Portland Hosts Tennessee Saturday

Kickoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. and the contest will be televised live on Comcast SportsNet (channel 37).

Photo courtesy: University of Portland Athletics

PORTLAND, Ore. - The No. 2 seed Portland Pilots (17-3-0) return to the friendly confines of Merlo Field at the Clive Charles Soccer Complex for a NCAA third round match against the No. 3 seed Tennessee Lady Vols (15-4-2). Kickoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. and the contest will be televised live on Comcast SportsNet (channel 37).

Portland advanced to the third round for the eighth consecutive season despite being forced to play on the road for the first two rounds.

The Pilots were shipped to Boulder, Colo. and defeated Denver 5-0 last Friday, before disposing of host Colorado by a 1-0 margin on Sunday.

Freshman Sophie Schmidt scored three goals on the weekend, including the game-winner against the Buffaloes. Sophomore Michelle Enyeart added a goal and three assists.

The Pilots extended their winning streak to 10 matches and have shut out their last eight opponents. During the win streak, Portland is outscoring the opposition 30-1. The team ranks second nationally in goals-against average (0.447) and 11th in scoring (2.55).

The Pilots wrapped up the fourth perfect West Coast Conference season in school history with a 7-0-0 record in league play.

Portland swept the WCC awards with Angie Woznuk earning Player of the Year honors, Stephanie Lopez taking Defender of the Year honors, Keelin Winters being the third straight Pilot to be named Freshman of the Year, and Garrett Smith taking home his second Coach of the Year award.

Portland’s winning streak has coincided with the return of senior defender Stephanie Lopez from World Cup duty and position change of Schmidt from defense to striker.

Lopez started for the USA at left back and helped the team to a third-place finish, while Schmidt started all three of Canada’s matches at the World Cup. In her 10 games up top, Schmidt has seven goals and five assists.

The positional change was in response to twin sisters Rachael (4g in 4 games) and Megan Rapinoe (USA National Team, unanimous All-American) being sidelined for the remainder of the season with torn ACL’s.

Enyeart leads the Pilots with 33 points (9g, 15a) and is one assist shy of the school’s single-season record, while Woznuk is second overall with 23 points (8g, 7a).

Sophomore Kelsey Davis has been Portland’s primary goalkeeper, starting 15 matches with a 0.35 goals-against average (No. 2 nationally) and 33 saves. Davis enters Saturday’s match riding a 567-minute shutout streak.

Head coach Garrett Smith is in his fifth year at the helm and posts a career record of 95-14-7.

Smith led the Pilots to the 2005 NCAA Championship, making Portland just the third school to win multiple titles. Portland’s next victory will be the 400th in school history.

Scouting Tennessee

The University of Tennessee earned a No. 3 seed in the 2007 NCAA playoffs. The Lady Vols are ranked No. 15 nationally in the NSCAA final regular season rankings.

Tennessee will play in their fifth Sweet 16 in program history after topping Furman (2-0) and Clemson (1-0) in the first and second rounds, respectively.

The Lady Vols are looking for their first-ever NCAA quarterfinal appearance. The Lady Vols are playing in their seventh consecutive NCAA tournament and have compiled a 10-5-2 record in the NCAA postseason.

The team is led by SEC Offensive Player of the Year in Kylee Rossi, who, with her two goals last weekend, is now Tennessee’s most prolific goal scorer in program history.

Rossi leads the squad with 30 points on 12 goals and six assists. Tennessee has posted 11 shutouts this season, while junior goalkeeper Jaimel Johnson has a 0.78 goals-against average.

Head coach Angela Kelly is in her eighth season at the helm of Tennessee.

Portland-Tennessee Series

The teams have met just one time, with Portland claiming a 2-0 win in a 1998 match played at Merlo Field.

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