A new year and a new fall sports season has fallen upon the Bluff. That means another opportunity to go out there and support your Portland Pilots as they run, kick and spike their way to the top.
But maybe you’re new to the Bluff and know absolutely nothing about the upcoming season. If so, you’re biggest worry is obviously figuring out how to be the best fan possible. What do I wear to the games? Are other people even going? What do I do when I get there? Are our teams even any good? If only there was some type of guide to help you answer all these questions.
Worry no more. The Beacon is here with a quick guide to being the best Pilot you can possibly be. Here is everything you need to know about the upcoming fall sports season.
Our Pilots did well last year, and are continuing to improve
What better way to celebrate the first goal than with a backflip?
Last fall was one of the most successful sports seasons in Pilot history, with three postseason appearances last year for both the cross country teams and the men’s soccer team.
“You look back at last year and we had unprecedented success across all of our fall sports,” Assistant Athletic Director Jason Brough said. “I think that there’s just general optimism when you look at our upcoming fall season.”
The men’s soccer team were West Coast Conference (WCC) champion last year, earning a trip to New Mexico for the Pilots’ first postseason appearance since 2009. In the offseason, they netted the fifth-best recruiting class in the nation, according to College Soccer News, as well as a top 15 ranking by Top Drawer Soccer.
The women’s soccer team is looking to bounce back after a somewhat disappointing year. After finishing 6th in the conference, the team is projected to finish back in the top five of the WCC for the upcoming season according to WCC Sports.
The volleyball team also had quite a season last year, tying for third last year in one of the best seasons in school history. Brent Crouch was named WCC Coach of the Year while 3 Pilots earned all-conference honors. They also brought in a top 55 ranked recruiting class and Volleyball Magazine ranked them 25th in their mid-major poll — the team’s first ranking on any poll.
The cross country teams are also looking solid after both the men and women’s teams made appearances at the XC championships in 2016. Both teams enter the season in the top 25, according to FloTrack. A recent U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association preseason poll has the men’s team ranked 14th while the women’s team sits at 31st.
Overall, fans should expect an exciting fall sports season.
Go to a game and try to have half as much fun as Villa does
Christie Men supporting our team with their war paint.
If you have ever been to a Portland Pilots soccer game, then you have most likely seen a large group of 18 to 22-year-old college kids in costume, drumming, screaming and cheering as loud as they possibly can. More likely than not, you have just seen the Villa Drum Squad.
The Villa Drum Squad has been a mainstay of the Bluff for over thirty years. They have two claims to fame: they are, according to Villa Hall Director Matt Connolly, older than the Timbers Army, and they are a large part of the historically large attendance numbers the Pilots have had over the years, including a ten-year stretch as the nation’s leader in attendance according to the Portland Pilots website.
Robbie Sosin, a drum squad captain for the group, describes the squad as “a group of guys from Villa who are passionate about having fun and supporting the UP Pilots.”
“We go out there every game and we have a lot of fun,” Sosin said. “We play our hearts out for those players on the field and we know they play just as hard for us.”
Like many of the other dorms, Villa also loves to dress in their absolute weirdest outfits, and they want to see everyone do the same thing.
“Just do whatever you need to do to get into it, like face paint and body paint,” said Sosin, who can often be spotted sporting a kilt like many of his fellow drum squad members. When describing what to wear, he said, “the crazier the better.”
The Villa Drum Squad is open to everyone, even adding its first female members last year. Squad members only ask that you embrace the madness and cheer without shame, which is actually the final thing you need to do in order to have a great year.
When The Game Starts, Cheer Like Quiet Hours Never Existed
Villa drum squad and hall members getting hyped during half time.
It’s one thing to go to a game just to say you went. It’s another to go and actually experience what it’s like to be a part of the student section. Going to the games and taking part in the cathartic experience that is screaming at the top your lungs is a quintessential Pilot experience.
“Yell and scream,” encouraged Sosin. “You can let some steam off if you’ve had a busy week.”
There’s also no need to fret if you don’t know every word to every cheer. If you ever forget the words to any chant, whether it’s “Pilots Till I Die” or “Vamos Pilotas”, there is always a fallback: just make noise.
“Noise is noise at any given point,” said Patrick Barrier, another captain for the Villa Drum Squad. “If you’re ever like ‘I don’t know the words,’ ask.”
Congratulations! You are now an expert on how to be a good fan this fall sports season. Now is the time to put this knowledge to good use and go cheer for your Pilots.
You too now can be a Pilot till you die.
