PORTLAND PILOTS (0-0-0)
Week 1: vs. Air Force and Denver
Air Force Falcons (0-0-0)
Day: Friday
Date: Aug. 27, 2021
Time: 7:00 PM
Place: Portland, Ore.
Pitch: Merlo Field
Video/Stats: PortlandPilots.com
POR vs. AF
Overall Series: 3-0-0
H: 2-0-0 •
A: 0-0-0 •
N: 1-0-0
Last: @POR 4, AF 0 (Sept. 13, 2013)
Denver Pioneers (0-0-0)
Day: Monday
Date: Aug. 30, 2021
Time: 7:00 PM
Place: Portland, Ore.
Pitch: Merlo Field
Video/Stats: PortlandPilots.com
POR vs. DEN
Overall Series: 1-4-2
H: 0-2-1 •
A: 0-2-0 •
N: 1-0-1
Last: POR 1, @DEN (Nov. 3, 2016)
THIS WEEK
• The Portland Pilots open their season with a pair of home matches, starting with their Aug. 27 matchup against the Air Force Falcons and concluding with an Aug. 30 game against the Denver Pioneers
• Both matches are set for a 7 p.m. kickoff.
• Links for live streams and live stats for both matches can be found at PortlandPilots.com.
PROMOTIONS/TICKETS
• This weekend is one filled with Pilots soccer, with this Friday marking the home openers for both Pilot soccer teams.
• Friday:
-It's Merlo Madness in Portland on Friday night with our doubleheader for both the men's and women's soccer teams!
-The women's team will start things off at 4 p.m. with their match against the California Golden Bears followed by the men's team playing their match against the Air Force Falcons at 7 p.m.
-Fans are encouraged to wear purple to the games and there will be a t-shirt toss both before and at halftime of both games!
• For ticket information for this weekend and every Pilot home game, please visit PortlandPilots.com/Tickets or call or text 503-943-GoUP.
NEXT WEEK
• The Pilots remain at home next weekend to host two more games at Merlo Field.
• They'll play host to the #16 Oregon State Beavers on Friday, Sept. 3 and the UC San Diego Tritons on Monday, Sept. 6.
ABOUT THE PILOTS...
• 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 athletes who earned All-WCC recognition last season: Arteaga, Fernandez, Luke 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 Paul Odendahl and goalkeeper Jacopo Viola both earned All-WCC Honorable Mention recognition after helping the Pilots earn four shutouts in just 10 games.
• Viola was also named the WCC Defensive Player of the Week 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.
• One notable newcomer to the Pilots includes goalkeeper George Tasouris, who was a multi-time All-WAC selection with the Grand Canyon Antelopes and was named the WAC Defensive Player of the Year this past season.
• 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 16 appearances in the NCAA Postseason all-time, which includes two appearances in the College Cup (1988 & 1995).
ABOUT AIR FORCE...
• The Air Force Falcons finished last season with a 6-5-2 record overall and a 4-4-1 record in the WAC
• Air Force were picked to finish fourth in the WAC and had one player named to the All-WAC preseason squad: London Aghedo.
• Doug Hill is in his 15th season as head coach of the Falcons and 28th overall as a head coach.
• Hill guided the Falcons to a Sweet 16 appearance in the NCAA Tournament back in 2018 after winning 17 games. It was the best season in Air Force men's soccer history.
ABOUT DENVER...
• The Denver Pioneers won the Summitt League regular season title last season after finishing the year 6-2. It marked their seventh regular season Summitt League title in just eight years.
• Denver earned a spot in the NCAA Tournament, but had to withdraw due to COVID-19 protocols.
• The Pioneers return all seven of their athletes who scored a goal last season while adding a top-10 recruiting class in the country.
• Jamie Franks enters his seventh season as head coach of the Pioneers, who will play #16 Oregon State on Friday before making the trip to Portland on Monday.
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.
• 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.
