PORTLAND PILOTS (2-2-0, 0-0-0 WCC)
Week 3: vs. UCLA and Sacramento State
UCLA Bruins (3-1-0, 0-0-0 Pac-12)
Day: Friday
Date: Sept. 10, 2021
Time: 7:00 PM
Place: Los Angeles, Calif.
Pitch: Wallis Annenberg Stadium
Video/Stats: PortlandPilots.com
POR vs. UCLA
Overall Series: 3-7-2
H: 2-0-1
• A: 0-4-1
• N: 0-3-0
Last: @POR 1 UCLA 0 (Nov. 15, 2018)
Sacramento State Hornets (1-3-0, 0-0-0)
Day: Monday
Date: Sept. 13, 2021
Time: 7:00 PM
Place: Portland, Ore.
Pitch: Merlo Field
Video/Stats: PortlandPilots.com
POR vs. SAC
Overall Series: 3-2-1
H: 2-0-1 •
A: 1-2-0•
N: 0-0-0
Last: @POR 1, SAC 1 (Aug. 24, 2018)
THIS WEEK
• The Portland Pilots will play their first road game of the year against the UCLA Bruins before returning home to Merlo Field for a matchup against the Sacramento State Hornets.
• 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.
TICKETS
• For ticket information for every Pilot home game, please visit PortlandPilots.com/Tickets or call or text 503-943-GoUP.
NEXT WEEK
• Portland will once again split home and away games, staying in the Pacific Northwest for their matchup against the Seattle Redhawks on Sept. 17 before travelling to California for their match against the Cal State Northridge Matadors.
• Both of those matches are set for 7 p.m. as well.
• Check PortlandPilots.com for live video and stats options.
ABOUT THE PILOTS
• Portland is 2-2-0 to start the 2021 season, most recently splitting matches against the Oregon State Beavers and the UC San Diego Tritons.
• The Pilots fell to the nationally ranked Beavers 2-0, but took down the Tritons 1-0 thanks to a first-half goal from Jacob Babalai, his first of the season.
• The goal was the fourth of Babalai's career, the other three coming in a hat trick against Multnomah last season.
• Midfielder Luke Hendel earned his second assist of the season on Babalai's goal, which puts him in a four-way tie for tops in the WCC.
• In the season opener, freshman winger Sebastian Nava and sophomore forward Buba Fofanah each scored goals against the Air Force Falcons.
• It was the first goal of Nava's career and the fifth of Fofanah's.
• Goalkeeper George Tasouris has also impressed in goal for the Pilots.
• He collected seven saves in the shutout victory over the Falcons and another five in the narrow loss to the Denver Pioneers.
• He is tied for first in the WCC in total saves (17) and shutouts (2), second in saves per game (4.25) and third in goals-against average (.750) and save percentage (.850).
• Tasouris was named to the MAC Hermann Trophy Watch List for this season, an award given annually to the top player in college soccer.
• The grad transfer from Cyprus previously dominated in goal for the Grand Canyon Antelopes, earning All-WAC honors all three years and being named the WAC Defensive Player of the Year for the 2020-21 season.
• 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, Hendel, 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.
• 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 THE BRUINS
• The UCLA Bruins are 3-1-0 to start this season.
• They played one opponent from the WCC in the San Francisco Dons, defeating them 2-1 in overtime.
• They are tops in the Pac-12 at the moment in total assists with 10.
• The Bruins returned 20 of a possible 25 players from last year's squad, including 10 of 11 starters.
• Three of those returnees earned All-Pac-12 honors last season: midfielder Riley Ferch and defenders Ahmed Longmire and Tommy Silva.
• Ryan Jorden is in his third year as head coach of the Bruins.
ABOUT THE HORNETS
• The Sacramento State Hornets are 1-3 to start this season.
• They have already played three different WCC opponents in the San Francisco Dons, the Santa Clara Broncos and the Gonzaga Bulldogs.
• They dropped all of those matches, with their only coming over the San Jose State Spartans on Sept. 2.
• Their season opener against San Francisco was the first match for the Hornets since Nov. 2 2019 with the Big West's cancellation of last season due to the coronavirus pandemic.
• Midfielder Oscar Govea was the only Hornet to be named to the All-Big West Preseason Team after tallying 12 points (four goals, four assists) .
• Michael Linenberger is in his 33rd season as head coach of Sacramento State.
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.
