#18 PORTLAND PILOTS (2-1-0, 0-0-0 WCC)
WEEK 3: vs. CSU Bakersfield Roadrunners & Utah Tech Trailblazers
 
CSU Bakersfield Roadrunners
(1-1-1, 0-0-0 Big West)
Day: Thursday
Date: Sept. 5, 2024
Time: 7 PM
Place: Portland, Ore.
Pitch: Merlo Field
Video: ESPN+
Stats: ESPN+/PortlandPilots.com
 
POR vs. CSUB
Overall Series: 2-1-0
H: 2-1-0  •  A: 0-0-0  •  N: 0-0-0
Last: @POR 2, CSUB 1 (2022)
 
Utah Tech Trailblazers
(1-2-0, 0-0-0 WAC)
Day: Sunday
Date: Sept. 8, 2024
Time: 7 PM
Place: Portland, Ore.
Pitch: Merlo Field
Video: ESPN+
Stats: PortlandPilots.com
 
POR vs. UTU
Overall Series: 1-0-0
H: 1-0-0  •  A: 0-0-0  •  N: 0-0-0
Last: @POR 6, UTU 0 (2022)
 
THIS WEEK
• The Portland Pilots take on the CSU Bakersfield Roadrunners and the Utah Tech Trailblazers this week, playing the Roadrunners on Thursday, Sept. 5 at 7 p.m. and the Trailblazers on Sunday, Sept. 8 at the same time.
• Check PortlandPilots.com for live video and stat options.
 
LAST TIME OUT
• The Pilots split their two games in their most recent stretch, falling 2-0 on the road to the UCLA Bruins before demolishing the Multnomah Lions 7-2 at Merlo Field.
• Their win against Multnomah saw them score the most goals in a game since the last time they played the Lions in the Covid-affect Spring 2021 season. Their 32 shots were also the most since that match.
• Six different Pilots scored against the Lions: Connor Evans, Joe Highfield, Buba Fofanah, Sebastian Hernandez, Nicky Dunbar and Sebastian Nava.
• Fofanah had two goals on the day, becoming the first Pilot this season to score multiple goals in a game. It was the first two goals of the year for Fofanah.
• It was the first goal of the year for Evans, Highfield and Hernandez as well, and the first goals of Evans and Highfield's Pilot careers.
• Kendi Bellini, Wylie Trujillo and Ethan Zamora also earned their first points as Pilots, with all three of them earning assists.
• The Pilots had 12 assists on the day, also the most since their match against Multnomah in 2021.
 
STANDOUT STATISTICS
• The Pilots are one of the top offensive teams in the country through two weeks.
• They are first nationally in assists per game (4.67), third nationally and first in the WCC in total assists (14), fifth nationally in points per game (10.67), seventh in shots on goal per game (9.00), 10th in goals per game (3.00), 11th in total points (32) and 19th in total goals (9).
• Nicky Dunbar and Sebastian Nava are tops on the team in points with two goals and two assists each. They are third in assists and fourth in goals respectively conference-wise.
• Dunbar, Nava and Buba Fofanah are all ranked fourth in the conference in goals. Dunbar and Fofanah are each second in the conference and 23rd nationally in game-winning goals.
• Kash Oladapo's four saves a game also ranks second in the conference.
 
LAST SEASON FOR THE PILOTS
• After a record-breaking regular season, the Pilots finished 12-5 on the year and 5-2 in WCC play, earning the 11th seed in the NCAA Tournament. It was the 19th time in program history they've made the tournament.
• By earning the 11-seed, the Pilots earned a bye to the second round of the NCAA Tournament. It was the first time they've earned a bye since 1988.
• This was the fifth time under head coach Nick Carlin-Voigt the Pilots have made the NCAA Tournament. They posted at least 12 wins in back-to-back seasons for the first time since the 2001-02 seasons.
• Portland led the WCC in 12 different statistical categories last year. Nationally, they were first in points per game (8.47), second in scoring offense (second in total assists (54) and assists per game (3.38), third in total points (144) and goals per game (2.81), fifth in total goals (45), 10th in shutout percentage (.500), 12th in win-loss percentage (.750) and 14th in team goals-against average (.750).
• The Pilots' 54 assists were a program record, and their 45 goals through 17 games are the most they've had as a program in that many games since 1995.
• The Pilots had 10 players earn All-WCC honors, with three winning individual awards.
• Nick Fernandez was named Midfielder of the Year, Kevin Bonilla earned Defender of the Year and Efetobo Aror won Freshman of the Year. Fernandez is the first Pilot to win his award, Bonilla is the first to win Defender of the Year since 2010 and Aror is the first to win his award since 2016.
• Fernandez and Bonilla made the All-WCC First Team along with Jacob Babalai, Sebastian Nava and Buba Fofanah each made the All-WCC Second Team, Sebastian Hernandez, Nick Denley and Kash Oladapo earned honorable mention, and Aror and Diego Rosas made the freshman team.
• Fernandez finished the year with two goals and seven assists, finishing fourth in the conference in the latter. He also was second in the WCC and 20th in the nation in assists per game.
• Bonilla was the first Pilot since 2017 to post 10 assists in a season and ranked seventh nationally in the category. He's also seventh nationally in assists per game.
• Babalai led the WCC in both points (28) and goals (12) and ranks 17th and 14th nationally in those respective categories. His goal total through 16 games are the most since Steven Evans in 2012.
• Fofanah had nine goals and six assists on the year, with his point and goal totals both ranking second in the WCC. He's also the only Pilot with at least five points and five assists on the year.
• Babalai and Fofanah are the first duo to post at least nine goals in a season since 2001.
• All honorable mention honorees were crucial to Portland's stellar defense. Hernandez played and started in all eight of Portland's shutouts while Denley played in seven of them.
• Denley had two assists on the year as well while Hernandez posted three goals and four assists.
• Oladapo was second in the WCC in shutouts this year with six and third in GAA at .911.
• Finally, Aror and Rosas played the most of any freshman on the team this year, with Aror posting three assists and Rosas tallying four. Aror is the only Pilot freshman to play all 16 matches.
 
PRESEASON HONORS
• The Pilots head into the 2024 season with numerous preseason honors.
• In the annual WCC Coaches Poll, the Pilots were picked to finish second in the conference, just behind their new conference mates in Oregon State.
• Nationally, they are ranked 22nd heading into Friday's match in the preseason United Soccer Coaches poll and 23rd in TopDrawerSoccer.com's Top 25.
• The Pilots had three players named to the All-WCC Preseason Team: Nick Fernandez, Buba Fofanah and Sebastian Nava. All three Pilots earned All-WCC honors last season.
• Fernandez has earned several honors beyond the conference nod. He was named one of  the United Soccer Coaches Midfielders to Watch and is also on the watch list for the MAC Hermann Trophy, the most prestigous individual award in college soccer.
 
THE PLAYERS
• The Pilots return 21 players from last year's roster and add 10 newcomers to the group.
• Among those 21 players, seven of them earned some form of All-WCC honors: Fernandez, Fofanah, Aror, Nava, Hernandez, Oladapo and Rosas.
• Fofanah and Nava are the top scoring returners from last year, having scored 24 and 18 points repsectively.
• Fofanah was also taken in the third round of the 2024 MLS SuperDraft by the Seattle Sounders, but opted to use his final year of eligibility instead of heading for the pros.
• Of the 21 returners, 12 of them played in at least 10 matches last season and seven of them started in at least eight matches.
• Among those key returners that have yet to be metnioned is Muslim Umar. In his sophomore season, Umar posted eight points with three goals and two assists in 17 games (eight starts).
• Jose Olmos also returns after play and starting in 15 matches. Playing primarily along the back line, Olmos scored one goal on the year -- a game-winner against a ranked Denver Pioneers squad.
• Oliver Jeppe returns to defensive midfield for Portland after playing in 13 games with four starts last year. Jeppe scored the first goal of his Pilot career against the Utah Valley Wolverines and also added an assist.
• Nicky Dunbar played in 10 matches last year as a freshman, earning a goal and an assist on the year. The goal came against the Gonzaga Bulldogs while the assist was tallied against the Saint Mary's Gaels.
• TopDrawerSoccer has Portland's incoming class as the third best recruiting class in the nation, giving head coach Nick Carlin-Voigt another Top 20 recruiting class for his time in Portland.
• Of the Pilots 10 newcomers, six of them are transfers: Connor Evans, Alex Waggoner, Kendi Bellini, Saad Chaouki, Ethan Zamora and Kilian Valant.
• Evans is a local product who went to Central Catholic HS before spending four years with the Stanford Cardinal. He was a three-time Pac-12 Academic Honor Roll honoree and last year played in 16 games with one start in the midfield, tallying an assist.
• Waggoner was the top scorer for the Michigan Wolverines as a freshman, scoring six goals on the year. He was named one of the top 100 freshman last season by TopDrawerSoccer and is a former New Mexico Gatorade Player of the Year.
• Bellini joins Portland from Utah Valley, a versatile defender who earned All-WAC Second Team honors last year. Prior to joining the Wolverines, he also spent a year with the North Carolina Tar Heels, earning ACC All-Freshman Team honors.
• Chaouki played in 19 matches with 18 starts for Rider University last year, scoring two goals and adding six assists. He earned several Freshman All-American honors, including TopDrawerSoccer Freshman Best XI Second Team and College Soccer News All-Freshman Second Team.
• Zamora was the only true freshman to play for San Diego State last year, logging 724 minutes for the Aztecs and scoring one goal. Zamora also played with an MLS Next Pro side in the Real Monarchs.
• Valant played and started in 12 matches between the sticks for the Coastal Carolina Chanticleers. He posted 56 saves.
• The four freshmen for the Pilots this season are Tristan Flores, Jordan Barclay, Joaquin Eisenberg and Parker Jackson.
• All four freshman have experience with MLS academies or USL. Flores comes to Portland from the San Diego Loyal, Barclay from Toronto FC, Eisenberg from the San Jose Earthquakes and Jackson from the Houston Dynamo.
 
THE STAFF
• Carlin-Voigt is in his ninth 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.
• The Pilots are in their second year with their full technical staff, with Matthew Deemer, Ben Simon and Alex Hockborn all as assistant coaches and Christian Segovia as Director of Operations.
 
THE HISTORY
• 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 18 appearances in the NCAA Postseason all-time, which includes two appearances in the College Cup (1988 & 1995).
 
ABOUT THE OPPONENTS
• The Pilots played both CSU Bakersfield and Utah Tech in 2022, winning both contests.
• Last year, the Roadrunners went 7-5-5 while the Trailblazers were an even 9-9-0. The Roadrunners are 1-1-1 to start this season while the Trailblazers are 1-2-0 this season.
• CSU Bakersfield was ranked ninth in the Big West Preseason Poll while Utah Tech was picked eighth in the WAC.
• Adam Grant is in his second season as head coach of the Roadrunners while Johnny Broadhead is in his eighth as head coach of the Trailblazers.
 
PILOTS IN THE PROS
• Portland has a long tradition of sending players to the pros, with several athletes playing at the next level.
• This past year, the Pilots had three players taken in the MLS SuperDraft, a first in program history.
• Kevin Bonilla was taken in the first round of the draft by Real Salt Lake, becoming the first Pilot taken in the first round since 2011.
• Jacob Babalai was taken in the second round of the SuperDraft by Charlotte FC while Fofanah was taken in the third round.
• 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. He currently plays for Real Salt Lake.
• The Pilots had three players from last the 2022 squad sign professional contracts this past year.
• Brandon Cambridge signed with MLS side Charlotte FC, Gurman Sangha signed an MLSNext Pro contract with Charlotte and Delentz Pierre signed a homegrown contract with Real Salt Lake.
• 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.

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