PORTLAND PILOTS (4-4-0, 0-0-0 WCC)
WEEK 7: at #6 Pepperdine

#6 Pepperdine Waves (9-1-0, 0-0-0 WCC)
Day: Saturday
Date: Oct. 2, 2021
Time: 1:00 PM
Place: Malibu, Calif.
Pitch: Tari Frahm Rokus Field
Video: PortlandPilots.com
Stats: PortlandPilots.com

POR vs. PEPP
Overall Series: 16-8-3
H: 9-3-2   •  A: 7-5-1  •  N: 0-0-0
Last: @POR 0, PEPP 0 (March 19, 2021)

THIS WEEK 
• This weekend marks the beginning of WCC play for the Portland Pilots, who will travel to Malibu, Calif. for their match against the No. 6 Pepperdine Waves on Saturday, Oct. 2.
• Kickoff for Saturday's match is set for 1 p.m.
• Links for a video stream and live stats can be found at PortlandPilots.com.

NEXT WEEK
• The Pilots will have two matches next week, one against the No. 16 Gonzaga Bulldogs on Wednesday, Oct. 6, and another against the San Francisco Dons on Saturday, Oct. 9. 
• Both matches will be at home and will kickoff at 7 p.m.
• Check PortlandPilots.com for live video and stat options and get tickets at PortlandPilots.com/Tickets.

ABOUT THE PILOTS 
• Portland is an even 4-4-0 on the season, most recently falling 1-0 to the Oregon Ducks and routing the North Dakota Fighting Hawks 3-0.
• The loss against Oregon came on a goal in the 83rd minute after the Pilots played stout defense for most of the match.
• The Pilots bounced back with their match against North Dakota where three different Pilots scored -- 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.
• Ries finished last season with a team-leading five goals,  good for sixth in the conference. She notched a hat trick in the season opener against Oregon State (Feb. 10) and a brace against the Pacific Tigers (March 6).
• Ries was also 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.
• 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.
• Nedya 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 fifth most of any player in the WCC.
• Freshman goalkeeper Bre Norris has put together a solid start to her first year on The Bluff.
• Norris has started every match for the Pilots in goal and has helped the Pilots earn four shutouts, which is tied for third in the WCC.
• The Boise, Idaho native is also in a tie for second in the WCC in total saves (26) and seventh in goals against average (0.88) and save percentage (.788). 
• 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.
• 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 WAVES
• The Pepperdine Waves have only suffered one loss this year with a 9-1-0 record.
• The Waves have been ranked in the top 10 for three straight weeks and have consistently been among the top 25 teams all season long.
• Pepperdine has had a player earn WCC Player of the Week awards four times this season, with Joelle Anderson (2x) and Tori Waldeck each winning WCC Offensive Player of the Week and Zoe Clevely winning WCC Defensive Player of the Week.
• Anderson is the only player to have won the award twice this season. She ranks first in the conference in game-winners (3) and third in the conference in total goals (6) and points (14).
• Waldeck, meanwhile, is first in the conference in assists (5) and shot accuracy (.619).
• Clevely is second in the WCC in shutouts (5) and fifth in save percentage (.844).
• Tim Ward is in his 24th season as head coach of the Waves.

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.