PORTLAND, Ore. -- The Portland Pilots men's soccer team is set for their exhibition match against the Corban Warriors on Friday, Aug. 20 at 7 p.m. It will be the first Portland Pilot Athletics home event of the 2021-22 academic year.

"We are looking forward to having our first fall game under the lights here at Merlo in almost two years," Portland head coach Nick Carlin-Voigt said. "We have an incredibly exciting and challenging home schedule welcoming some of the best programs in the country to historic Merlo Field. We are excited to welcome the students and community back to support our team as we have our first home exhibition against nationally ranked Corban, which will be great preparation for our first regular season game against Air Force the following Friday. We have some exciting new faces and veterans returning that are working hard to reach their full potential and that can't happen without our fans and community!"

The Pilots return several letterwinners from last season while adding a wealth of talented newcomers. Seven of Portland's returners earned All-WCC honors last season. Luke Hendel and Nick Fernandez both earned All-WCC Second Team honors while Buba Fofanah, Paul Odendahl, Jacopo Viola and Jake Arteaga all earned All-WCC Honorable Mention. Fofanah, Fernandez and Brandon Cambridge all made the All-WCC Freshman Team. Top Drawer Soccer also ranked the incoming recruiting class as the second-best in the nation.

The Corban Warriors were one of the best NAIA soccer teams in the country last year, finishing 9-2-1 and making an appearance in the NAIA Tournament. They head into this season ranked 20^th in the latest preseason poll. The Warriors have made eight consecutive appearances in the NAIA Tournament, which is the most of any team in the west. Corban has never faced off in a regular season match against the Pilots.

Friday night also marks the return of Bite on the Bluff, a chance to enjoy good food and drink before the match! We'll have 10 trucks with a wide variety of food and drink options to choose from. Bite on the Bluff will start at 5:30 p.m. in the Chiles Center Plaza.

The Pilots will open their regular season next Friday on Aug. 27 with a match against the Air Force Falcons. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. Portland soccer season tickets are available now and start at just $75 for all men's and women's soccer home matches. Youth team experiences are also available for all home games. For more ticket information, visit PortlandPilots.com or call Dave Taylor at (503) 943-8619 to sign up for season tickets or reserve a group experience today.