PORTLAND, Ore. – The 2025 campaign for the Portland Pilots begins at Merlo Field. They'll host the Central Arkansas Bears and the Lewis & Clark Pioneers in their opening matches of the fall season.
 
The Pilots and Bears will face off on Friday, Aug. 22 at 7 p.m. The Pilots and Pioneers play at the same time on Monday, Aug. 25. Both games will be streamed on ESPN+, with live stats and tickets available at PortlandPilots.com
 
MATCH INFORMATION
Opponent: Central Arkansas Bears (0-0-0, 0-0-0 ASUN)
Day: Friday
Date: Aug. 22, 2025
Time: 7 PM
Place: Portland, Ore.
Pitch: Merlo Field
Video: ESPN+
Stats: PortlandPilots.com

POR vs. UCA
Overall Series: 0-0-1
H: 0-0-1 •  A: 0-0-0 • N: 0-0-0
Last: POR 2, UCA 2 (2022)

Opponent: Lewis & Clark Pioneers (0-0-0, 0-0-0 NWC)
Day: Monday
Date: Aug. 25, 2025
Time: 7 PM
Place: Portland, Ore.
Pitch: Merlo Field
Video: ESPN+
Stats: PortlandPilots.com

POR vs. L&C
Overall Series: 5-1-2
H: 5-0-2 • A: 0-1-0 • N: 0-0-0
Last: @POR 7, L&C 0 (1982)
 
PEEK INTO THE PORT

• The Pilots are coming off a 7-4-7 season overall and an undefeated 4-0-4 conference season. Their 10-game unbeaten streak to end the season was the longest on the West Coast, and they beat four teams that finished the year in the top 35 in RPI.
• 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.
• 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 14^th.
• The Pilots also were in the top 50 nationally in points per game, (21^st), total points (27^th), goals per game (44^th) and total goals (32, 46^th).
• The Pilots return 18 players from last year's roster while welcoming 14 newcomers.
• Of the 18 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. 
• Nick Carlin-Voigt enters his 10^th year as head coach of the Pilots. He has posted a 90-46-21 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.

ABOUT THE BEARS

• The Bears went 8-7-3 last season overall and 3-3-1 in the ASUN. They advanced to the ASUN Championship Final before falling in penalty kicks.
• They had four players named the ASUN Preseason team: Forwards Pietro Fontana and Devonte Richards, defender Elijah Bishop and goalkeeper Javier Ramirez. Bishop was also named the All-ASUN Preseason Defensive Player of the Year.
• Bishop was a First Team All-ASUN Selection last season and Second Team All-Region defender, playing 90 minutes in almost every match last season.
• Richards earned the same honors as Bishop after tallying seven goals with five assists. He was the only player to finish in the top five in both goals and assists in the conference.
• Fontana earned first team honors in both the region and the conference, scoring a team-high eight goals with two assists.
• Kyle Segebart enters the 2025 season in his first year as head coach. He's been a part of the staff since 2022, helping lead the Bear to two ASUN Championship matches.

 
ABOUT THE PIONEERS

• The Lewis & Clark Pioneers began as a program in the 2022-23 season.
• Fraser Morrison is the head coach of the Pioneers, taking over the program after serving as a lead assistant coach the last three seasons.
• The Pioneers' Director of Soccer is University of Portland legend Jim Tursi, who played for the Pilots from 1977-80 and is the all-time leader in points (167) and goals (66). He is also second in assists (35).
• Tursi holds the record for single season points and goals with 64 points and 27 goals in the 1977 season. He was inducted into the University of Portland Athletics Hall of Fame in 1995.
• Former Pilot soccer goalkeeper coach and former Portland Pilots men's soccer head coach Bill Irwin is also an assistant coach for the Pioneers.
• Coaching the Pilots from 1986 until 2015, Irwin was an assistant under the legendary Clive Charles, helping him lead the women's program to a national championship back in 2002. Over his 29 years as a coach with the Pilots, they combined for 10 NCAA College Cup appearances.

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