coast Conference in assists per game (0.5), is third in overall assists (3), and is seventh in points per game (1.17).
• Freshman goalkeeper Jenny Wahlen recorded back-to-back shutouts to begin her career with the Pilots.
• 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.
• Portland returned the majority of their roster from 2018 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 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).
• She was voted to the 2019 All-WCC Preseason Team.
• 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.
• 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.
• The Pilots also exploded for 30 goals last fall, nearly tripling the goal output from 2017.
• 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.
• 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).
 
ABOUT THE OPPONENTS
• The San Jose State Spartans have lost two straight, losing 2-1 at Sacramento State and 1-0 at home to Arizona.
• The Spartans have been outscored 10-3 with their three goals coming from Alexis Brewah, Jamilecxth Becerra, And Sabrina Weinman.
• Sophomore GK Ariana Romero has a GAA of 1.33 and a .737 save percentage.
• UP alum Lauren Hanson is in her sixth year as head coach at San Jose State and she led the Spartans to the NCAA playoffs in 2015 and 2018.
• Hanson, then Orlandos, was a three-time All-American defender for the Pilots and helped the team win the NCAA title in 2002.
• The No. 21 Cal Bears have allowed just one goal this season, which was to Santa Clara last weekend during a 2-1 win.
• Cal is one of eight teams left in the country without a loss or a tie.
• Emma Westin ranks 14th nationally with seven goals, and Mia Corbin has a team-high four assists.
• Neil McGuire is in his 13th year as head coach at Cal.