PORTLAND, Ore. – The Portland Pilots women's soccer coaching staff on Friday was named the West Region Staff of the Year for 2022. It's the first time this staff has earned the award.
 
By being named the West Region Staff of the Year, the Pilots' coaching staff will be put on the ballot for the National Staff of the Year vote. Voting for that opens today, with the winner set to be announced on Friday, Dec. 16.
 
Michelle French, head coach of the Pilots, has led the team since 2018. She holds a 45-37-16 record during her five years on The Bluff, with this past season being the most successful in the past nine seasons. French also played for the Pilots from 1995-98, making the All-WCC First Team twice in 1997 and 1998, the All-West Region First Team in 1998, the Soccer America All-Freshman Team in 1995 and the College Soccer Weekly All-American Team in 1998. She helped guide the Pilots to the playoffs each of those four seasons, making the College Cup three times in four years and making the NCAA All-Tournament Team in 1998.
 
Logan Emory and Maite Zabala are the assistant coaches for the Pilots. Emory has been with UP for seven years as a coach, including four with the women's team specifically. Emory also starred on the pitch as a center back for the Pilots, appearing in 81 matches for Portland from 2006-09 and leading Portland to the NCAA Quarterfinals in 2009. Zabala was a standout college goalkeeper with the California Golden Bears and spent 11 seasons with both the San Francisco Dons and the Boise State Broncos prior to joining the Pilots.
 
The final member of the staff is Brianna Miyama, who joined the staff this year as the director of soccer operations. Miyama played four years here on The Bluff from 2016-20, playing in 51 matches. She spent two years as well as a graduate assistant in the sports information department.
 
The Pilots are coming off their best season in nine years, making the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2013. They finished 12-5-4 for their best record since that same year. They advanced to the second round of the tournament with a dominant 3-0 win over Arizona State before falling in the second round to top-seeded Alabama in a match that went down to the wire.