Oct. 14, 2004
PORTLAND, Ore. - The University of Portland men's soccer team will continue West Coast Conference play as they host Saint Mary's and San Francisco this weekend at Merlo Field . The Pilots and Gaels square-off on Friday at 7:15 p.m., following the Pilot women's match with Pepperdine at 5:00 p.m.. On Sunday, the Pilot men will face San Francisco at 2:30 p.m., in the late game of another doubleheader with the Portland women who host Loyola Marymount at noon. After a 5-1 start, Portland is winless in the last four matches and are still searching for their first WCC win of 2004. The Pilots have had good success at home with a 3-1-0 mark on the home pitch.
ABOUT PORTLAND: The Pilots (5-4-1, 0-2-1 WCC) fell to fourth-ranked Santa Clara, 1-0 at Merlo Field last Friday night in a match billed as the "Pilot Black Out." A crowd of 1,938 fans turned out, a majority wearing black attire in conjunction with the night's theme, despite heavy rains throughout day. Portland was without starting central defenders Paul Robinson and Josh Brown, mandatorily sitting the match out after receiving red cards in Portland's 2-0 loss at LMU the previous week. The short-handed Pilots battled hard, but a defensively lapse just 40 seconds after halftime allowed SCU's only goal. Pilot sophomore keeper Luis Robles kept the Pilots close by stopping a penalty kick in the 53rd minute and making an acrobatic save in the 80th minute, but the Bronco defense preserved the shutout for the win.
Junior striker Alejandro Salazar, the reigning WCC Player of the Year, leads Portland with three goals and three assists. Sophomore forward Chris Sanders also has three goals and an assist, while junior midfielder Miguel Guante has two goals and three assists after shifting forward most of this season from his usual right-back position. Robles has played every minute this season between the pipes, posting a 1.07 goals-against average, with 47 saves and four shutouts.
Director of soccer Bill Irwin returns eight starters and 12 letterwinners from Portland's 2003 team that advanced to the second round of the NCAA Tournament. Portland finished with a 10-9-1 overall mark and tied for third in the West Coast Conference with a 3-2-1 record. Salazar, a College Soccer News Preseason first team All-American, was named the 2003 WCC Player of the Year after leading the conference in points with 10 goals and an assist. Irwin is in his second season in a head coaching capacity and has a 13-10-1 overall record.
ABOUT SAINT MARY'S: The Gaels (2-3-5, 0-1-2 WCC) posted back-to-back ties last weekend against San Diego and Loyola Marymount. SMC played the Toreros to a 0-0 draw, while the game against the Lions ended in a 1-1 tie. In the game versus San Diego, the Gaels had a chance to end the game in overtime, but Adam Zielske's shot to the open goal was blocked by a defender to keep the game tied. Saint Mary's freshman goalkeeper Brian Mason posted his fourth shutout of the season with a career best 11 saves. Against LMU, Saint Mary's jumped out to a 1-0 lead when Zielske drilled a shot from the top of the penalty box past the Lions' goalkeeper 11 minutes into the game, but LMU equalized with just 2:31 remaining in regulation. Zielske, Anthony Butler and Derek Youpel each have two goals to lead the Gaels, who have been out-scored by a 9-7 margin this season. Brian Mason has logged every minute in the SMC goal, posting a 0.81 goals-against average and four shutouts. Head coach Steve Rammel is in his fourth year as the head coach of the Saint Mary's men's soccer program and currently holds a 20-38-9 record.
ABOUT SAN FRANCISCO: The Dons (6-3-1, 1-2-0 WCC) will play Gonzaga on Friday before facing the Pilots on Sunday. USF is coming off a 1-0 victory over San Diego last Sunday at Negoesco Stadium. The Dons have played very well over the past four games, despite earning just a tie and two losses. Statistically, USF has outshot their opponents by a 50-21 differential, including a 25-10 advantage of shots on goal. USF has tallied just three goals over the four games, due to 22 opponent saves. The Dons led top-ranked UC Santa Barbara 1-0 before a penalty kick in the last seven minutes resulted in a 1-1 tie. USF was dominating the game against Santa Clara before losing late 1-0 after all-WCC defender Chris Schwarze was red-carded just minutes before. Against LMU, the Dons fell to an overtime goal, 2-1 without Schwarze who missed the game due to that red card. Aaron Chandler leads the team in scoring with seven goals, following his game-winner against San Diego. Sophomore Geremy Uhl started in goal against San Diego, recording a shutout in his first action since September 12th. Head coach Eric Visser has a 32-31-4 career mark at USF.
UP SUCCESS AT HOME AND VS. RANKED OPPONENTS: Despite last week's loss to No. 4 Santa Clara, Portland has had much success at Merlo Field and against ranked opposition. The Pilots are 3-1-0 both at home and against ranked teams. A 2-1 win over No. 10 Washington on Wednesday, Sept. 15 at Merlo Field was the latest big Pilot win. In addition to the UW victory, the Pilots defeated then-24th ranked UAB on the opening weekend as host of the Nike Portland Invitational and No. 30 Akron last Friday in Seattle. Santa Clara, meanwhile, is 3-0-0 on the road this season.
SCORING SLIDE: After beginning the season with at least one goal in the first seven games, the Pilots have yet to record a goal in West Coast Conference matches. Portland is being out-scored 3-0 through the first three WCC contests, but have a 14-11 goal advantage over opponents on the season.
CAUTION CRAZY: Portland is second in the WCC with 20 yellow cards, trailing only Santa Clara's 22. The Pilots lead the conference in ejections with four red cards.
WCC STATISTICAL LEADERS: Junior forward Alejandro Salazar is tied for fourth in points (9), goals (3) and assists (3). Chris Sanders is tied for second in shots (30), tied for fourth in goals (3) and tied for eighth with seven points. Miguel Guante also has seven points and is joined by Heath Pearce in a tie for fourth place with three assists. Sophomore keeper Luis Robles is tied for second in shutouts (4) and second in saves (47). Portland leads the league in average home attendance at 1,380 fans per game.
SALAZAR, SANDERS REACH MILESTONES: Strikers Alejandro Salazar and Christopher Sanders have both reached milestone numbers for career goals scored. Salazar, a junior from Portland, tallied his 20th career goal when he knocked home the game-winner in overtime against the College of Charleston on Sept. 12. Sanders, a sophomore from Federal Way, Wash., netted his 10th career goal in a Sept. 10 match against South Carolina. Salazar and Sanders are the two top active scorers on the Pilot roster with 48 and 25 points, respectively.
MOVE TO THE MIDFIELD: Miguel Guante, along with fellow junior Heath Pearce, have been shifted from their usual outside back defender positions into the midfield this season. Both have been career starters for the Pilot defense, but encouraged and embraced the role change with Portland's need for more experienced midfielders. Guante has two goals and three assists already, while Pearce has recorded three assists and was named the South Carolina Classic's Defensive MVP.
ROBLES CLIMBING KEEPER CHARTS: Redshirt sophomore goalkeeper Luis Robles has recorded four clean sheets this season to crack Portland's top 10 list for career shutouts. Robles' nine shutouts place him ninth all-time, while his 1.13 goals-against average is seventh-best on the career charts. Pilot great Kasey Keller (1988-91) tops both lists with 43 shutouts and a 0.64 GAA.
MERLO GETS LIT: The Clive Charles Soccer Complex at the University of Portland officially celebrated the first major renovation with the construction of six lighting structures, permitting night games to be played at Harry A. Merlo Field for the 2004 season and beyond. Merlo Field, considered one of the finest collegiate soccer facilities in the nation, will host a combined 10 night events between the men's and women's soccer teams this fall. Portland's win over Washington on Wednesday, Sept. 15 was the first of five men's night contents at Merlo Field in 2004.
SALAZAR SOAKING UP HONORS: Junior Alejandro Salazar has been named to the 25-player M.A.C. Hermann Trophy preseason watch list, in addition to garnering College Soccer News Preseason first team All-America honors. A list of 15 semifinalists will be announced in November, with three finalists selected in early December. The winner will be announced at the Missouri Athletic Club in St. Louis, Mo., on Jan. 7, 2005. Salazar, a Portland native, was the 2003 WCC Player of the Year after claiming conference freshman of the year honors in 2002.
NATIONAL RANKINGS: With last week's loss to Santa Clara, the Pilots are no longer receiving votes in any of the four major national polls and have fallen out of the NSCAA Far West Regional rankings.
STIFF COMPETITION: There are six opponents on Portland's schedule that participated in the 2003 NCAA Playoffs. WCC foes Santa Clara, San Diego and Loyola Marymount earned spots in the tournament, with Santa Clara advancing to the College Cup. Among Portland's non-conference opponents, Washington, Akron and California made the tournament field. The Pilots have already beaten three ranked opponents: UAB, Washington and Akron, with one more ranked team on the schedule (No. 8 California).
NEW WCC SCHEDULING FORMAT: The West Coast Conference has adopted a double round robin format during conference play, which will allow each school to play the other twice. In past seasons, schools have played each other once during conference play with the home site alternating each season. The conference portion of the season will now move from six games to 12. This format will provide a better gauge for each team's strengths, while giving each squad a home match against every other WCC opponent.
NOT IN OUR HOUSE: With a 4-3-0 record on the Merlo Field pitch in 2003, Portland made it 26-of-27 years with a winning home record. The only time the Pilots finished under .500 at home was in 1998, when they finished 3-4-1, yet still finished with a quality 10-5-3 overall mark. The 2004 squad has continued the winning ways with a 3-1-0 mark at home this season, improving the team's all-time Merlo Field record to 93-25-7.
PILOTS KNOW HOW TO HOST: Portland opened the 2004 season by claiming its ninth Nike Invitational title in the tournament's 15th year at Merlo Field. The Pilots defeated Sacramento State (4-0) and UAB (1-0), while also sweeping the individual tournament honors as junior midfielder Miguel Guante and freshman defender Michael Gavin claimed the Most Outstanding Offensive and Defensive awards.
SIMPSON SIGNS WITH MILLWALL: Midfielder Josh Simpson signed a two-year professional contract with the Millwall Football Club of the English League Championship (former English First Division) on Aug. 5, foregoing his senior season with the Pilots. The Victoria, B.C. native impressed Millwall while training with the Canadian World Cup Team. He scored a goal against Hearts of Scotland, then performed well enough against Millwall to warrant the contract offer. When not being called upon for World Cup qualifying matches with Canada, Simpson has been a regular member of the Millwall rotation.
SOCCER COACHING STAFF: Director of soccer Bill Irwin begins his second season at the helm of the Pilot soccer program. Irwin was named the director of soccer for both the men's and women's programs last season following the passing of legendary Pilot head coach Clive Charles, whom Irwin served 17 seasons under as an assistant. Last year, Irwin guided the men's team to an at-large NCAA berth and finished with a 10-9-1 overall record. Associate director of soccer Garrett Smith has been with Portland in a coaching capacity since the 1992 season. Smith handles the daily operations of the women's team, while assisting Irwin with the men's program. Assistant coaches Rob Baarts, Dan Schell and Lauren Orlandos enter their first season on the Portland combined staff, while Wynne McIntosh begins her third year with the Pilots.
COMING UP NEXT: The Pilots conclude their four-match home-stand against Gonzaga on Friday, Oct. 22 at 7 p.m. Portland will then head to Spokane on Sunday, Oct. 24 to play Gonzaga in a game scheduled for 2 p.m. at Martin Field.
PILOTS ON THE INTERNET: The University of Portland men's soccer team will have live stats via the internet for all home games throughout the 2004 season. Check out the Pilots at: http://www.portlandpilots.com/livestats/msoccer/xlive.htm.
TICKET INFORMATION: Season tickets are available for the 2004 Portland men's soccer season and can be obtained through either the Pilot Ticket Office (503-943-7525), or TicketsWest (503-224-TIXX). Advanced single-game tickets are also available at the ticket office or through TicketsWest. General admission tickets are $6 for adults and $4 for students. Reserved stadium chair seating is $10, while reserved bench back seating is $8 for adults and $6 for students. Other ticket options are also available, including youth team and group packages.