PORTLAND, Ore. – After an impressive effort in the second half, the Portland Pilots took down the Seattle U Redhawks 3-2 in the second annual Caffé D'Arte Coffee Cup. The win puts the Pilots at 5-2 on the season and is the 50th win of Portland head coach Nick Carlin-Voigt's career.

"Really pleased with the response from the group tonight," Carlin-Voigt said. "We were second-best for the first 30 minutes but the character of the group stood out tonight in a real way. We talk about having to overcome adversity on and off the field in our program, and you saw guys grow in confidence and belief tonight."

Christoforos Kourtis, Sebastian Nava and Wesley Frankel each scored for the Pilots in this one. Kourtis and Frankel recorded the first goals of their careers while Nava recorded his second. Nava becomes the first Pilot to have more than one goal on the season. Noe Meza and Levonte Johnson scored the goals for the Redhawks.

The two teams' contrasting styles showed early. Portland looked to try and build through the backline while Seattle U looked to press and counterattack. The Redhawks looked hot early, spending plenty of time in the Pilots' final third. Fortunately for Portland, the backline was able to hold strong early, bending but not breaking.

But after nearly 30 minutes of no score, the Pilots finally broke. The Redhawks played the ball up the right side of the field and searched for the cross. The low cross landed at the feet of Noe Meza, who slowly but surely collected himself before sending a shot at the goal. The ball was deflected and went the opposite direction that George Tasouris went, leading to a Seattle goal. The Redhawks took a 1-0 lead in the 29^th minute.

Seattle took advantage of the Pilots yet again in the 33^rd minute. Brian O'Hara tried to send a long ball for the Pilots but had his pass deflected. Levonte Johnson found himself with the ball and made a full sprint towards the goal. Johnson put a beauty of a shot right past Tasouris to make it 2-0 Seattle.

The Pilots ensured that they would not come up empty-handed in the first half. Brandon Cambridge drew a foul in the 41^st minute inside the box, giving Portland a penalty. Kourtis stepped up to take the shot for Portland, sending a beautiful curling shot into the goal to cut Seattle's lead to one heading into the half.

Portland came out strong in the second half, and it paid off almost immediately. After a strong, sustained attack, Ben Ortiz drew a foul for the Pilots in the box, setting up yet another penalty kick. Nava took it for the Pilots and sent it right past Akili Kasim to tie things up at two.

The Pilots finally took the lead back from the Redhawks in the 59^th minute. Tasouris set up for a goal kick and launched it well past midfield. Cambridge rose up at just the right moment and sent a headed ball forward for Frankel. The freshman took control and flicked a shot with his right foot past Kasim to give Portland a 3-2 lead.

Portland's attack looked the strongest it had all season for the rest of the second half. Frankel was critical in the midfield with his ball control and passing. Along with that, the Pilots were strong defensively, fending off Seattle with a strong showing from their backline. The end result was the Pilots raising the Coffee Cup in glory as they defeated the Redhawks 3-2.

"In a lot of ways it's what one expects when two teams meet from Portland and Seattle," Carlin-Voigt said. "When you are down 2-0 it's fight or flight, and our guys clawed their way back and had a wonderful response and had some long stretches of control. Couldn't be more proud of this group as they continue to commit to each other and the Portland family."

Next up, the Pilots will head for Northridge, Calif. for their match against the CSUN Matadors. Kickoff is set for 7:30 p.m. Check PortlandPilots.com for live stats and video.