PORTLAND, Ore. -- For the third time in four fall seasons, the Portland Pilots men's soccer will host a first-round match in the NCAA Tournament, welcoming the UC Riverside Highlanders to The Bluff. The two teams will play on Thursday, Nov. 17 at 7 p.m.
"We're really excited," Portland head coach Nick Carlin-Voigt said. "We earned a home game, and to play the Big West champs, you get to this stage and everyone's good and we're excited. We're going to need Pilot nation to come out strong on Thursday and really continue to make Merlo Field a fortress. We're coming off a great, historic regular season where we hit many new benchmarks as one of the best attacking teams in the country, and now the third season starts."
The Pilots finished the regular season with a 12-2-3 record overall and a 6-1 record in WCC play, good for second in their conference. That was their highest finish since they won the WCC back in 2016. Their win total was also their highest since the 2018 season and their win percentage is their highest since 1995.
Statistically, the Pilots have one of the strongest resumes in the NCAA. They lead the conference in nearly every single prominent statistic, and nationally they are third in scoring offense (2.71) and points per game (8.24), fifth in goal differential (29), seventh in points (140) and goals (46) and 10th in total assists. The 46 goals are the most by a Pilot team since 1999.
UC Riverside comes to Portland after winning both the Big West regular season championship and the conference tournament. They went 8-7-4 overall with a 5-2-2 record in Big West play. In terms of common opponents, the Highlanders tied Cal Poly 2-2, defeated CSU Bakersfield 2-0, tied Loyola Marymount 1-1 and lost to San Diego 3-1. The Pilots went 3-1 against all those teams. Portland and UC Riverside have only played once, with the Pilots winning 2-1 in 2019.
"I know they're on a great run of games," Carlin-Vogit said about Portland's opponent. "They're on a great run of games. they won the regular season (in the Big West)... they're a hard-working team... I have a lot of respect for Riverside and the program that they've built."
Tickets are on sale now for Portland's first round matchup here at Merlo Field. Click on the link below or on the side column to buy yours today.
BUY TICKETS HERE
GET YOUR TICKETS NOW!
Secure your spot now for any upcoming Portland Pilots ticketed home event by visiting
PortlandPilots.com/Tickets. For group and fan experience package information, email
pilotsboxoffice@up.edu.
DONATE TODAY
Fans interested in making a contribution to the Pilot Athletic Fund can do so by
clicking here. Your gift directly helps our nearly 300 student-athletes as they strive to make a difference in our community and achieve academic and athletic excellence. Thank you for support of Pilot Athletics!
FOLLOW ALONG WITH THE ACTION
Get the latest news and information about your favorite University of Portland athletic programs by visiting
PortlandPilots.com. You can also follow along for the most dynamic coverage and team-centric content by following us on
Twitter, liking us on
Facebook, and following us on
Instagram.
