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Ruby Settle is swarmed by her teammates after her goal against OSU.

Women's Soccer

Pilots Look to Stay Unbeaten at Home in Nonconference Bout Against Aggies

PORTLAND, Ore. – Portland Pilots Women's Soccer continues their homestand and closes out nonconference with a matchup against the UC Davis Aggies. The two teams play on Thursday, Sept. 17 at 6 p.m. here at Merlo Field and on ESPN+.
 
Thursday's match is a 503 game, with $5 online tickets, free parking and $3 hot dogs available for all fans. Check PortlandPilots.com for tickets, live stats and video option.
 
MATCH INFORMATION
Opponent: UC Davis Aggies (2-3-2, 0-0-0 Mountain West)
Day: Thursday
Date: Sept. 17, 2026
Time: 6 PM
Place: Portland, Ore.
Pitch: Merlo Field
Video: ESPN+
Stats: PortlandPilots.com
Tickets: PortlandPilots.com
 
POR vs. UCD
Overall Series: 2-1-0
H: 1-0-0 •  A: 1-1-0 •  N: 0-0-0
Last: @POR 1, UCD 0 (2023)

PEEK INTO THE PORT
• The Portland Pilots went 2-0 in their first week back home, taking down the Portland State Vikings and Oregon State Beavers 1-0.
• Portland earned their second shutout of the season with the win over Portland State, with Sophia Hills posting three saves. The Pilots have shutout their last four opponents they've played at Merlo Field.
• Violet Rademacher scored the goal for the Pilots, knocking in a penalty kick to secure the win. It was the second goal of the season for Rademacher and the 15th of her career.
• The penalty kick was the fifth of Rademacher's career. She is tied for fifth all-time in penalty kicks made for Portland.
• Portland outshot the Vikings 13-5 in the contest.
• Against the Beavers, Pilots dominated most of the way and came away with a 1-0 victory.
• Portland matched their season high with 18 shots and put nine of those shots on goal. They also had 13 corners in the match.
• Ruby Settle scored her first goal of the season, with Tayvi Khann earning the assist. It's the first goal and second assist of the year for Settle and Khann respectively.
• Settle scored her fifth goal of her career and is now one five Pilots to score this season.
• The Pilots extended their unbeaten streaks against Portland State and Oregon State to 10 and seven games respectively.
• With 27 saves on the year, Hills ranks second in the conference in total saves. She's played the most minutes of any goalie in the conference (712:29) and is one of four WCC keepers to have posted at least three shutouts in goal.
 
LAST SEASON FOR THE PILOTS
• The Portland Pilots went 10-3-6 overall and 7-1-3 in WCC play. It was their best season in conference play since the 2013 season.
• Portland's seven conference wins were the most they've posted in WCC play since that year and their win percentage the highest (.773) since that season. They took second in the conference.
• Portland shut out 10 opponents last season, the most clean sheets in a season since 2023.
• Sophia Hills has been in goal for 10 nine of those clean sheets. It's the most by any Pilot goalkeeper since Bre Norris in 2023.
• Seven different Pilots have scored this season: Violet Rademacher (7), Hailey Still (3), Hailey Bagby (2), Mao Ito (2), Aliyah Dockter (1), Tayvi Khann (1) and Jillian McBride (1).
• The Pilots ranked second in the conference in goals-against average (.632) and shutout percentage (.526), allowing just 12 goals in 19 matches. They were 11th and 22nd nationally in those respective categories.
• Numerous Pilots earned postseason honors last year, with five garnering All-WCC honors: Keeley Dockter, Violet Rademacher, Sophia Hills, Hailey Bagby and Aliyah Dockter.
• Keeley Dockter earned WCC Defender of the Year honors as well as first team recognition, becoming the first Pilot to win that honor since 2013. Dockter also made the United Soccer Coaches All-West Region First Team.
• Rademacher, a center back, racked up numerous honors, making the first team for All-WCC as well as the second team for All-West Region. Portland's leading scorer last year with seven goals, Rademacher was also the first Pilot to earn United Soccer Coaches Scholar All-American honors since 2009.
• Rademacher made the Scholar All-West Region Second Team as well, along with fellow Pilot midfielder Aliyah Dockter. Dockter earned All-WCC Honorable Mention for her performance on the field and All-West Region second team recognition.
• Hills was stellar in her first full season in goal, earning All-WCC and All-West Region Second Team honors. She led the conference and ranked 11th nationally in goals-against average (.595) while also ranking second in shutouts (10) and save percentage (.838).
• Bagby rounds out the honorees after earning All-WCC honorable mention last year. She was one of five players to score multiple goals last year.

PRESEASON HONORS
• The Pilots were picked to finish second in the 2026 Preseason Coaches Poll, the highest they've been picked in the poll under head coach Michelle French.
• Three Pilots made the Preseason All-WCC team: Violet Rademacher, Aliyah Dockter and Hailey Bagby. It's the first time any of the three players have made the preseason team.
• Rademacher and Dockter have both earned national recognition as well, with Rademacher making the United Soccer Coaches 2026 Defenders to Watch List and Dockter the Midfielders to Watch List.
• Sophia Hills was also named to the Goalkeepers to Watch List for United Soccer Coaches, making it three players for Portland.
 
ALL ABOUT THE PLAYERS
• The Pilots have 20 players returning this fall from last season's squad and nine newcomers, including four of their five All-WCC honorees last year (Rademacher, A. Dockter, Hills and Bagby).
• Eight of Portland's available returners played over 800 minutes last year and six over 1,000. Seven Pilots started in over 10 games for Portland last year.
• Along with the All-WCC returners, the Pilots bring back fifth-year players Eli Rapp and Ruby Settle.
• Rapp played 1,571 minutes last year, the fourth most of any returning player in the field. AN outside back, she recorded one assist while guiding the defense.
• Settle played in 17 matches with 13 starts last year, notching two assists while Piloting the midfield.
• Mao Ito is one of four players returning who scored multiple goals last year with two. She appeared in 15 matches.
• Tayvi Khan, Kyah Zurek and Adison Bosa are the last three Pilots to have played in over 15 games last year.
• Khann played in all 19 games last year and scored one game-winning goal against Washington State. Zurek and Bosa played in 18 and 17 games respectively.
• Nine newcomers join the Pilots this season, with three joining via transfer.
• Rose Calkins joins the Pilots after spending the last two seasons at Arizona. She played in 27 matches during her time with the Wildcats, recording four assists.
• Justi Nelson joins Portland as a senior by way of SEMO. She played in 53 matches with 50 starts, scoring three goals with four assists. In 2023, she made the OVC All-Newcomer team.
• London Ingram shined with Butler Community College in her two years there, scoring 27 goals with three assists. She was an All-KJCCC First Team selection each of her two years with the Grizzlies.
• Journey Middleborn joins the Pilots from Washington State, playing in 18 games with seven starts. Middleborn scored three goals for the Cougars.
• Portland's five freshmen this season are Cate Kovats, Lauren Efraimson, Sophia Ashtar, Jailynn Henry and Blayke Warner.
• Kovats (Washington), Efraimson (Oregon) and Warner (Washington) all hail from the Pacific Northwest while Ashtar and Henry come from Georgia and Nevada respectively.
 
THE STAFF
• UP alum Michelle French is entering her ninth year as head coach of the Pilots.
• French has posted a 73-49-26 record in her nine years as the head coach of Portland.
• French came to The Bluff after spending 12 years coaching in the U.S. Soccer system, most recently as an assistant coach with the Senior Women's National Team.
• With the Pilots, French (1995-98) was an All-American defender, a four-year starter, and a finalist for National Player of the Year as a senior in 1998; she led the Pilots to three NCAA Final Four appearances as a player, including the NCAA title game in 1995.
• Associate head coaches Maite Zabala and Tina Frimpong Ellertson are in their ninth and fourth years with the women's soccer program. They are the first and third associate head coaches in program history.
• The staff was named the West Region Staff of the Year by United Soccer Coaches, the first time they've earned the honor, in 2022.
• Frimpong Ellertson is a former US National Team player and was Pac-10 Player of the Year back in 2004 with the Washington Huskies.
• Ken Krolicki joined the Pilots in 2024 as an assistant coach. Krolicki was a two-time All-Big Ten selection with Michigan State, spent two seasons with C.F. Montreal and also one year with Portland Timbers 2.
 
THE HISTORY
• Portland has a strong women's soccer tradition and is one of just eight programs to win multiple NCAA Championships in the sport (2002, 2005).
• The Pilots have made eight Final Four appearances (1994-96, 1998, 2000-02, 2005) and they've won 13 WCC Championships.
• The Pilots have advanced to the postseason 22 times overall.
• The Pilots led the nation in attendance for 10 consecutive seasons (2005-14); in 2018 UP ranked fourth in the country in attendance per game (1,679) and were sixth in overall attendance (18,474).
 
PILOTS IN THE PROS
• The Portland women's soccer program has a long tradition of sending players to the pros, both in the United States and in Europe.
• The Puget Sound area has been a popular landing spot for Portland graduates as eight women's soccer alums have played for the Reign.
• Megan Rapinoe is one of the most famous alumni, winning a national championship with the Pilots back in 2005 before becoming a mainstay of women's soccer.
• The Portland Thorns claim the legendary Christine Sinclair, who has spent her entire NWSL career in Portland before retiring in 2024.
• Sinclair helped the Thorns win three NWSL Championships (2013, 2017, 2022), two NWSL Shields in 2016 and 2021 and the Women's International Champions Cup.
• Sophie Schmidt was a fixture for both Canada's national team as well as the NWSL, spending her final seasons with the Houston Dash
• Ellie Walker currently plays in New Zealand with the Wellington Phoenix in the A-League
• Former Pilot Larkin Russell plays for Swedish Malmo FF
• Keeley Dockter earned the chance to play professionally, signing with Seattle Reign this past year.
 
ABOUT THE OPPONENTS
• The UC Davis Aggies are 2-3-2 on the year, having most recently tied the LMU Lions in Los Angeles.
• Last season, the Aggies went 3-12-4 overall and just 1-8-1 in Big West play.
• The Aggies were picked to finish eighth in the annual Mountain West Preseason Coaches Poll, with Ashley Brewer, Savannah Cordero and Courtney Wagner all making the MW Women's Soccer Watch List.
• Kat Mertz is in her second year as head coach of the Aggies. She has been a head coach for 19 years, posting a 145-157-61 record over that span.
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