PORTLAND, Ore. – The Portland Pilots upset the Santa Clara Broncos 2-0 at Merlo Field, handing the defending national champions their first conference loss of the season. The win puts the Pilots at an even .500 on the season both overall (7-7-0) and in WCC play (3-3-0).

Taryn Ries and Jamie Rita scored the two goals for the Pilots. Ries's goal was her fifth of the season while Rita's was her first of the year. Pilot goalkeeper Bre Norris also had an impressive eight saves in the shutout victory, a career high.

The Pilots came out with energy, bursting towards the goal with purpose. Portland had two shots in just the first five minutes, controlling possession in the midfield and attacking the open lanes whenever possible. Portland had the advantage to start.

The aggressive start helped the Pilots start the scoring in the 32^nd minute. Ellie Walker took the ball just outside the box and launched a cross to the opposite side and into the box to Taryn Ries. Ries then shot a cheeky chip over Santa Clara keeper Kylie Foutch, just out of reach. The goal made it 1-0 Portland with just under 15 to play in the first.

Portland added to that lead just three minutes later. Nedya Sawan dribbled the ball down to the end line and threaded a perfect low cross to an onrushing Jamie Rita. The senior midfielder shot it with authority and put the Pilots up two heading into the half.

Santa Clara made a bit of a push to begin the second half. They looked more aggressive in attacking the goal and did their best to take advantage of any mistakes by the Pilots. But while the Pilots did bend, they did not break, fending off the Broncos' attack well in the first 20 minutes of the second half.

The trend continued for most of the second half. The Broncos would advance, but Portland wouldn't let Santa Clara get a clean shot on goal and their advances would amount to nothing. Santa Clara outshot the Pilots 19-8, but only eight of those shots were on target. Norris's stout defending in goal ensured that nothing came to fruition with those shots.

In the end, the Pilots did just enough to keep the Broncos from equalizing. They parked the bus and ran the clock out to secure the 2-0 win over the defending national champions.

Next up, the Pilots are headed to Los Angeles, Calif. for a matchup against the Loyola Marymount Lions. The two teams will face on Saturday, Oct. 30 at 4 p.m. Check PortlandPilots.com for live stats and video options.