2021 Season

DoubleDipper wrote:

A_Fan wrote: Too bad there was such a sparse crowd there to enjoy it.

Mid-week games coupled with the threat of rain are just tough for people to get to, especially for those with school age children.  The August thru mid-September games are always better attended.

It should be dry for Saturday's game against SCU, and I was going to attend, but if I'm honest, I would rather stay home in my leather lounge chair now that I know I can watch it on television (KOIN) instead of spending an hour in traffic and risk getting rained on while sitting in a less comfortable chair.

While living in England for eight years we never gave a second thought to attending matches at least every other Saturday, but now there are just so many other sporting events (college football) we can watch simultaneously through the magic of DVRs, etc., that staying home just seems the better option.

Terrific reasoning, DD.

I’ll remember that when BYU basketball comes to the Chiles center.

Geezaldinho wrote:Terrific reasoning, DD.

I’ll remember that when BYU basketball comes to the Chiles center.

I am honestly disappointed it took someone this long to call me out!

I will be at the game...

Unfortunately It doesn't seem like the best option for the team who could really use the support from fans in seats at Merlo. I'm glad you changed your mind!

Yes, it would be nice to watch at home on TV, but we will be there to support the team.

There is no bad weather, only bad gear.

PS - The weather was great for San Diego.

Those of us who went to the game saw a historic win.
Those of you who stayed home apparently watched the score line in the middle of the screen.

Great job, CBS.

Well done!

Glad I was shamed into attending...

We watched the first 20 minutes on TV and got so frustrated with the slow moving double screen, that we switched and watched an episode of Grimm, then came back and nervously watched the last 20 minutes of Pilot defense. Missed the goals, but the win was fun.

bullwinkle wrote:We watched the first 20 minutes on TV and got so frustrated with the slow moving double screen, that we switched and watched an episode of Grimm, then came back and nervously watched the last 20 minutes of Pilot defense.   Missed the goals, but the win was fun.  

It turns out the WCC web feed that UP linked to didn’t have that issue.

But both goals were in periods when the scrolling double screen didn’t obscure what happened.

The full match is up on YouTube without the scrolling screen here:

Here is an emotional post game interview with Michelle French after the game

It appeared to be the biggest crowd of the season (not sure how many were disappointed Santa Clara fans) who were treated to a great game by the Pilots.

A_Fan wrote:It appeared to be the biggest crowd of the season (not sure how many were disappointed Santa Clara fans) who were treated to a great game by the Pilots.

At just under 1300 fans, it was a far cry from when the Pilots would draw three times as many fans to the games, but it was still a good turnout...about equal to the USF and Colorado College Saturday games, I would guess.  But as UP was facing SCU, it was a lot more spirited crowd for sure.

Doubt we will ever again see the big crowds of 15-20 years ago now that there is so much parity among college teams, but a crowd in excess of 2,000 would be nice to see again.

The men have gone over 2,000 twice this season, but one game, Air Force, was at the end orientation week, and the other was against a very good Oregon State team.  The men also had over 1700 at the UW game, and I think it is worth noting that all of these games were on a Friday night...not mid-week or Monday.

DoubleDipper wrote:

A_Fan wrote:It appeared to be the biggest crowd of the season (not sure how many were disappointed Santa Clara fans) who were treated to a great game by the Pilots.

At just under 1300 fans, it was a far cry from when the Pilots would draw three times as many fans to the games, but it was still a good turnout...about equal to the USF and Colorado College Saturday games, I would guess.  But as UP was facing SCU, it was a lot more spirited crowd for sure.

Doubt we will ever again see the big crowds of 15-20 years ago now that there is so much parity among college teams, but a crowd in excess of 2,000 would be nice to see again.

The men have gone over 2,000 twice this season, but one game, Air Force, was at the end orientation week, and the other was against a very good Oregon State team.  The men also had over 1700 at the UW game, and I think it is worth noting that all of these games were on a Friday night...not mid-week or Monday.

I think you recollections of what attendance was like 20 years ago is a bit foggy.

We did fill the stadium occasionally but average attendance wasn’t what you recall.

Looking at the 2001 statistics shows an average attendance of 1440 in a year the team went to the semifinals. The  big game that year was the Quarterfinals against Texas, which drew 2132 at Merlo.

The next year saw an average attendance of 1682 for 10 home dates and we won our first National Championship.  The big Santa Clara rivalry game drew 2552 on a sunny Sunday in a year both teams played the championship game.


2003 saw Santa Clara at merlo for the quarterfinals. That  matchup saw an attendance of 3440.
The game before that was the round of 16 game against Nebraska which drew 982.

For every game we filled the stadium, there were dates where fans came in droves centered around 900. Several WCC matchups had attendance in the 500-600 range (inexplicably, 2550 showed up the watch UP drub USF 8-0.)

There wasn’t any COVID issue in those years and one level of fan competition that didn’t exist was the pro team across town.

The regular larger crowds didn’t come until after Clive was gone, unfortunately, I attribute it to soccer under the lights and to a somewhat more aggressive marketing plan under Larry Williams which included more exposure from things like regular TV broadcasts and that local reporters caught on that something special was going on in the Sinclair- Rapinoe years.  ( and, of course, UP was in the tournament every year until near  the end of the Smith era)

The big attendance years are more recent than you recall.
In 2014 attendance was almost 3000, and in Sinclair’s junior year (2004) the attendance was just over 2000. Keep in mind that the Thorns were also a draw in 2014 and now since and Sinclair has been playing across town.

It’s nice to see Scott has a new 3 year local tv deal which will include at least some soccer dates. Perhaps additional exposure will entice more fans out.


The program is back on the rise, and with it will come more fans.

The women had their first winning season in conference since 2013   when we went to the tournament.

They finished 9-8 overall and 5-4 in conference.

They are headed in the right direction.

WCC awards are out.

Nedya Sawan garnered first team all WCC honors on the strength of a 12 goal 2 assist season

Ellie Walker got her first WCC award by being named to the second team.
Taryn Ríes got honorable mention for he fourth WCC award
And keeper Bre Norris made the all freshman team, arching Cori Alexa Dre’s freshman effort of 64 saves.

https://portlandpilots.com/news/2021/11/11/womens-soccer-sawan-makes-all-wcc-first-team-four-pilots-earn-honors.aspx

The pilots signed 8 new players for the 2022 campaign.

Forward Brooke Miller from San Diego
San Diego Surf club

Forward Jessica Bowman from Mamaroneck NY
New York Soccer Club,

Defender Isabella Yakel from Long Beach CA
Slammers Fc club.

Midfielder Ruby Settle from Seattle
O.L.Reign  club

Midfielder Violet Rademacher from Boise
O.L.Reign club
She will apparently arrive on the bluff in January.

Forward Kate Howes from Bountiful Utah
La Roca SC

keeper Abby Pressnell  from Lake Grove HS
NW Elite SC

Defender Katana Norman from Arcadia CA
Southern California Blues SC

Welcome!

It looks like Frenchie went far afield this year.

It's heartening to see UP recruiting successfully from beyond the NW again, though it's still mostly a West Coast group. I remember (fondly) the days when we all watched the national recruiting spreadsheet to see which of the top recruits might be headed our way. More recently, it's just been a bunch of the top Portland-area players and a few from Washington, though there have been some excellent players amongst them.

SoreKnees wrote:It's heartening to see UP recruiting successfully from beyond the NW again, though it's still mostly a West Coast group. I remember (fondly) the days when we all watched the national recruiting spreadsheet to see which of the top recruits might be headed our way. More recently, it's just been a bunch of the top Portland-area players and a few from Washington, though there have been some excellent players amongst them.

I’m puzzled where your fondness for the National recruiting days comes from. It never existed. About 95% of UP teams were from the three West Coast states. Half were traditionally local (Oregon and Washington) and half were California.UP has never really recruited outside of regions 3 and 4, West of the 100th meridian.

If you think otherwise, pray tell who these National recruits were.

It has always been a West Coast group. Other than the odd international, previous regimes won championships with virtually no East coast players.

Clive never had an East coast player while I watched them, and I’ve seen virtually the entire history of UP in division 1 (1992) I can’t think of any East coast player who came here while he lived.
Clive did get the odd Import from far places like Australia, Mexico, and Finland,  but those were exceptions. His foreign recruiting was largely Canada, and most of that was BC.

Garrett raised  Clive’s total of 0 East coast players to three  players from the East, recruiting UP’s first ever player from the East Coast, Michelle Scifo  (Long Island NY) Alison Weatherington and Michelle Olivier ( both Georgia)  There just werent any other players from the East. About as far afield as UP has ever recruited regularly  is Utah and Texas. (ok, Young was from Kansas, Bleinlich was from Minnesota).
He also got the odd import, including a German keeper. He also can claim Canadian Sophie Schmidt.
He had mixed success going to Utah and Colorado.

The best team UP ever had is arguably the 2005 23 player roster.
9 of those kids hailed from Oregon or Washington.  
9 more came from California, including the Rapinoe sisters and Lopez, who’s parents could come see on a long day trip car ride.
Of the remaining 5, two were Canadian, ( Sinclair and Elsa Hume) and they were both just across the border in Victoria and Burnaby. One was from Arizona ( Evans) , still region 3 and one was from Minnesota (Bleinlich)
That left Michelle Scifo, the first recruit from regions 1 or 2.


The core of recruiting has always been from the states bordering the West coast., specifically Washington, Oregon, and California in region 4 and Texas and Arizona in region 3.
It’s who we have always been.

If you want to remember the days of widespread recruiting, look to Frenchie and now. The last two rosters have sported East coast players (2) as well as players from Sweden, Germany (2), and Quebec, Nyota Katembo is our first Canadian since Sophie Schmidt.

Great rundown, Geezer!!

Is all this information stashed away somewhere in your head or do you have piles and piles of paper for your research sitting around in your home office?

DoubleDipper wrote:Great rundown, Geezer!!

Is all this information stashed away somewhere in your head or do you have piles and piles of paper for your research sitting around in your home office?

It’s all carefully catalogued in the Geezer Pilot Archives

Marvelous filing system.

How'd you get in my office?

Geezaldinho wrote:WCC awards are out.
Taryn Ríes got honorable mention for her fourth WCC award

Taryn has signed to play in Sweden...

https://www.columbian.com/news/2022/jan/24/in-the-community-ex-ridgefield-portland-soccer-star-ries-signs-with-swedish-pro-club/

Good for her and good luck.

  Natalie Muth was playing for  BIIK Kazygurt in Kazakhstan, and has signed during the winter signing window to play for SD Eibar in Spain  until the end of this season.


https://reinasdelbalon.com/carmen-alvarez-y-natalie-muth-son-los-primeros-refuerzos-del-mercado-invernal-del-sd-eibar/

She’s the second Pilot playing in the Spanish first division, along with Amanda Frisbie who moved from Madrid CFF  to Atletico Madrid this season.