Loyola Marymount Lions (0-16-0, 0-6-0 WCC)
Day: Saturday
Date: Oct. 30, 2021
Time: 4:00 PM
Place: Los Angeles, Calif.
Pitch: Sullivan Field
Video: PortlandPilots.com
Stats: PortlandPilots.com

POR vs. LMU
Overall Series: 23-3-2
H: 12-1-0   •  A: 11-2-2  •  N: 0-0-0
Last: POR 1, @LMU 2 (Feb. 20, 2021)

THIS WEEK 
• The Portland Pilots women's soccer team will hit the road this weekend for their match against the Loyola Marymount Lions on Saturday, Oct. 30.
• Kickoff for the match is set for 4 p.m.
• Links for a video stream and live stats can be found at PortlandPilots.com.

NEXT WEEK
• The Pilots will begin their final week of regular season games next week, with two matches against the BYU Cougars and the Pacific Tigers
• They will play BYU on Nov. 3 and Pacific on Nov. 6, with both matches set for a 7 p.m.  kickoff.
• Check PortlandPilots.com for live video and stat options as well as for tickets.

ABOUT THE PILOTS 
• Portland is an even 7-7-0 overall and 3-3-0 in WCC play after taking down both the San Diego Toreros and the Santa Clara Broncos last week.
• The 2-0 win over the Broncos, who are the defending national champions, was the first for the Pilots over Santa Clara since 2013.
• Taryn Ries and Jamie Rita were the two scorers on the night for Portland. It was the fifth goal of the year for Ries and the first for Rita.
• Nedya Sawan and Ellie Walker earned assists on those goals. It was the second asssist of the year for each player.
• Bre Norris was dominant between the pipes, recording eight saves after fending off 19 shots on the night. The shutout was her fifth of the year, good for fourth in the WCC.
• It was her third game with at least six saves and her sixth with at least five saves.
• It was the most saves by a freshman in a match since Cori Alexander earned 10 saves against Texas back in 2003. It was also the most by any Pilot keeper since Rachel Lusby had 10 saves back in 2018, also against Santa Clara.
• Before the Santa Clara match, the Pilots rollicked the San Diego Toreros 4-1 on Oct. 20.
• The four goals for the Pilots are the most they've scored in a match this year and the most they've scored against a conference opponent since 2018. That year, they also put up four goals in a win against San Diego.
• Nedya Sawan scored two goals for the Pilots, her eighth and ninth of the season. She is the first Pilot to post a multi-goal game this season.
• This is the second-time Sawan has earned a brace in her career. The first time was last season, also against San Diego in a 3-0 victory.
• Sawan is the scoring leader for the Pilots with 20 total points (nine goals, two assists). Amongst her WCC peers, she is tied for first in game-winning goals (4), tied for third in total goals and fifth in total points.
• Ries scored a goal for the Pilots against San Diego as well while the other goal was an own goal in favor of Portland.
• Norris had four saves on the day.
• The performances from Sawan and Norris last week earned them WCC Offensive and Defensive Player of the Week honors respectively.
• It is the first time the Pilots have had two players earn both honors this year and the first time two have one in the same week since the WCC switched to the dual format.
• Norris has started every match for the Pilots in goal. Her 1,260 minutes in goal for the Pilots is the most of any freshman keeper in the WCC. It is also the most minutes played in goal by a Pilot freshman keeper since Cori Alexander in 2003.
• The Pilots are a young squad that returns all but five athletes that played with the team last season. They also add eight talented newcomers to the squad. 
• The Pilots entered the season picked to finish fifth in the conference for the second year in a row.
• Ries was one of four Pilots to earn All-WCC recognition last season, making the All-WCC First Team. The other three were Camille Ashe, Sophia Mattice and Elliott Winklemann.
• Ashe and Mattice both return after putting together stellar freshmen seasons.
• Ashe, who was All-WCC Honorable Mention while also making the All-WCC Freshman Team, started in all 10 matches for the Pilots as a center back. She helped the Pilots record five straight shutouts for the first time since 2010, back when they were ranked second in the nation.
• Midfielder Mattice played and started in nine matches for Portland. She recorded a goal and an assist on the season.
• Ashe and Mattice were not the only young Pilots to play a significant role with the team this past season.
• Sawan played in nine matches (six starts) for the Pilots and ranked second on the team in goals scored (2) and total points (5).
• Both of Sawan's goals came in a 3-0 victory over the San Diego Torreros on March 27. Sawan also recorded an assist against the Pacific Tigers on March 6.
• Eight of the nine Pilots who played in every match this past season -- Gabi Brummett, Jamie Rita, Ellie Walker, Emily Collier, Hannah McCord, Camille Ashe, MJ Roe and Sophie French -- will play this year for Portland.
• French and Walker both played roles in helping the Pilots secure five straight shutouts.
• Brummett and Rita each played key roles in the Pilots' offense, with Brummett notching a team-leading two assists on the year and Rita adding a goal herself.

ABOUT THE LIONS
• The Loyola Marymount Lions are 0-16-0 overall and 0-6-0 in WCC play.
• They most recently lost to the now-No. 11 BYU Cougars 2-0 in Provo, Utah. They are the only WCC team without a victory this season.
• The Lions haven't scored in six straight matches and have been held scoreless in 11 matches this year.
• Goalkeeper Kendyll Humphreys has been a bright spot for Loyola Marymount. She has 67 saves on the season, which is good for third in the WCC).
• Jenny Bindon is in her second season as coach of the Lions.

THE STAFF 
• UP alum Michelle French is in her fourth year as head coach of the Pilots.
• French posted a 20-19-8 record in her first three years as the head coach of Portland.
• French came to The Bluff after spending 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 fourth year on The Bluff, while assistant coach and UP alum Logan Emory is in his third year on the women's side after spending the previous three seasons with the men's program.
• Molly Dwyer joins the coaching staff here at Portland after coaching stints with UNC Asheville and Racing Louisville FC.

THE HISTORY 
• Portland has a strong women's soccer tradition and is one of just six 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).

THE OLYMPICS
• University of Portland women's soccer alums Megan Rapinoe (USA), Christine Sinclair (Canada) and Sophie Schmidt (Canada) represented their countries this past summer at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics in Japan, with Sinclair and Schmidt winning their first ever gold medal and Rapinoe earning bronze.
• Sinclair, who is the all-time leading scorer in both men's and women's soccer at 187, scored one goal during the tournament. It came during Canada's July 21 match against the host country, Japan.
• Schmidt played in one match against Great Britain in group play.
• Sinclair and Schmidt's Canadian team defeated Megan Rapinoe and the United States Women's National Team 1-0 in the semifinals after Jessie Fleming scored the game-winning goal off a penalty. It was the second Olympics in a row where the U.S. failed to make the gold medal game.
• Rapinoe did, however, play a significant role in helping the U.S. get bronze, scoring two unassisted goals against Australia in their final match on Aug. 5. The U.S. won 4-3.

PILOTS IN THE PROS 
• The Portland women's soccer program has a long tradition of sending players to the pros, both in the United States and in Europe.
• The Puget Sound area has been a popular landing spot for Portland graduates as eight women's soccer alums have played for the Reign.
• Currently the OL Reign roster features Megan Rapinoe and Stephanie Cox, who came out of retirement to re-join her long-time club.
• The Portland Thorns claim the legendary Christine Sinclair, who has spent her entire NWSL career in Portland.
• Sinclair helped the Thorns win two NWSL Championships, once in 2013 and again in 2017.
• Sophie Schmidt has spent the past three seasons as a midfielder with the Houston Dash, who won the 2020 NWSL Challenge Cup.