TPORTLAND PILOTS (0-0-1, 0-0-0 WCC)
Week 2: vs. Indiana Hoosiers
#13/10 Indiana Hoosiers (0-1-0, 0-0-0 BIG 10)
Day: Tuesday
Date: Aug. 30, 2022
Time: 5:00 PM
Place: Bloomington, Ind.
Pitch: Grand Park Sports Complex
Video: BIG+
Stats: PortlandPilots.com
POR vs. IU
Overall Series: 2-2-0
H: 1-0-0
• A: 1-1-0
• N: 0-1-0
Last: POR 1, IU 0 (2001)
THIS WEEK
• The Portland Pilots are hitting the road for their match against the No. 13/10 Indiana Hoosiers.
• The match is set for Tuesday, Aug. 30 at 5 p.m. PT in Bloomington, Ind.
• Links for a live stream and live stats can be found at PortlandPilots.com.
NEXT UP
• The Pilots have a pair of home games following Tuesday's match, hosting the Cal Poly Mustangs and the Seton Hall Pirates.
• They'll play the Mustangs on Friday, Sept. 2 at 7 p.m. and the Pirates on Monday, Sept. 5 at 5:30 p.m.
• Check PortlandPilots.com for live video and stat options.
ABOUT THE PILOTS
• The regular season has begun for the Portland Pilots, with the team opening the year with a 2-2 tie against the Central Arkansas Bears.
• It was the first year since 2019 the Pilots had earned a tie in their season opener. They haven't taken a loss in a season opener since 2017.
• Nick Denley and Nick Fernandez were the two goalscorers for the Pilots, their first goals of the season.
• Denley's goal came off a free kick in the 72nd minute, the first of his career. Denley transferred to Portland back in the 2020-21 season, but hasn't played until this year.
• Fernandez's goal was the second of his career and his first back from injury. Fernandez was an All-WCC Second Team and freshmen team selection back in the 2020-21 season.
• The Pilots were picked as the preseason favorite to win the West Coast Conference regular season title, finishing first in the annual WCC Preseason Coaches Poll.
• It's the first time since 2003 that the Pilots have been picked to win the WCC.
• Two Pilots were named to the WCC Preseason Team: Jake Arteaga and George Tasouris.
• Arteaga was Portland's lone All-WCC First Team selection last season, starting 17 games in the midfield and serving as the connective tissue for the Pilots. He was also an All-West Region Third Team selection.
• Tasouris was also an All-West Region Third Team selection along with an All-WCC Second Team pick.
• The goalkeeper from Cyprus was a dominant force between the sticks, leading the WCC in saves (70), second in save percentage (.778) and shutouts (6) and also third in saves per game (3.68).
• Tasouris was twice named WCC Defensive Player of the Week, becoming the first Pilot since Benji Michel to win the award multiple times in a season. Tasouris was also on the Hermann Trophy Preseason Watch List and a Senior CLASS Award nominee
• The Pilots played three exhibition matches and won all three contests, beating the Southern Oregon Raiders 3-1, the No. 5 Oregon State Beavers 4-0 and the No. 3 Washington Huskies 2-0.
• As a team last year, the Pilots went 11-7-1 and finished tied for third in the WCC.
• They made the NCAA Tournament for the third time in six seasons (five fall seasons) under head coach Nick Carlin-Voigt. They advanced to the second round after defeating the Seattle U Redhawks 3-2 at home for the third time since 2002.
• Portland beat four teams in the top 40 of RPI last season: UCLA, Seattle U, Northern Illinois and Loyola Marymount. That was the third most by any team in a major western conference (Pac-12, WCC, Big West, Mountain West, WAC).
• The Pilots had seven players earn All-WCC honors last season: Arteaga, Tasouris, Delentz Pierre, Brian O'Hara, Sebastian Nava, Atem Kato and Luke Hendel. Of those players, Arteaga, Tasouris, Pierre and Nava are all returning.
• Pierre earned second team honors despite playing just 14 games (12 starts), anchoring a strong back line in all those contests. He was named to the TopDrawerSoccer Team of the Week on Oct. 26.
• As a freshman, Nava was the second-leading scorer on the Pilots with four goals. He made the All-WCC Freshmen Team as well as earning honorable mention.
• The Pilots return six players who started in at least 10 games last season.
• One key contributor will be Kevin Bonilla, who made several honorary teams including the All-West Region Third Team, the TopDrawerSoccer Freshmen Best XI First Team and the College Soccer News All-Freshmen Third Team.
• Bonilla also made the TopDrawerSoccer National Team of the Week on Sept. 14 after playing a solid 90 minutes and scoring the game-winner.
• Bonilla scored the game-winnner for the Pilots in the 33rd minute, the first goal of his career.
• The goal gave Portland their first ever regular-season win and first ever road win against UCLA.
• Bonilla was the team leader in assists as an outside back with five.
• The Pilots also return key attacking contributors in Brandon Cambridge and Jacob Babalai.
• Cambridge was a key creator on the wing, notching four assists with one goal scored. He was an All-WCC Freshmen Team selection in the 2020-21 season.
• Babalai was tied for third on the team in goals
• Portland also returns Nick Fernandez, a key contributor from the 2020-21 season. That year, he made both the All-WCC Freshman Team and the All-WCC Second Team.
• The Pilots also several talented transfers in Jose Olmos, CJ Tibbling and Marios Andreou.
• Olmos played the past three seasons at Old Dominion as a defender. He was named to the Conference USA All-Freshman Team in 2019.
• Tibbling was a physical forward for the Seton Hall Pirates, earning All-BIG EAST honors three of his four seasons with the team. He was also a United Soccer Coaches Second Team All-American and an All-East Region First Team selection in 2020-21 season.
• Andreou played four seasons at Grand Canyon, earning All-WAC honors twice for the 'Lopes.
• Portland boasts the No. 19 recruiting class in the nation per TopDrawerSoccer.
• This marks the sixth straight year Carlin-Voigt has brought in a top-20 recruiting class.
• Carlin-Voigt is in his seventh 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 Cole.
• Cole joins the staff after a stint as assistant coach with the Cornell Big Red. Cole was previously a stout defender for the Vermont Catamounts and also overseas in Germany.
• 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 15 appearances in the NCAA Postseason all-time, which includes two appearances in the College Cup (1988 & 1995).
ABOUT THE HOOSIERS
• The Indiana Hoosiers are one of the best teams in the nation, ranking 13th in the preseason United Soccer Coaches Poll and 10th in the most recent TopDrawerSoccer Top 25 poll.
• They started the season with a loss to Clemson 3-2. Clemson is the preseason No. 1 team in the nation.
• Last year, they went 15-6-1 and advanced to the third round of the NCAA Tournament before falling to the Washington Huskies. The Pilots also fell to the Huskies in the tournament and would've played Indiana had they won.
• Redshirt defender Daniel Munie was named to the TopDrawerSoccer first-team Preseason Best XI as well as the Hermann Trophy Watchlist
• In 1988, the Hoosiers defeated the PIlots in the NCAA Tournament semifinal 1-0. They went on to win the national championship.
• Todd Yeagley is in his 13th season as head coach of the Hoosiers.
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.
• Jacobo Reyes also currently plays for Liga MX side Raya2 Expansion. He is currently on loan from Monterrey, another Liga MX squad.
