PORTLAND PILOTS (7-5-0, 2-1-0 WCC)
Week 10: vs. Gonzaga Bulldogs

Gonzaga Bulldogs (7-6-0, 2-1-0 WCC)
Day: Wednesday
Date: Oct. 27, 2021
Time: 7:00 PM
Place: Portland, Ore.
Pitch: Merlo Field
Video: PortlandPilots.com
Stats: PortlandPilots.com

POR vs. GON
Overall Series: 29-13-6
H: 15-6-2  •  A: 13-7-4  •  N: 1-0-0
Last: POR 2, GON 1 (March 21, 2021)

THIS WEEK 
• The Portland Pilots roll into a two-match week at home after their big win last Saturday, starting with a matchup on Wednesday, Oct. 27 against the Gonzaga Bulldogs.
• The match will kick off at Merlo Field at 7 p.m.
• Links for the livestream and live stats can be found at PortlandPilots.com.
• For tickets to Wednesday's match, check PortlandPilots.com/Tickets.

NEXT UP 
• The Pilots will face off against the Pacific Tigers on Saturday, Oct. 30.
• Kickoff is set for 7 p.m.
• Check PortlandPilots.com for live video and stat options and get tickets at PortlandPilots.com/Tickets.

ABOUT THE PILOTS
• The Pilots are 7-5-0 overall and 2-1-0 in WCC after defeating the Loyola Marymount Lions 1-0 in overtime. The win was their first over a ranked opponent this season.
• Gurman Sangha had the winning goal for the Pilots in the 94th minute. The goal was his first of the season and the first of his Pilot career.
• George Tasouris was also critical in the victory, collecting six saves en route to the shutout victory.
• It's the third time this season that Tasouris has collected at least six saves in a match.
• Sangha and Tasouris's performances were good enough to earn them both WCC Player of the Week honors. It is the first time Sangha has earned the award and the second time for Tasouris.
• Tasouris becomes the first Pilot to win the award twice in the same year since Benji Michel back did so back in 2017.
• Tasouris earned WCC Defensive Player of the Week on Sept. 13 for his role in Portland's 1-0 victory over UCLA. He had two saves on the night, including a critical collection in the 89th minute that prevented the Bruins from finding the equalizer.
• Tasouris is tied for second in the WCC in shutouts (first), first in save percentage (.808), third in goals against (10) and goals-against average (0.83) and tied for third in total saves (42).
• He also became the first Pilot since Luis Robles in 2006 to record an assist as a goalkeeper after assisting on freshman midfielder Wesley Frankel's game-winner against the Seattle U Redhawks in the second annual Caffé D'Arte Coffee Cup.
• Tasouris was named to the MAC Hermann Trophy Watch List for this season, an award given annually to the top player in college soccer and is also a candidate for the Senior CLASS Award.
• The grad transfer from Cyprus previously dominated in goal for the Grand Canyon Antelopes, earning All-WAC honors all three years and being named the WAC Defensive Player of the Year for the 2020-21 season.
• The Pilots also earned national recognition this week when defender Delentz Pierre was named to the TopDrawerSoccer Team of the Week on Oct. 26 for his role in the LMU victory.
• Pierre was named to the All-WCC Preseason Team for the 2020-21, but did not play due to injury. He made the All-WCC Freshman Team back in 2019 as well.
• The Pilots swept the WCC Player of the Week awards two weeks ago as well, with Alejandro Pereira earning offensive player of the week and Kevin Bonilla earning defensive player of the week.
• Pereira had a hat trick in Portland's 5-1 win over the San Diego Toreros, the first by a Pilot since 2017. It also marked the first multi-goal game of Pereira's career.
• The forward also had the game-winning assist against LMU this past Saturday.
• Bonilla was recognized after anchoring the Pilots' defense, earning an assist on one of Pereira's goals and serving the cross that led to the own goal in favor of the Pilots.
• It is the second time Bonilla has earned weekly honors this year, earning Top Drawer Soccer National Team of the Week recognition back on Sept. 14.
• Bonilla scored the game-winner for the Pilots against UCLA on Sept. 10 and defended well in the shutout 1-0 win. The win was the first ever for the Pilots over the Bruins both on the road and in the regular season.
• The Pilots had two players named to the All-WCC Preseason squad -- senior and sophomore midfielders Jake Arteaga and Nick Fernandez -- and were picked to finish third in the WCC.
• It is the fifth season in a row that the Pilots have been selected to finish in the top three under head coach Nick Carlin-Voigt. The only season where they haven't been picked to do so under Carlin-Voigt is 2016, his first year on The Bluff.
• Arteaga was a strong presence in the midfield for the Pilots last season, earning All-WCC Honorable Mention recognition. He finished with one assist on the year, which he earned in the season opener against George Fox on Feb. 9.
• Fernandez did the same for the Pilots in the midfield, earning All-WCC Second Team honors and All-WCC Freshman Team honors last season. He also earned an assist against George Fox while adding a goal himself.
• The Pilots return seven student-athletes who earned All-WCC recognition last season: Arteaga, Fernandez, Hendel, Buba Fofanah, Paul Odendahl, Jacopo Viola and Brandon Cambridge.
• Midfielder Hendel was the points leader for the Pilots last year with 16, notching a conference-leading seven goals as well as two assists on the year. He was named to the All-WCC Second Team last season.
• Forward Fofanah and midfielder Cambridge both finished second on the team in total points with 10. Both athletes scored four goals, tallied two assist and made the All-WCC Freshman Team. Fofanah also earned All-WCC Honorable Mention.
• Defender Odendahl and goalkeeper Viola both earned All-WCC Honorable Mention recognition after helping the Pilots earn four shutouts in just 10 games.
• Viola also earned WCC Defensive Player of the Week honors after helping the Pilots earn a shutout against the then No. 11 Loyola Marymount Lions, who went on to win the WCC. He also earned six saves in the process.
• Portland boasts the No. 2 recruiting class in the nation per TopDrawerSoccer.
• This marks the fifth straight year that Carlin-Voigt has brought in a top 10 recruiting class or better.
• Carlin-Voigt is in his sixth year at the helm of the Pilots.
• In his first year on The Bluff he led Portland to an improbable turn-around en route to the 2016 WCC title and an NCAA Playoff berth.
• It was the program's first WCC Championship since 2002, and it was their first trip to the NCAA postseason since 2009.
• In 2016 Carlin-Voigt became the program's first WCC Coach of the Year since Clive Charles in 2002.
• In 2018, Carlin-Voigt helped the Pilots make the NCAA Tournament and advance to the second round with a thrilling 1-0 over UCLA at Merlo Field. The opening-round win was the first for the Pilots since 2009 and the first home playoff win since 2002.
• Carlin-Voigt, who came to The Bluff from UCLA during the winter of 2016, was named one of the Top 10 American Coaches under 40 by Top Drawer Soccer in 2017.
• Joining Carlin-Voigt on the staff is assistant coach Ben Zemanski.
• Zemanski enters the coaching ranks after a lengthy MLS career, which featured a five-year stint and an MLS Cup with the Portland Timbers.
• Former MLS goalkeeper Eric Kronberg also joins the Pilots as the director of goalkeeping after most recently serving as the goalkeeping coach for Portland Timbers 2
• Kronberg spent 12 seasons as a keeper in MLS, playing primarily with Sporting Kansas City.
• The Pilots claim renowned men's soccer alums Kasey Keller, Steve Cherundolo, Conor Casey, Nate Jaqua, Heath Pearce, and 2015 MLS Goalkeeper of the Year Luis Robles.
• In 1988, legendary coach Clive Charles led Keller and the Pilots to the school's first ever NCAA College Cup; the Pilots returned to the College Cup in 1995.
• The Pilots have made 15 appearances in the NCAA Postseason all-time, which includes two appearances in the College Cup (1988 & 1995).

ABOUT THE BULLDOGS
• The Gonzaga Bulldogs are 7-6 on the year and 2-1 in WCC play.
• Most recently, the Zags beat the San Francisco Dons 3-2 in an overtime thriller.
• Demetrius Kigeya is their leading scorer this season, with 11 points total off four goals and three assists.
• Johan Garibay has been impressive in goal for the Zags, leading the WCC in several statistics.
• Garibay is first in saves (60), second in minutes played (1,179), third in shutouts (4) and tied for fourht in save percentage (.759) and goals-against average (1.45).
• Aaron Lewis is in his first year as head coach of the Bulldogs.

PILOTS IN THE PROS 
• Portland has a long tradition of sending players to the pros, with several athletes playing in either MLS or the USL.
• Benji Michel, who played with the Pilots from 2016-18, signed a homegrown contract with Orlando City SC back in 2018 and has even earned call-ups to the U.S. Men's National Team's U-23 and senior squad.
• The Pilots have two alums currently playing in USL League One: Rey Ortiz and Esteban Calvo.
• Ortiz currently plays with the Chattanooga Red Wolves and Calvo with the Richmond Kickers.
• Paul Christensen is currently a goalkeeper with the Greenville Triumph and was drafted 70th overall in the 2018 MLS SuperDraft by Atlanta United.
• Collen Warner is a midfielder with the Colorado Rapids and has played professionally since 2007.
• Additionally, alum Luis Robles has carved out an impressive career with the Red Bulls and he was named the 2015 MLS Goalkeeper of the Year.
• On March 11, 2017, Robles set an MLS record for consecutive league starts with 142, and he's run that streak to 183, spanning from September 2012 to May 2018. 
• Robles also became the first player in club history to record 50 clean sheets on April 15, 2017 after a 2-0 victory against D.C. United.