PORTLAND PILOTS (4-5-0, 0-1-0 WCC)
WEEK 8: vs. (RV) Gonzaga Bulldogs
(RV) Gonzaga Bulldogs (10-2-0, 0-0-0 WCC)
Day: Wednesday
Date: Oct. 6, 2021
Time: 7:00 PM
Place: Portland, Ore.
Pitch: Merlo Field
Video: PortlandPilots.com
Stats: PortlandPilots.com
POR vs. GON
Overall Series: 25-2-2
H: 13-1-0
• A: 12-1-2
• N: 0-0-0
Last: POR 0, @GON 0 (April 3, 2021)
THIS WEEK
• The Pilots will play their first home WCC match of the season on Wednesday, Oct. 6, when they play host to the Gonzaga Bulldogs.
• Kickoff for Wednesday's match is set for 7 p.m.
• Links for a video stream and live stats can be found at PortlandPilots.com.
TICKETS
• For tickets to Wednesday's match as well as other Pilot sporting events this season, check out PortlandPilots.com/Tickets.
NEXT UP
• The Pilots will play in a doubleheader with the men's soccer team on Saturday, Oct. 9, playing against the San Francisco Dons in the second match of the night.
• The men's game against San Diego will kick off at 4 p.m. while the women's match will start at 7 p.m.
• The men's match will also be televised on Portland's CW
• Check PortlandPilots.com for live video and stat options and get tickets at PortlandPilots.com/Tickets.
ABOUT THE PILOTS
• Portland is 4-5-0 on the season and 0-1-0 in WCC play after dropping their conference opener to the Pepperdine Waves 3-0.
• Prior to that match the Pilots had split their weekend with a narrow loss to the Oregon Ducks and a 3-0 drubbing of the North Dakota Fighting Hawks.
• Three different Pilots scored against North Dakota: Taryn Ries, Elianna Wong and Sophie French.
• It was the second multi-goal victory of the year for the Pilots.
• The goals from Wong and French were the first of both their seasons and their careers while Ries's goal was the second of the season and the 31st of her career.
• Three Pilots now -- French, Wong and Cally Togiai -- have scored the first goals of their careers this season.
• Prior to the start of the season, Ries was named to the All-WCC Preseason squad for the third season in a row. She was the only Pilot to earn such an honor.
• So far, she and Nedya Sawan are tied for fifth in the conference in game-winning goals at two a piece.
• Sawan is the scoring leader for the Pilots, ranking first in total points (8) and goals (4).
• Her four goals are double the amount that she posted last season and are tied for the seventh most of any player in the WCC.
• Freshman goalkeeper Bre Norris has started every match for the Pilots in goal and has helped Portland earn four shutouts, which is tied for fourth in the WCC.
• The Boise, Idaho native is also fifth in the WCC in total saves (30) and her 810 minutes played is the most of any is the most of any freshman keeper in the conference
• It is also the most minutes played in goal by a Pilot freshman keeper since Rachel Lusby in 2015.
• 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 BULLDOGS
• The Gonzaga Bulldogs are 10-2 on the season after losing their WCC opener 6-1 to the BYU Cougars.
• Prior to the loss, the Zags had won eight games in a row and posted a goal differential of +27, winning by an average of over three goals per match.
• During that streak, they played one similar opponent to the Pilots in the Montana Grizzlies, who Gonzaga beat 3-0. The Pilots beat the Grizzlies 1-0.
• The Bulldogs were ranked as high as 16th in the nation, which is a program best.
• Gonzaga has recorded a conference-high 36 goals and 30 assists.
• Maddie Kemp is tied for first in the WCC in goals (8), fourth in assists (4) and second in total points (20).
• Chris Watkins is in his fifth season as head coach of the Zags.
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 five 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.
