NCAA Tourney: Wazzu @ Portland, Friday 11/9, 7pm

PORTLAND, Ore. --- The Portland Pilots women’s soccer team earned an at-large bid to the 2012 NCAA Women’s Soccer Championships and will open with a first round match against Washington State on Friday night at 7 p.m. at Merlo Field. The Pilots, who are the No. 4 seed in their portion of the bracket, are making their 13th straight appearance in the NCAA Postseason and their 20th appearance overall during the last 21 years.

Tickets will go on sale on Wednesday morning at 11 a.m. Fans can purchase tickets at the Pilot Box Office (M-F, 11 a.m. – 5 p.m.), through ticketmaster.com or at any ticketmaster outlet. You can also contact the Pilot Box Office directly at 503-943-7525 or call ticketmaster at 1-800-745-3000. Prices range from $15 (reserved Stadium Chairs) to $5 (General Admission students and juniors 12 and under).

The winner of the Pilots-Cougars first round game would advance to face the winner between Michigan and Central Michigan. Penn State is the No. 1 seed in Portland’s bracket and the Nittany Lions will host LIU-Brooklyn in the first round. Should Penn State advance, the Nittany Lions will most likely host the second and third rounds in State College, Pa.

The NCAA women’s soccer championships are in their second year of a minor format change with just one round scheduled for the tourney’s opening weekend. The second and third rounds are grouped together for the second weekend of the tournament.

The Pilots, who finished with an 11-4-4 overall record, are one of four teams from the West Coast Conference to reach the NCAA Tournament, joining league champions BYU and at-large selections Pepperdine and Santa Clara.

Washington State went 12-6-1 overall this year and finished fourth in the Pac-12 Conference with a 6-4-1 league mark.

Portland claimed the 2005 NCAA Championship to become just the third program to ever win multiple championships (2002, 2005) and just the second to cap an unbeaten season with a title. Portland has advanced to three championship games, eight College Cups (semifinals) and at least the quarterfinals on 15 occasions. The Pilots have advanced past the first round of the playoffs 12 consecutive years.

The 2012 College Cup will be held in San Diego, Calif., at Torero Stadium. The College Cup semifinals will be played on Friday, Nov. 30 and the championship game will be held on Sunday, Dec. 2.

Women's soccer: Portland Pilots open NCAA playoffs at home against Washington State

Published: Monday, November 05, 2012, 1:34 PM Updated: Monday, November 05, 2012, 2:49 PM

By Nick Daschel, Special to The Oregonian

This year there was no trepidation Monday for the Portland Pilots when it was announced they would open the NCAA women’s soccer playoffs at 7 p.m. Friday against Washington State at Merlo Field.

Portland earned its 13th consecutive NCAA berth and 20th overall as a program. Coming off a second-place finish in the West Coast Conference, the Pilots (11-4-4) cruised into the NCAAs as a No. 4 seed in the 64-team tournament.

It was a dramatic change from last year, when Portland finished the regular season with a losing record and wondered if it would even get invited to the playoffs.

“Definitely a lot more relaxing than last year. All we wondered was how the tournament would unfold, where you’re going and who you’re playing,” Pilots coach Garrett Smith said.

Portland enters the postseason on a roll with a six-game unbeaten streak. The Pilots were 5-1-2 in WCC play, five points behind conference champion Brigham Young. The Cougars were awarded one of the four No. 1 seeds in the NCAAs.

Portland hit a lull midway through season as it sustained injuries to key starters. But the Pilots began to get healthy toward season’s end, and it showed on the field. UP finished the season with a 5-0 win over San Francisco.

“We kind of weathered the storm in the middle of the season,” Smith said. “We finally got a set lineup for conference play, and that did a lot for us. We’re scoring goals and controlling the tempos of the game.”

The Pilots get a boost for the NCAAs as junior forward Micaela Capelle, the team’s leading scorer last season, returns after missing the past five weeks with an injury. Capelle teams up front with Amanda Frisbie, the Pilots’ junior forward who led the WCC is scoring with 12 goals and eight assists this season.

Washington State (12-6-1) makes its fourth trip in five years to the NCAAs, but has a first-year coach in Keidane McAlpine. The Cougars tied with Arizona State for fourth in the Pac-12.

The last time Portland played WSU was 2011, when the Pilots won 1-0 at Merlo Field. The Pilots are 18-1-1 all-time against the Cougars, whose lone win over UP came in 1983.

Should Portland and Penn State, the No. 1 team in its bracket, win opening-round games, the Pilots advance to second, and possibly third-round games at State College, Pa. The Pilots’ second-round opponent would be the Central Michigan-Michigan winner.

The four No. 1 seeds in this year’s NCAAs are Stanford, Penn State, BYU and Florida State. This year’s College Cup will be played Nov. 30-Dec. 2 in San Diego.

Last year, Portland advanced to the second round of the NCAA playoffs, opening with a win over Oregon State, then falling to Florida State.

Portland is a two-time NCAA champion, having won the College Cup in 2002 and 2005. The Pilots also reached the College Cup semifinals in 1994, 1995, 1996, 1998, 2000 and 2001.

Portland was No. 17 in last week’s NCAA RPI report.

INDIANAPOLIS - The Washington State University women's soccer team received an at-large bid to the 2012 NCAA Division I Championship, the NCAA announced, Monday.

The Cougars (12-6-1, 6-4-1 Pac-12) will play at Portland (11-4-4, 5-1-2 West Coast) in the first round at 7 p.m., Friday, Nov. 9.

This is the fourth NCAA postseason appearance in the last-five years for the Cougars, a first for the program. The recent success is one of the best stretches in women's athletics history at Washington State.

Cougar volleyball made five-straight NCAA Championship appearances (1993-97) and three-straight (2000-02). From 1998-2002, Cougar tennis appeared in four NCAA Championships. Washington State women's golf made six-consecutive NCAA regional appearances (2002-07). Cougar rowing was invited to the NCAA Championship three times from 2003-06. In addition, women's outdoor track & field has been represented at the NCAA Championships each of the last-17 seasons.

"This hopefully starts to solidify us as a regular in the NCAAs, four of the last five years," Cougar Head Coach Keidane McAlpine said. "Keeping travel in this time zone gives us a chance to one, make sure our academics stay in focus, but, two, get the proper rest and preparation time. There's nothing like playing in front of great fans and great energy."

The Cougars finished tied for fourth in the Pac-12 and are one of six-conference schools in the tournament along with regular season champion Stanford and at-large bid recipients Arizona State, California, UCLA and Washington.


"It'll be nice to stay close (to home)," senior Mariah Cameron said. "I think everyone is very excited to get a chance to play Portland."

The Cougars are no strangers to the Pilots, as the two schools met in Portland, Ore., during the 2011 season. WSU also played in Portland against Texas during the 2008 NCAA First Round.

"It is nice to have played there last year, in a competitive game as well" junior Rachael Doyle said. "It's a great facility to play at."

Junior Micaela Castain leads Washington State with 11 goals, which ranks tied for second in the Pac-12. Castain is also tied for first in the conference with five game-winning goals and is tied for fourth with 23 points. Senior Brandi Vega and freshman Kourtney Guetlein have each recorded five assists which ranks them tied for fourth in the Pac-12. Vega is also ninth in points with 19 and tied for 10th with seven goals. Goalkeeper Gurveen Clair's 0.92 goals against average is third best in the Pac-12.

4. What are the five best first-round games this weekend?

Washington State at Portland: Only two teams scored multiple goals against Stanford this season. One was Penn State, which could probably put up multiple goals on some national teams. The other was Washington State. Granted, those goals came in a 3-2 loss, but that result and a 0-0 draw against UCLA are intriguing, as Washington State faces a Portland team that hit its stride in scoring 17 goals in a six-game unbeaten streak to close the regular season.

A_Fan wrote:Good interview, thanks for posting it. They certainly had good things to say about playing at Merlo, despite not having success there.

DoubleDipper wrote:

A_Fan wrote:Good interview, thanks for posting it. They certainly had good things to say about playing at Merlo, despite not having success there.

Just remember this game comes under the auspices of the NCAA …. the atmosphere will not be quite as good as during the regular season.

I’m sure Geez can quote the rules, but I know that “noise makers” will be banned, and for you part-time attendees at UP Women’s Soccer games, blacksheep, there will be no alcoholic beverages served in the Pilot Club.

The Pilots women’s soccer team has made the NCAA playoffs as a #4 seed this year! The Pilots host Washington State on Friday, November 9 at 7:00 pm at Merlo Field. Tickets are on sale now at the Chiles Center Box office at (503) 943-7525 or online at ticketmaster.com. Ticket prices are: $15 reserved stadium chairs, $13 reserved benchback, $10 GA and $5 students and youth. For more information visit Portlandpilots.com.


Pre-Game Reception at 5:30 p.m. in the Cove

WHEN: Friday, November 9, 2012
WHAT: Pre-game reception at 5:30 p.m.
Portland vs. Washington State women's soccer match at 7:00 p.m.
WHERE: The Cove, Campus
WHO: All UP alumni, family & friends
RSVP: By contacting the Office of Alumni Relations at alumni@up.edu
COST: $5/per person includes food and soft drinks, cash bar will serve beer and wine

PilotNut wrote:My goodness!! Pilots advance after 9 rounds of PK's... Erin Dees with 3 HUGE saves on WSU PK's.... wow!

harryb wrote:And Dees scored on the 5th penalty kick. It takes a lot of chutzpah to send your goalie up fifth.