2018 Season

I only caught the first half of the match and do not want to really comment on much more of the play without having seen the second. It seems that the offense kept pouring it on with another goal and then the own goal (set up from Michel's (?) stellar offensive play) from JU. The defense in the first half was a little shaky to my untrained eye, but I am pleased with the final result.

Does anyone else feel like this team is better than the last two year's teams?

After review and discussion, the "own goal" off the Jacksonville keeper was ruled a goal for Benji....his 5th of the season, so far.  

Yeah, I think the team is better, but they are less experienced and still learning to work together.  Benji and Rey are certainly the catalyst for good things to come, but there is still a lot of room for development before WCC play begins.

Great move to give highly touted freshman Alejandro Pereira the opportunity to score his first collegiate goal.  He had an interesting slow runup to the ball and a relatively soft shot into the back of the net, but as the keeper was going in the opposite direction to the ball, it was a GOAL!

IMO the best goal of the season so far was the long cross from Rey to Benji for the header against Cal Poly, but Saturday night's free kick from Rey to Esteban Calvo for his first goal at the college level was in a similar class.

I thought that Saturday night was a decent performance against a rather weak opponent (0-5-0). The Pilots came out very sharp and ripped the defense apart easily for the two goals. After that, they seemed to lose the edge, conceding on the corner kick and giving JU a bunch of looks in the box that could have ended up in our net. The passing was off for the middle hour of the match, trying risky passes and ending up giving the ball away.

The last 15 minutes they really got things to go their way and finished the final two goals.

If you told me that we would lead for 88 minutes, score two goals in the first 8 minutes, and win 4-1, I'd think that this one was easy, but it never felt easy sitting in the stands. For most of the match we were one mistake away from level, and the young, still-uncoordinated defense makes some mistakes.

My underrated man of the match this week is Greg Tracey, #16. He was so solid in the middle of the park. He never put a foot wrong, rarely gave the ball away, and often enough beat his man to start a promising attack. It's lovely to think about the possibility of Tracey and Arteaga playing together for three more years in the middle of the Pilots' squad. What a great core around which to recruit!

What a total team game last night. Keenan Weekes was outstanding! Some absolutely spectacular saves! did not hear the names of the outside backs at all, which means that they were doing their job against one of the best offences in D1. Had to look up the name of the starting left back. For the first time I think that this team is poised to do some damage this year.

Please get out and enjoy Benji Michel while you can. He is a generational player that you won't see on the bluff every year. Good to see Malcolm Dixon back on the field, thought that he had a good run. #lettheseniorsplay

That was a big win last night and I agree with CanadianPilot’s comments!

Agreed. Probably their best overall performance. The dominance they showed against an excellent opponent in the first half was really impressive. They were hanging on by their fingernails (or, perhaps, Weekes's fingernails) at the end, but they did hold on and that should build a lot of confidence.

I hope that they can avoid a let-down against American on Sunday.

SoreKnees wrote:I hope that they can avoid a let-down against American on Sunday.

IMO they probably cannot avoid some let-down after being sky-high all week about the opportunity to play (and beat) UW. And as both President Father Mark and VP-Athletics Scott were seen running to congratulate Coach Nick after the game, I think the excitement affected everyone.

Most noticed that Rey did not play against UW, and there will probably be even more players getting some rest against American, but that bodes well for the reserves who will get well-earned minutes tomorrow evening, bringing even more excitement to the game.

I know it's not the "5th Week" yet, when RPI is supposed to matter, but the Pilots are at #20 and UW is still at #18, while American is #192, and next Friday's opponent, OSU, is #55.

Always nice to beat those state schools, but American, a Methodist-affiliated school in Washington, DC, could present the Pilots a problem if the guys aren't ready for them.

CanadianPilot wrote:What a total team game last night. Keenan Weekes was outstanding! Some absolutely spectacular saves! did not hear the names of the outside backs at all, which means that they were doing their job against one of the best offences in D1. Had to look up the name of the starting left back. For the first time I think that this team is poised to do some damage this year.  

Please get out and enjoy Benji Michel while you can. He is a generational player that you won't see on the bluff every year. Good to see Malcolm Dixon back on the field, thought that he had a good run. #lettheseniorsplay

Benji Michel is a pleasure to watch. Not just the ability but the effort level and constant pressure he puts on are off the charts. Surely can play professionally if that's his goal.

What a fiasco.

UP  got beat by American 2-2 in a poorly played and officiated match. (They celebrated at the end, we covered our heads)

Up rested starters and the people who took their place weren’t up to the task, making American look like Uruguay in the early going and giving up a goal. Jabari in ocular didn’t help is quest for mor minutes.

Resting The team captain on a team that has had defensive problems all year was a mistake, it the messag to the players that they could mail it in. The result was negating the good for beating UW.

The officiating was horrible. center Randy Hoffman was in a daze, or in shock from calling 49 fouls ( 31 on American) and 12 yellow cards and a red  and  missing two last man red card fouls and trying to pretend he didn’t see a thrown retaliation punch. The whole officiating crew was struck blind on that one. The assistant referee called back a goal for offside that clearly wasn’t, raising the question if he was the sideline official on yesterday’s Thorns match. Twice their keeper pulled Neymar fake injuries, and at one point rolled into Benji pretending to be hurt the ref did nothing and missed Weeks getting targeted on a ball in the air.

The ref lost control when he failed to call the first last man penalty. At a point, the foul floodgates opened.

UP didn’t help it’s ranking with this performance, probably ensuring that it will take the Auto bid to make the tournament. We dropped from 15 to 35 in the RPI tonight.


The only saving grace was 12 seconds of good play ending in Geo’s shot to come back to even right after American’s go-ahead goal around the 81st minute.

But for all the pretty passing UP did, they again fell into the trap of not responding well to physical play, and until they learn to respond with goals, other teams will foul our skill players. Only putting 30% or shots on frame is not acceptable for a team that wants to go places. They keep that up and I’ll make them pay for the dents to my car in the parking lot. We were up a man for 45 minutes and were ineffective. Credit the American coaching staff for doing their homework on our response to physical play.

As it was, we took 34 shots ( 10 on goal) and that resulted in only 2 goals. American shot 10 times and turned 2 of their 3 ShOG into scores.

Kudos to the few dozen fans and 20 or so students who showed up. It was probably a wise choice for those who chose other options.

I largely agree with this assessment. The early defensive blunders were shocking and should have had us down 2-0 within 15 minutes were it not for a very generous bounce off the post.

However, I thought that the Pilots' midfield play was quite excellent and that they created lots of chances. They just hit the side netting far too often and were denied by a couple of good saves. If a couple more go in (as they should have and most days would have) we are talking about an easy 4-2 win and saying that, despite winning handily, there are still a few things to fix.

The officiating was truly dreadful. The center lost control of the match early by not calling any fouls, which left him having to go to his pocket repeatedly later on. I wonder what would have happened if he had taken control early by calling the little stuff (or even the medium-sized stuff). Is American always a bunch of thugs or did they adopt that style because the referee allowed it?

What is it about playing against 10 men? Both of the Pilots' draws have come in matches in which they have played for a long period against a short-handed (short-footed?) opponent. As is often the case even with very good teams, they seem to have trouble scoring when the opponents pack the box, even when there is one fewer opponent. What's the antidote? More runs from deep? Quicker ball movement?

I don't have much to add that hasn't already been said. It was a very frustrating match to watch, with the Pilots missing multiple point-blank opportunities... I agree that the midfield was a bright spot, if there was one. The officiating crew was clearly in over their heads.

Hopefully this match will help avoid a similar result in conference play.

SoreKnees wrote:The officiating was truly dreadful..... Is American always a bunch of thugs or did they adopt that style because the referee allowed it?

Wow, I have never before seen a ref so unable to handle a game both emotionally and technically.  I'm told he was highly regarded coming in to the game....and if that is so, college soccer needs to act now to attract capable referees or the game will be unwatchable.

Thirty-one fouls called against American, about 60% of what they actually committed, as the ref often just looked away from the big fouls, seemingly unable to cope with what he was seeing.

The second goal for American was off a direct kick just outside the box following a UP foul that on replay showed was more of a flop than anything else.

Rey did not start, and apparently was not going to play while resting his injures for bigger matches ahead, but when the Pilots fell behind early he was substituted-in, and the result was a reinjury of his groin that looked very painful and debilitating.

As difficult as it may be, the team, staff, and fans have to move on from this game, but still use it as motivation for improvement.  Refs make bad calls...deal with it, don't argue it, get up off your butt and play hard like you've been trained to do all your life!

Unrelated to all of the above discussion:

I have been really looking forward to the men's team match at Coastal Carolina since I figured I would drive over and watch, but with the wrath of Florence, many of the roads to Conway and Myrtle Beach are closed and unsafe to drive. The Chanticleers have not played a home match in any sport since the storm.

Two volleyball games they had scheduled for this Friday (21st) and Saturday (22nd) in Georgia were postponed. Their football and women's soccer teams will be away for their upcoming matches regardless. The women's soccer match that would have been held at home last Sunday (16th) was postponed. Their men's soccer match for this Friday (21st) that is away in Virginia against William & Mary appears to still be on. The UP game would be their first home match in any sport post-hurricane. Their campus remains closed as of today (18th).

I will try to keep updated as to their status.

SouthCarolinaPilot wrote:Unrelated to all of the above discussion:

I will try to keep updated as to their status.

Thanks! We're all hoping that you're high and (relatively) dry!

SoreKnees wrote:

SouthCarolinaPilot wrote:Unrelated to all of the above discussion:

I will try to keep updated as to their status.

Thanks! We're all hoping that you're high and (relatively) dry!

Thank you for the concern! We are all good in my neighborhood!

The real focus should be with the coastal communities in North Carolina and the Grand Strand/Pee Dee region of SC. It looks like a long recovery ahead.

The latest coaches poll is out.

UP is at 15.  UW is at 16, SMC is at 17, and coastal Carolina is 24th.

Syracuse dropped completely out of the poll.

SouthCarolinaPilot wrote:Unrelated to all of the above discussion:

I have been really looking forward to the men's team match at Coastal Carolina since I figured I would drive over and watch, but with the wrath of Florence, many of the roads to Conway and Myrtle Beach are closed and unsafe to drive. The Chanticleers have not played a home match in any sport since the storm.

Two volleyball games they had scheduled for this Friday (21st) and Saturday (22nd) in Georgia were postponed. Their football and women's soccer teams will be away for their upcoming matches regardless. The women's soccer match that would have been held at home last Sunday (16th) was postponed. Their men's soccer match for this Friday (21st) that is away in Virginia against William & Mary appears to still be on. The UP game would be their first home match in any sport post-hurricane. Their campus remains closed as of today (18th).

I will try to keep updated as to their status.

Update on Coastal Carolina: classes are cancelled through Friday, September 28th, but faculty and staff are still reporting to work.

https://www.coastal.edu/coastal-now/news/advisory/

Their football team appears to still be traveling to Louisiana for their game this week. Their men's soccer team WILL play their match AT William and Mary this weekend. No word yet on the UP game. Per the CCU men's soccer Twitter, the team appears to have been in Florida at UCF and Stetson training during the time since the Hurricane.

https://goccusports.com/news/2018/9/20/mens-soccer-after-long-layoff-ccu-soccer-back-on-the-pitch.aspx

Edit: this pre-match report from us seems to indicate that the match at Coastal Carolina is still on...

https://portlandpilots.com/news/2018/9/20/msoc-pilots-follow-home-match-vs-osu-with-a-trip-to-no-24-coastal-carolina.aspx

SouthCarolinaPilot wrote:Update on Coastal Carolina: classes are cancelled through Friday, September 28th, but faculty and staff are still reporting to work.
No word yet on the UP game.
Edit: ….pre-match report from us seems to indicate that the match at Coastal Carolina is still on...  

As of late tonight the match is still on, but it will NOT be played at Coastal Carolina in Conway where flooding is still expected to get worse as the water continues to drain south before heading into the Atlantic.  The most likely venue for the game is probably Charleston.  

Decision to be made by Friday afternoon...

Another excellent game against a Pac-12 school results in a win over the Beavers on Malcolm's back-heeled second career goal and another game winner from Benji.

Little sleep tonight for the team as they head to the airport in a few hours to play Coastal Carolina in Charleston at the home of the USL's Charleston Battery on Monday.  The game will be streamed live at 4pm.PDT....

https://goccusports.com/watch/?Live=11&type=Live

DoubleDipper wrote:Another excellent game against a Pac-12 school results in a win over the Beavers on Malcolm's back-heeled second career goal and another game winner from Benji.

Little sleep tonight for the team as they head to the airport in a few hours to play Coastal Carolina in Charleston at the home of the USL's Charleston Battery on Monday.  The game will be streamed live at 4pm.PDT....

https://goccusports.com/watch/?Live=11&type=Live

Thanks, DD. Let's see: Pilots women's live stats today, men on line Chrome-casted to my TV tonight, Thorns tomorrow, Pilots women in real life at Merlo on Sunday, Pilots men on line Chrome-casted to my TV on Monday, ....

Here’s the twitter link to the highlights.

https://twitter.com/portlandpilots/status/1043380634398294016?s=21

DoubleDipper wrote:Another excellent game against a Pac-12 school results in a win over the Beavers on Malcolm's back-heeled second career goal and another game winner from Benji.

Little sleep tonight for the team as they head to the airport in a few hours to play Coastal Carolina in Charleston at the home of the USL's Charleston Battery on Monday.  The game will be streamed live at 4pm.PDT....

https://goccusports.com/watch/?Live=11&type=Live

I’m happy with the win!

Thanks for the update. Charleston is easy for me to get to actually. But, with the match being moved to Monday night, I just don’t think I can make that work.

Perhaps Jarad van Shaik can be the lone Pilot fan supporting the team?

Geezaldinho wrote:Here’s the twitter link to the highlights.

https://twitter.com/portlandpilots/status/1043380634398294016?s=21

Thanks for posting this. I couldn't see at all what happened on the Dixon goal. It just looked like the ball walked into the net with both players on the ground.

What does the EMC on the uniform shirts stand for? I really hadn't noticed it in person.

SoreKnees wrote:

Geezaldinho wrote:Here’s the twitter link to the highlights.

https://twitter.com/portlandpilots/status/1043380634398294016?s=21

Thanks for posting this. I couldn't see at all what happened on the Dixon goal. It just looked like the ball walked into the net with both players on the ground.

What does the EMC on the uniform shirts stand for? I really hadn't noticed it in person.

EMC stands for Earle M. Chiles, a great supporter of UP athletics. May he rest in peace.

https://www.oregonlive.com/portland/index.ssf/2016/06/portland_businessman_and_phila.html

SoreKnees wrote:What does the EMC on the uniform shirts stand for? I really hadn't noticed it in person.

The UP soccer and basketball teams have been wearing the patch honoring Earle M. Chiles since the 2016-2017 seasons.  I believe the original plan was to wear the patch for just a season, so the patch may begin disappearing as new uniforms are ordered.

A major supporter of Pilot Athletics,  Earle was named to the Pilots Athletics Hall of Fame in 1994.

Earle, who died in June 2016, had been a UP regent since 1975, and donated to many educational and medical causes throughout his lifetime.  He donated at least $10 million to UP, including $2 million to begin building the Chiles Center (named after his parents) in the early-80s.