THIS WEEK'S ACTION
PORTLAND PILOTS at
#15 UC IRVINE ANTEATERS
Thursday, Sept. 22 - 7:00 p.m.
Irvine, Calif. - Anteater Stadium
#15 UC IRVINE ANTEATERS at
SAN DIEGO TOREROS
Sunday, Sept. 25 - 7:30 p.m.
San Diego, Calif. - Torero Stadium
UCI is coming off a tough home loss to WCC foe, Saint Mary's. a week after tying with WCC opponent, Santa Clara. The 'Eaters will follow that up with two more WCC schools with a short trip to USD preceded by a visit from national power, Portland.
NOR-CAL FOUL: UCI looked to rebound from a tough road test against Nor-Cal powers, Santa Clara and Stanford. They hosted another Nor-Cal school in Saint Mary's and got more than they bargained for.
Despite being unranked, the Gaels were on a roll with a 6-1-1 record winning their last five matches. They would come into Anteater Stadium and hand the Anteaters their second straight loss, 2-1.
UCI had their opportunities right down to the final horn. Sarah Devine (San Diego / Poway HS) was denied by the crossbar while CoCo Goodson (Ramona / University of Texas) took a shot from 10 yards away, but sailed it high, all coming in the final minute.
HEADS UP: This week's match is a crucial turning point for the women's soccer program. Not only are they looking for a win, there is expected to be a near-capacity crowd for the match. Spectators are advised to show up early if they want a ticket and to avoid any parking issues.
PORTLAND PILOTS: The Pilots have been an interesting case this season. At one point, they were ranked fourth, sitting at 2-0 including a win over No. 4 Florida State.
In the blink of an eye, they had lost three consecutive matches to unranked opponents falling out of the rankings in most polls.
The Pilots are 4-4-1 and 32nd according to Topdrawersoccer.com's rankings. They have recently beaten Oregon State and USC, tied Washington, and fallen to No. 1 Stanford.
Year in and year out, Portland is a title contender and highly-ranked ever since their national championship years of 2002 and 2005. Despite their stumble, the Thursday night match will surely be worth the price of admission.
The Pilots have mixed up the lineup and the keeper in 2011, but Danielle Foxhoven (5 G, 2 GWG) and Michaela Capelle (4 A) remain the scoring leaders for the Pilots.
The schools have met four times with Portland winning each match. This is their first trip to UCI. The two have not met since 2002 which resulted in a 2-0 Pilot victory.
SAN DIEGO TOREROS: USD was off to a flying start with wins over Missouri, USC, and Pacific. They have faltered against LBSU, No. 20 UCF, and No. 4 Oklahoma State with a victory over Texas sandwich in-between. The Toreros' 5-4 mark has been solid.
USD is led by premier player Stephanie Ochs (6 G, 1 A, 1 GWG) who is complimented by Natalie Garcia (4 G, 1 GWG). Keeper Courtney Parsons (9 GA, 31 SV) has been a solid defender as well.
UCI is 5-10 all-time against the Toreros. They bested USD last season with a 1-0 at home.
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