The Matchup....PILOTS VS UCLA

What do you all think about this Friday's match? This will be good mid-season test.

Here's my breakdown.

Forwards - EVEN. Both teams have heavyweight strikers/scorers. UCLA has Lauren Chaney, Danesha Adams, Tina DiMartino and Kara Lang (Sophie's Canadian National Teammate). Hopefully, we can keep them at bay and out of the box. Kendra, Michelle, Natalie can also make things miserable for the Bruins. Dang it though...we'll miss Racheal for this game.

Midfield - PILOTS. I think we have the edge in this area with Angie, Sophie and Ellie and Kellin. I believe the key to a victory over UCLA will depend on how good a job the midfield does with distibution, ball control and possession. The best defense against the Bruins will be to keep the ball away from the feet of their forwards as much as possible. Would've loved to have seen Megan debut here. Her strong presence and tough play in the midfield will be missed.

Defenders - EVEN. The backline will certainly be tested. But, if they keep individual mistakes to a minimum and work together, the backline shouldn't be porous. We can't afford to be against UCLA. They have a mightier offensive punch than Florida State. But again, hopefully our midfield will provide some relief to the backline with possession.

GO PILOTS!!

I'm excited for this. The Pilots haven't dealt with a forward line of UCLA's quality and I don't think UCLA has faced a team with the kind of pressure and possession that Portland can execute.

Hopefully the loss of both Rapinoes will be something that pushes our younger players to lose all hesitation and play up to their total potential.

I thought i read in an Oregonian article that sophie schmidt is not making the trip down to LA.

Really...No Sophie? Something wrong? That's not good. We're really short on available bodies as it is. Its going to be one tough weekend. USC is no slouch either.

In the piece I read, Garrett said she was going to take few days to decompress and she'd see how she felt towards the end of the week. He said it was more important for her to feel fresh going into the conference season and the tournament season. the scuttlebutt was that Pelerude had over-trained the Canadian team and they were a bit nackered.

She might play- might not.

I don't think that's a bad attitude to take. We're not desperate right now. Even if we lost this weekend, we'd still be in pretty good shape in our non-conference season, and we'd be fresher for the conference part. the freshmen are playing pretty good right now. the defense has only allowed 4 goals all season (1 of those in garbage time against the Beavers). they've allowed NO goals in the last four games.

All we really need is a bit more of the firepower we showed last weekend.

Sophie is a defensive oriented player. right now, we're doing OK there. Lets see how the young kids do against a top flight team. It'll be experience that will pay off later.

Schmidt will make the trip to Los Angeles and is available if needed.

That's from the official release:

http://www.portlandpilots.com/sports/wsoccer/release.asp?release_id=4523

Not sure exactly what that means, but it's good to know that she will be making the trip. Chances are she will see some action but maybe not a full 90 minutes in each game.

As for the upcoming UCLA game, I too am concerned about the Bruins' talented front. I think Kelsey Davis will likely be challenged in this game much more than she has in any other game, not only because of talent of UCLA but also because of the emotions of playing against her former teammates. So it will be interesting to see how she handles that.

As for the offense, watching the Portland State game reaffirmed my belief that with the Rapinoes out it's all about Enyeart now. She is definitely our most dangerous offensive player and has shown herself to be a great playmaker this year. I know she doesn't have as many goals as last year, but her role is different now, it seems. With her combination of speed and toughness, she definitely is a game-changer for the Pilots and is crucial for our offense.

A player who I would like to see step up a bit is Budge. She started off the season with a bang but has been quiet as of late. We need her offensive skill more than ever right now.

Anyway, UP is sending someone down to do live audio for both games, so be sure to tune in at PortlandPilots.com for free audio!

Stoney-- As for the offense, watching the Portland State game reaffirmed my belief that with the Rapinoes out it's all about Enyeart now. She is definitely our most dangerous offensive player and has shown herself to be a great playmaker this year. I know she doesn't have as many goals as last year, but her role is different now, it seems. With her combination of speed and toughness, she definitely is a game-changer for the Pilots and is crucial for our offense.

A player who I would like to see step up a bit is Budge. She started off the season with a bang but has been quiet as of late. We need her offensive skill more than ever right now.

Well, the Enyeart goal was a tap-in totally due to Budge's setup assist.

and Enyearts production (goals and assists) was matched by Woznuk with fewer chances and the goal was unassisted (2 shots vs 5)

I think it's going to be by committee, away from the double teams. Expect production by Chandhoke, Woz, Reed, and Enyeart, among others.

Geezer... good points. Though I would say that Enyeart's goal was more about her move to get around the keeper than the assists, though yes... she was put in perfect position.

Thinking back on that game, Enyeart totally dominated in the first 20 minutes before they pulled her out. I mean... she was just collapsing the PSU defense and creating all kinds of havoc and PSU had absolutely no answer for her. She is doubtless our most dangerous player, and I think we will really need her to be as dangerous as she can be this weekend.

I didn't intend to disparage Budge... not at all! But just watching the past several games, Reed has definitely had more of an impact from the wing than Budge has. Maybe that's just coincidence/game flow, but it does seem to me like Budge has been quiet lately. Of course, it also means that Reed is really starting to come into her own... though it would be great if she could learn to not take so many touches around the goal box. Ah! It kills me sometimes. But she is awesome, make no mistake.

I'm still thinking budge is playing out of position and is better suited up top. That's what the current manpower mix is dictating.

I think when Stephanie comes back, Tsao will move up and Budge will be on top. That's where she was most effective earlier in the season.

Oregonian article:

http://www.oregonlive.com/pilotssoccer/oregonian/index.ssf?/base/sports/1190951740202850.xml&coll=7

Good article. This quote could just as well have come from Garrett Smith talking about the Pilots: "Bruins coach Jillian Ellis said. 'Have we played our best soccer to date? I don't think so.'"

Didn't Budge played a lot of midfield last year? Wasn't she the third leading scorer last year? She is not as fast as Reed, but she has been effective from the midfield again so far this year, check the stats. She can attack from the midfield and is a smart, hard worker with great stamina. The Pilots will be well served with her in the midfield and Enyeart and Chandhoke up top.

I believe the key to tonight's game is Kelsey Davis and her ability to prepare and inspire her teammates to play tenacious defense.

We all know the Bruins have tremendous attacking talent. However, Kelsey played for UCLA for a year and should have some insight to share with coaches and players about their preparation and game mentality.

Kelsey will be pumped to show her old coach that she deserved more playing time, rather than just backing up Val Henderson. The great thing about Kelsey, and the thing that stood out the first time I saw her play, is that she not only is a very gifted and hard working keeper, but she also is a top-notch leader and tremendous communicator. That's what really separates her from the pack: she will demand strong and inspired play from the defense. As great as UCLA is offensively, if we can keep them in check and not allow two or more goals, we will have a great chance to either win the match, or if we're in a donnybrook, a draw down there where they have won 30 games in a row wouldn't be a bad result for us at this point in the season.

she has been effective from the midfield again so far this year, check the stats. She can attack from the midfield and is a smart, hard worker with great stamina. The Pilots will be well served with her in the midfield and Enyeart and Chandhoke up top.

No disagreement from me. I love her game. But... she had three goals and one assist in the first two games, and only one goal and one assist since. Of course, Portland hasn't really scored that many goals this year, but my point is that she hasn't really produced too much since Rachael went down. And I think the team needs her to maybe be a bit more aggressive offensively since she is such a talented goal producer.

I am excited to see how the Pilots come out tonight... we have had only 1 game in the last 9 days (PSU), meaning lots of practice time and coaching time since the game at U-dub.

Hopefully the team has been able to absorb the loss of the Rapinoes and "re-structure" the offense with the remaining players.

I would really like to see a polished, rested, solid, fired up, attacking team on the field tonight. It is time for us to demonstrate the #2 rating, and strengthen our grip on a #1 seed for the playoffs!

Sidebar: I just noticed that this is our first game of the year not at Merlo Field or U-Dub!

Stonehouse, point well taken. NB does need to be offensive minded.

Just a reminder... UP is flying their SID down to provide live audio for the game. You should listen up if you happen to be home alone on Friday night... sigh...

http://www.portlandpilots.com/broadcast/

Game starts at 7!

Looking forward to it, I just hope he does a better job than those UW guys!

Feel free to hop into the Pilot Nation Chat Box during the game... to discuss the match in real-time.

Click on the "home" link at the top of this page, and then scroll down to the very bottom of the Home Page and you will see the link to "Join the Chat".

How cool would it be to have the SID online, too, so we could ask him questions during the match?! I know they cant do that, but...

Hey-o, hey-o! OK, so here's what I'm thinking about the UCLA game. Clearly, they've got some awesome offensive talent with Lang, Adams, Cheney and DiMartino. So I'm thinking UP's strategy will probably be one of denying them opportunities as much as possible. That means maybe a bit of a slower pace, lots of control and possession, and a big emphasis on controlling the midfield and winning those 50-50 balls. I don't think we can afford to get into a shoot-out with them... they've just got too much firepower. But if we can slow it down a bit and control the ball, I think we'll have some good chances to take advantage of UCLA's defense, which isn't particularly strong.

What do ya'll think?

If UP can play the ball control game we love to watch, they will beat UCLA.

The bruins play a dump and run game hoping their athletic skill will prevail, sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't.

It didn't work against San Diego or Pepperdine, and we're better than those teams, even at less than full strength.

I can't wait for the game to start.




Is the rumor true that Jason will have some color commentators flown in from Seattle?

Stonehouse,

Very well put. I agree with your strategy. As I stated in an earlier post, I believe this one comes down to the pilots playing great defense. I think we can allow no more than
one goal unless our offense suddenly explodes. UCLA is not PSU so I don't expect an offensive explosion without the Rapinoes. (Wow, what a talented pair of twins)!

I agree we need to control the midfield, as well as win the majority of 50-50 balls and generally control the flow of the game. Kelsey Davis and our (mostly) experienced back line need to be extremely tough and mark their opponents tenaciously. I am confident Kelsey will be a brick wall against her old team. But against a talented offensive-minded attacking team, all ten Pilots in front of her must listen to her vocal instructions and keep the ball away from her as much as possible. No goalkeeper can stop a great attacking team by herself.

I don't follow other teams, so I'll have to take you at your word as far as the Bruin defense is concerned. If their D is not that strong, we should be able to convert two or three goals and have a great oppotunity to win this game. Now that the Pilots know for certain what attackers they have in their arsenal, hopefully they have been coached up recently on playing like the cohesive unit we have seen in years past. No more extended dribbling. 1-2 touches and pass. Move around. Be creative, not predictable. 90 minutes of in your face, we're #2 in the country and you're not, soccer!

"90 minutes of in your face, we're #2 in the country and you're not, soccer!"

UCLA also has game audio and a matchtracker:

http://uclabruins.cstv.com/sports/w-soccer/spec-rel/092807aab.html

I'll be listening to the Pilots' broadcast though, considering what happened the last time I witnessed a non-soccer school try to call a Pilots game.

GO PILOTS!

Kelsey's been often mentioned as one of the key folk in this game. But lurking in the shadows/sidelines is Shannon Macmillan (assistant coach). Talk about your Bill Belichick moment! She knows so much about how UP goes about its business. True, she may not be as familiar with the current personnel...but her insights to preparing UCLA's game plans against us might have a hugh impact!

I also can't imagine a former Pilot of her stature doing some recruiting for the Bruins! Can you imagine?...especially if the Pilots are after the same players as the Bruins? That's sacriligious!!!