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The Pilots celebrate their third-round win over Grand Canyon.

Men's Soccer

8-Seed Pilots Welcome 16-Seed Furman for First Ever Home Quarterfinals Contest

PORTLAND, Ore. – In their final game at Merlo Field in 2025, the 8-seed Portland Pilots take on the 16-seed Furman Paladins for their quarterfinals matchup in the 2025 NCAA Men's Soccer Championships. The two teams play on Friday, Dec. 5 at 7 p.m.
 
Tickets for Friday's game will be available at PortlandPilots.com/NCAASoccer. Check PortlandPilots.com for tickets, live stats and video options as well.
 
MATCH INFORMATION
Opponent: No. 16 Furman Paladins
Day: Friday
Date: Dec. 5, 2025
Time: 7 PM
Place: Portland, Ore.
Pitch: Merlo Field
Video: ESPN+
Stats: PortlandPilots.com
 
POR vs. FU
Overall Series: 0-1-0
H: 0-0-0 • A: 0-0-0 • N: 0-1-0
Last: POR 0, FU 2 (2007)
 
DANCING ONCE AGAIN
  • Portland Pilots Men's Soccer is back in the NCAA Tournament, qualifying for the fourth time in five seasons and the sixth time under head coach Nick Carlin-Voigt.
  • Portland earned the 8-seed in the tournament, giving them the coveted first-round bye for the tournament. They advanced past the Denver Pioneers in their second-round matchup after tying them in regulation and winning in penalty kicks.
  • This was Portland's first ever win in penalty kicks in the playoffs and their first playoff game to go to penalties since 2016.
  • The Pilots followed that with a 1-0 win over the Grand Canyon Lopes in the Round of 16. It was the second time the Pilots have earned a win in the Round of 16 under Carlin-Voigt.
  • Joe Highfield scored the game-winning goal, subbing on in the 80th minute and scoring just 36 seconds into his time on the pitch. The goal was his 11th of the season and second in the playoffs.
  • Diego Rosas assisted on the goal, getting his 15th assist on the year. That assist set a program record for assists in a season and are the most by any WCC player since 1994.
  • Portland now hosts a quarterfinals matchup for the first time in program history, welcoming the Furman Paladins to The Bluff.
  • This is the 20th time in program history the Pilots have made it to the NCAA Tournament, the third time they've earned a first-round bye and the second time in the last three seasons they have done so.
  • The Pilots have played to at least the second round in five of their last six tournament appearances and have won at least one tournament game under Carlin-Voigt four separate times.
AWARDS SEASON
  • Numerous Pilots earned All-WCC and WCC All-Academic honors this past week, including a major award win for Diego Rosas.
  • Rosas was named the WCC Midfielder of the Year while also making the All-WCC First Team. He's the second Pilot in the last three seasons as well as ever to win the award.
  • Rosas, David Ajagbe, Sebastian Hernandez and Joe Highfield all earned first team honors, giving Portland their highest total of first team honorees since 1995.
  • Efetobo Aror and Miguel-Angel Hernandez earned All-WCC Second Team honors, Nikos Clarke-Tosczak and Wylie Trujillo earned honorable mention and Christian Mendoza made the freshman team.
  • Rosas has 15 assists on the season, which is tied for the most in the nation. His 15 assists also broke a program record set in 1991 by Joe Leonetti and are the most by a WCC player since 1994. His eight assists in conference play were also the most by a WCC player since 2005.
  • Ajagbe led the Pilots in scoring in the regular season with 10 goals and four assists on the year for 24 points. He is second in the conference in goals and third in points, ranking 28th and 37th nationally in those categories.
  • His five game-winning goals are tied for the most in the WCC and are also tied for sixth nationally. It's the highest total of game-winning goals for a Pilot since Brandon Cambridge in 2022.
  • Ajagbe is the first Pilot to score at least 10 goals in his debut season since Benji Michel did so in 2016.
  • Highfield currently leads the Pilots in scoring with 11 goals and five assists after making the first team for the second straight year. Highfield is second in both goals and points (27) in the conference, ranking 19th and 18th nationally in those respective categories. four of those goals were game winners, ranking third in the WCC and 15th nationally.
  • With 18 goals through his first two seasons, Highfield's got the most goals through two seasons also since Michel.
  • Sebastian Hernandez, the captain for the Pilots, has helped transform the back line into a steel curtain. He's started 18 of a possible 19 games and has guided Portland to their best defensive season since 1988.
  • Portland's allowed just 11 goals this year, tied for the third fewest in the nation. Their goals-against average of .604 ranks sixth in the nation and first in the WCC. Hernandez has two goals and two assists on the year as well.
  • Aror leads off the second team selections for Portland. Aror has played in 18 matches with 17 starts for Portland, notching a goal and assist while controlling the game in the midfield.
  • Miguel-Angel Hernandez is a fortress in goal, posting nine shutouts with a .604 goals-against average and a .792 save percentage. His save percentage ranks first in the WCC and 23rd nationally and his goals-against average ranks second in the conference and eighth nationally.
  • Clarke-Tosczak played the most minutes of any Pilot this year at 1,553, notching four assists playing at left back. His four assists are tied for fourth on the Pilots this season.
  • Trujillo has played all 19 matches for Portland with 17 starts. Trujillo has notched two assists on the year while being crucial in moving the ball forward offensively. This is the first time Trujillo has earned any All-WCC recognition.
  • Mendoza rounds out the All-WCC honorees. Mendoza has played in 11 contests for the Pilots with 4 starts, notching a goal and two assists in that span. His lone goal came in a victory over Lewis & Clark, and his second assist proved to be on the game-winning goal for the Pilots against Denver.
  • The Pilots have had at least one player make the All-WCC Freshman Team each of the last 10 seasons now.
  • Highfield and Aror each made the WCC All-Academic First Team as well.
 
PEEK INTO THE PORT
  • The Portland Pilots are 14-1-4 on the year and finished 6-1-2 in WCC play. Their 13 wins in the regular season were the most since 1995 and they currently hold their best by win percentage (.842) since 1988.
  • Their 12 home wins are the most in program history as well.
  • The Pilots are one of the top teams in the nation statistically, ranking first in win percentage (.842), third in assists (56) and assists per game (2.95), fourth in points per game (7.42), fifth in goal differential (32), sixth in goals-against average (.604) and points (142), ninth in goals per game (2.26) and 12th in both shutout percentage (.526) and total goals (43).
  • Portland's 56 assists breaks the program record set in 2023
  • The Pilots have allowed just 11 goals this year, the fewest by any Pilot team since 1988. It's the third fewest in total nationally.
  • The Pilots posted a 23-game unbeaten streak that stretched between last year and this year, the longest in program history and the second longest in the nation.
  • Earlier this year, the Pilots were ranked No. 1 in the United Soccer Coaches Poll, their first No. 1 ranking ever in the poll and their first in any poll since 1992. They have been ranked in the top 10 for 10 straight weeks.
  • Highfield and Ajagbe both made the Mac Hermann Midseason Watch List, marking the first time two Pilots have made any Mac Hermann list since 2018 (Benji Michel, Rey Ortiz).
  • Both players were also named to TopDrawerSoccers Midseason Top 100 Players list, with Ajagbe ranking seventh and Highfield 75th.
  • This year, they were picked to finish third in the 2025 West Coast Conference Preseason Poll, with forward Joe Highfield and midfielder Efetobo Aror each making the preseason team.
  • Highfield was the first Pilot to make the All-WCC First Team and the All-WCC Freshman Team in the same season since Benji Michel in 2016, scoring seven goals and adding three assists. His four goals and three assists against WCC opponents were the second most in the conference.
  • Aror was drafted in the first round of the 2025 MLS SuperDraft this past year by the Colorado Rapids but chose to return. The WCC Freshman of the Year in 2023, he played in 10 matches with six starts, recording a goal and assist.
  • Aror, along with Pilot newcomer David Ajagbe, was also named to the TopDrawerSoccer Top 100 players in the preseason, slotting in at 52nd. Ajagbe ranks 99th on the list.
  • Ajagbe scored seven goals and added two assists with the Ohio State Buckeyes last season, who earned the top overall seed in the NCAA Tournament last year. Ajagbe made the All-Big Ten Freshman team and the TopDrawerSoccer Freshman Best XI Second Team.
  • Last season, the Pilots were a dynamic offensive team, ranking second in the WCC in goals per game (1.78), total assists (44), total points (108), points per game (6.00) and assists per game (2.44). Their 2.44 assists per game ranked ninth nationally while their assist total ranked 14th.
  • The Pilots also were in the top 50 nationally in points per game, (21st), total points (27th), goals per game (44th) and total goals (32, 46th).
  • The Pilots return 16 players from last year's roster while welcoming 16 newcomers. The incoming class ranks fifth nationally on TopDrawerSoccer.
  • Of the 16 returners, Portland returns three players who earned All-WCC honors: Highfield, Miguel-Angel Hernandez (Second Team) and Diego Rosas (Honorable Mention).
  • Hernandez played in seven matches last year, posting shutouts in three of those matches. 
  • Rosas led the Pilots in assists in his second season with the Pilots, posting eight assists. He was the third Pilot since 2017 to post at least three assists in a game, doing so against the LMU Lions.
  • Nick Carlin-Voigt enters his 10th year as head coach of the Pilots. He has posted a 104-47-25 record during his tenure, having led Portland to the NCAA Tournament five times during that span.
  • Carlin-Voigt was at the helm when the Pilots advanced to the Elite Eight in 2022, their first appearance that deep in the tournament since 1995.
  • Carlin-Voigt reached 100 career wins on Oct. 18 against the Pacific Tigers, becoming the third Pilot coach to reach the benchmark.
ABOUT THE PALADINS
  • The 16-seed Furman Paladins are 15-1-5 on the season and went 4-0-1 in the SoCon, winning both the regular season and conference tournament championship.
  • After earning a first-round bye, the Paladins have defeated the Western Michigan Broncos and the Hofstra Pride to advance to the quarterfinals of the NCAA Tournament.
  • Last year, they went 9-4-6 overall and 2-1-2 in the SoCon. They won the SoCon conference tournament last season as well and advanced to the second round of the NCAA Tournament.
  • Diego Hernandez is their top scorer on the year, with 10 goals and nine assists for 29 points.
  • Doug Allison is in his 31st season as head coach of the Paladins. He's gone 364-174-77 over that span, tied for the 10th most wins of any active head coach.
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