Parents of juniors and seniors gathered at Merlo Field to watch Portland take on WCC opponent University of San Francisco on Saturday night. Portland celebrated the team’s senior night with a 1-0 victory, their fourth win in a row.
The first half of the game Portland pushed the ball downfield aggressively. The aggressiveness paid off early when senior midfielder Gio Magaña-Rivera scored his third goal of the season in only the second minute.
“It was really emotional, my last game on Merlo,” Magaña-Rivera said. “I wanted to leave the place better than I found it, scoring a goal was just a plus, but getting the win is the important thing.”
The theme continued for the Pilots as they managed to control multiple aspects of the game. Portland racked up 10 more shots than San Francisco and controlled the ball for the majority of the game.
“We are a possession based team,” Portland head coach Nick Carlin-Voigt said. “Get on the front foot and for most the game we did that. Unfortunate to not score a second goal.”
Portland used their speed on the wings in senior Rey Ortiz and freshman Jacobo Reyes to set up a majority of their offensive opportunities.
The Pilots defense also played its part, snuffing out most of the Dons attacks before they could turn serious. Portland limited San Francisco to only six total shots and recorded their seventh shutout of the season.
Portland will look to finish the regular season on a high note with their final two WCC games against University of San Diego and Saint Mary’s University. The Pilots face off against the Toreros next on Saturday Nov. 9 at 7 p.m.
Jamison White is a sports reporter at The Beacon. He can be reached at whitej20@up.edu.
