Welcome back to this week's Pilots Weekly RoundUP. With midterm season and fall break quickly approaching, UP’s student-athletes have flown through the fifth week of their fall season. Last week marked the start of conference play and the conclusion of the first tournament for women’s tennis.
Men’s Soccer:
Pilots men’s soccer opened their West Coast Conference season last Saturday on Merlo Field against the University of the Pacific. The Pilots won the game 4-0. They went into the game ranked No. 11 in the nation and their win against Pacific brings their overall record to 6-2-0.
Jacob Babalai opened the scoring from a penalty kick in the 20th minute. This was Babalai’s seventh goal of the season and earned him a second WCC Offensive Player of the Week. The Pilots added to their lead in the 33rd minute through a top left corner strike by Nick Fernandez. The goal marked his first of the season. In the second half, the Pilots continued to pile on the pressure and broke Pacific’s defensive line again in the 61st minute with a goal by Buba Fofanah. This was Fofanah’s sixth goal of the season. To cap off the performance, Samory Powder got his fourth goal of the season and added his name to the scoresheet in the 82nd minute.
The Pilots look to continue their winning ways in conference play with an away match against Santa Clara University on Friday.
Women’s Soccer:
Pilots Women’s Soccer also opened their conference play last Saturday against the University of the Pacific. They played away and notched a 4-0 victory bringing their overall record to 7-1-2. The Pilots victory was their sixth straight shutout. Their eight clean sheets this season have made them second in the nation in total number of shutouts.
The match was intense from the start and the Pilots breakthrough came when Nedya Sawan scored her fourth goal of the season in the eighth minute of the game. Next up was Aubrey Turner with her first goal of the season in the 39th minute. The Pilots made it 3-0 when Sawan hit the back of the net for a second time that day, getting her fifth goal of the season. The fourth goal was scored by Brooke Miller in the 67th minute and was her first goal of the season. The Pilots defense was led by defender Camille Ashe, who’s contributions won her a second consecutive WCC Defensive Player of the Week award.
On Wednesday, October 4, the Pilots played Gonzaga University at home. They led 1-0 at halftime, but conceded two late goals in the second half and lost 2-1.
The Pilots will look to bounce back from the loss when they play their next game away to Loyola Marymount University on Saturday at 7 p.m.
Volleyball:
Lia Hawken serves the ball in the volleyball game against Loyola Marymount University.
The Pilots volleyball team played at home against Loyola Marymount University last Thursday and lost 3 sets to 0. The loss dropped Portland's record to 6-8 overall. In another match last Saturday the Pilots played the University of San Diego at home and lost in a 3-0 sweep. The loss dropped their record to 6-9 overall.
The Pilots will look to improve their home form Saturday afternoon at 1 p.m. when they play Pepperdine University at the Chiles Center.
Women’s Cross Country:
The women’s cross country team placed sixth overall with 137 points at the 48th Annual Charles Bowles Invitational last Saturday. Laura Pellicoro was awarded WCC Runner of the Week for her performance two weeks ago at the Roy Griak Invitational.
The Pilots were led by Stina Petterson who finished in ninth place with a personal best time of 17:41.4. The rest of the scoring five for the Pilots were Tait Rowley, Izzy Lochtefeld, Katie Newton and Madison Griffith who all got personal bests and placed 29th, 33rd, 44th and 45th respectively.
The Pilots will compete in two races next weekend — the Nuttycombe Invitational on Friday in Madison, Wisconsin and the Linfield George Oja Invite in Salem, Oregon on Saturday.
Men’s Cross Country:
The men’s cross country team placed fifth overall with 124 points at the Charles Bowles Invitational last Saturday.
The Pilots were led by Cohen Williams who placed sixth with a personal best time of 24:25.0. The rest of the Pilots scoring five were Pedro Vazquez, Brady Martisus, Connor Kennedy and Kevin Andrews who placed 29th, 36th, 38th and 40th respectively.
The men’s cross country team will join the women’s team at the Nuttycombe Invitational on Friday and the Linfield George Oja Invite on Saturday.
Women’s Tennis:
The Pilot women’s tennis duo of Iva Zelic and Sally Pethybridge finished their competition at the SoCal Intercollegiate Championships on Sunday Sept. 24. with three combined wins.
Pethybridge cruised to victory in her singles match against the University of Southern California’s Isabelle Lee winning 6-1, 1-0 before Lee retired. Zelic beat the University of San Diego’s Jordyn McBride 3-6, 7-5, 10-4 in her singles match that went to a thrilling third set tie-breaker. Zelic and Pethybridge beat University of San Diego’s Elizabeth Goldsmith and Mia Mack 6-3 in their doubles match.
Zelic and Pethybridge traveled to Cary, North Carolina last week to compete at the ITA All-American Championships. They won their opening doubles match 8-3 against the University of Utah, but lost to the University of Nebraska in the next round 8-2.
In the singles competition, Zelic lost her pre-qualifying match 6-3, 7-6 (4) to the University of Alabama’s Margaux Maquet. Zelic fought back with a strong performance in her consolation match against the University of San Diego’s Filippa Bruu-Syverson which ended in a tough loss of 7-5, 7-5.
Zelic and Pethybridge will take this weekend to recover, rest and cheer on the rest of their Pilot teammates as the remaining members of the women’s tennis team start their seasons at the Duck Invitational in Eugene, Oregon.
This concludes the fourth Pilots Weekly RoundUP — keep your eyes peeled for more news and updates about University of Portland Fall Athletics. Oh, and one more thing… Good luck with midterms!
Aidan Hyde is a sports reporter for the Beacon. He can be reached at hydea25@up.edu.
