PORTLAND, Ore. -- The 8-seed Portland Pilots saw their magical season end on Friday with a 1-0 loss to the 16-seed Furman Paladins in the quarterfinals of the 2025 NCAA Men's Soccer Championships. The loss puts the Pilots at 14-2-4 to end the year.

With the loss, the Pilots end what has still been one of the best seasons in program history. They finish with 14 wins — the third 14-win season since 1995 — at least two wins in the tournament for the second time under head coach Nick Carlin-Voigt, the best win percentage (.800) since 1988 and their third quarterfinals appearance since 1995. With 4,252 people in attendance, it was the highest attended game for Portland since 2018.

How it Happened

The two teams played an even match most of the way through, with the tie breaking in the 75th minute. Braden Dunham pushed it past midfield and launched it from 40 yards out. It popped into the top right corner for the late lead, a lead that held the rest of the way for the Paladins.

Game Notes

• Portland finishes the season with their best winning percentage (.800) since 1988. 
• This just the third time since 1995 they've posted 14 wins in a season and the second time under head coach Nick Carlin-Voigt.
• Portland finishes the postseason with two wins in the tournament. It's the second time under Carlin-Voigt they've done so.
• This was the fourth quarterfinals appearance for the Pilots and the second under Carlin-Voigt.
• This was the first time the Pilots have ever hosted the quarterfinals.
• With 4,252 people in attendance, it was the highest attended game for Portland since 2018.

Portland Head Coach Nick Carlin-Voigt on Tonight's Result:

"This is a heartbreaking result as we dominated chance creation for long stretches of the game. The game sometimes can be very cruel and tonight is an example of how brutal it can be. We didn't finish our chances and it came back to haunt us on a crazy scramble play where we make a great save that leads to a three-on-two break to goal where we are a clean pass away from a breakaway that gets broken up. Then their center back catches us 45 yards out on a miracle moment. You have to give him credit for doing the most difficult thing. It was one of those nights where we felt we did enough to advance but then didn't do the most important thing. Goals change games and at this stage the margins are small. The finality of this match is difficult, but this team is very special. They brought Merlo Magic back to The Bluff and I couldn't be more proud of our team and university community who fueled us all season.  As the wound heals, we will celebrate this season and how this group made program history."

Carlin-Voigt on the Home Environment:

"Hosting an NCAA Elite Eight match is one of the crown jewels of the college soccer. You saw why Portland is called Soccer City USA and tonight Merlo was electric. If anyone wonders about the health of men's college soccer, I hope they attend the game to witness the quality, passion and energy on full display from both sides tonight. We did so many amazing things this year. We played with great tempo and attacking flair but displayed real grit and toughness against the ball. We built unbelievable support this year and full credit to the players who earned the best environment in college soccer tonight. I think Clive Charles used to remind his teams you need to earn your fans every game and tonight our guys should be proud of the fact they fully earned the right to play in that type of professional environment. To go undefeated at home in the regular season with the most wins in the country and have the highest winning percentage in the country to earning the 8-seed to hosting our first home Elite Eight game are all new program milestones we can be so proud of this year. Merlo magic was on full display tonight. We had tailgates and families in the parking lot hours before the game. It was box office. It was a culmination of 10 years of hard work, and this team did so much work in the community that It was so special to see the grassroots excitement build and grow around this special season."

Carlin-Voigt on the Seniors Playing Their Final Game at Merlo:

"I love those guys. Whether they were with me for five months or five years, they have left an indelible legacy. We challenge every group to leave the program better than they found it both in the trust and in the DNA of the program. This group leaves knowing they accomplished two Elite Eight appearances, which I was told places us among only four programs in the country to do so. More proof they are true Pilots who represent everything that is great about our program. Their greatest legacy is that they brought Portland soccer back to the national stage earning our first-ever No. 1 ranking in the country and establishing us as legitimate contenders. They brought countless smiles to our fans and are fantastic role models for the younger generation of players who came out to support them." 

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