Welcome back to the Pilots Weekly RoundUP. The third week of school brought much excitement, energy and passion to The Bluff with some electrifying results. Grab your reading glasses and get ready for this wild ride of Pilot pride.
Men’s Soccer:
Pilots Men’s Soccer dropped from third in the nation to 11th after a tough loss to Virginia University last week. The Pilots did not let this get under their skin — and their motivation, drive and passion to win remained strong.
After a week of preparation, Men’s Soccer returned to Merlo Field last Friday night for a tough matchup against the #14 nationally ranked University of Denver. The game did not not disappoint and was an absolute thriller.
Denver took the lead early in the match before Samory Powder tallied his third goal of the season and equalized just before halftime to tie the game 1-1. The Pilots looked to regain some control after the break, but Denver retook the lead one minute after the referee blew the whistle for the start of the second half.
The Pilots remained composed and tied the game 2-2 through a goal by Jacob Babalai, his fourth of the season, with just over 20 minutes to go. During the last 20 minutes of the game, the University of Denver was bombarded by a fury of attacks by the Pilots.
The men's soccer team celebrates their win over the University of Denver.
The pressure was too much for Denver to handle and the Pilot’s took the lead with a goal by center back Jose Olmos making the score 3-2. Buba Fofanah got his fourth goal of the season to make the score 4-2, capping off a beautifully executed second half comeback win. Kevin Bonilla notched two more assists in the game against Denver making his mark with a total of seven assists in five games.
Pilots Men’s Soccer go into this week 4-1-0 and look to add another win this Thursday at Merlo Field against California State University, Northridge.
Women’s Soccer:
Pilots Women’s Soccer traveled to play Brown University last Thursday with a 0-0 draw to make it five shutouts this season for the Pilots. Their rock-solid defense and composure under pressure has been top-class this season and has earned Pilots goalkeeper Bre Norris a second WCC Player of the Week award.
Following their draw at Brown University, Women’s Soccer traveled to play Stonehill College last Sunday. The Pilots were flying straight from the kickoff and won 4-0. This improved their record to 5-1-2 overall and marked their sixth shutout of the season.
Women’s Soccer broke the deadlock against Stonehill just after the 30 minute mark through a headed goal by Violet Rademacher, her second of the season. Ending the half 1-0, the Pilots went into the second half looking to extend their lead. Their second goal came in the 64th minute by Nina Rhode. Making it 3-0 was a goal by Hailey Bagby.
This was an exciting day for Rhode and Bagby as the goals were the first of their careers as Portland Pilots. Nedya Sawan made it 4-0 shortly after, getting her second goal of the season and finishing off a defeated Stonehill team.
Pilots Women’s Soccer will return home to host Cal Poly under the floodlights of Merlo Field this Saturday.
Volleyball:
Pilot’s Volleyball traveled last week to compete in the University of Las Vegas Invitational Tournament. Their first game was last Thursday against Lamar University and ended as a 3-0 sweep for the Pilots.
The first set finished 25-14, the second set was 25-22 and the third was 25-23. The win improved the teams record to 5-5 for the season. Lia Hawken led the Pilots attack with 14 kills and Kili Robins led the defense with eight digs. Una Rajkovic had a match-high of five aces and Maddie Corpe had a match-high of 19 assists.
Last Friday Pilot’s Volleyball played the hosts of the tournament, University of Las Vegas. They lost three sets to one in a tough match.
UNLV took the first, third and fourth set while the Pilots managed to win the second set. The loss dropped the Pilots to an overall record of 5-6. On the following Saturday, the Pilots played Coppin State University and lost three sets to one. The Pilots managed to tie the game after winning the second set, but lost the last two sets resulting in the loss.
Pilots Volleyball go into their next game with an overall record of 5-7 and will look to improve their form when they play away against Santa Clara University this Thursday.
Women’s Cross Country:
The women’s cross country team raced last Saturday at the Oak Knoll Loop Run and placed second overall. The Pilots just lost out on the championship finishing with a total of 41 points — just below Portland State who finished first place with 40 points.
Leading the Pilots was junior Stina Pettersson finishing third overall with a time of 22:07.8. She was followed by her teammates Tait Rowley, Izzy Lochtefeld, Madison Griffith and Katie Newton who finished ninth, eleventh, fourteenth and fifteenth respectively. The Pilot’s scoring five all finished with PRs.
The women’s cross country team will look to keep improving their speed and times when they compete in two meets this Friday: the Roy Griak Invitational in Minneapolis, MN and the Bill Dellinger Invitational in Eugene, OR..
Men’s Cross Country:
The men’s cross country team were electrifying when they raced at the Oak Knoll Loop Run last Saturday. The Pilots claimed gold and are undefeated so far in the 2023 season. They blew the competition out of the water, finishing the race with 21 points and their closest opposing team finishing second with 49 points.
The Pilots were led by senior Lakelin Conrad who finished second overall with a personal best time of 25:08. Conrad was followed closely by many of his teammates including Brady Martisus, Connor Kennedy, Evan Delacruz and Steven Durr who finished fifth, seventh, eighth and tenth respectively.
The men’s cross country team will look to stay undefeated when they join the women’s cross country team to compete in two different meets this Friday: the Roy Griak Invitational in Minneapolis, MN and the Bill Dellinger Invitational in Eugene, OR.
It has been an exhilarating week of action in the world of the Pilots. This concludes the Pilots Weekly RoundUP – stay alert for more news and updates about University of Portland Fall Athletics. Go Pilots!
Aidan Hyde is a sports reporter for the Beacon. He can be reached at hydea25@up.edu.
