COMING UP: Portland and Santa Clara, the two previous NCAA Champions, will meet again in postseason play on Sun., Nov. 23 at 1:00 p.m. at Merlo Field. The third round matchup between the perennial soccer powers features two programs that have advanced to the College Cup a combined 16 times, but only one team will get that opportunity this year. The Pilots, who have reached the semifinals in seven of their 10 previous NCAA berths, received a No. 8 seed, while the Broncos were seeded ninth. The winner will advance to the quarterfinals and take either No. 1 North Carolina, or Purdue.

LIVESTATS ON THE INTERNET: The Portland/Santa Clara match will have live stats via the internet on the University of Portland athletic web site. Check out the action at: http://www.portlandpilots.com/livestats/wsoccer/xlive.htm.

A QUICK LOOK AT PORTLAND: Last year, Portland won the school’s first NCAA National Championship with a 2-1 double overtime win over conference rival Santa Clara in the College Cup Championship. The 2002 team finished with a 20-4-2 overall record, 4-2-1 in the West Coast Conference. The Pilots went 7-2-1 at home, 6-2-1 on the road and 7-0-0 at neutral sites in 2002. Portland ran through the NCAA Playoffs, recording five consecutive shutouts before having to come from behind to take the title in the final game.

Portland has earned 11 berths to the NCAA Tournament in the last 12 years, only missing the playoffs in 1999. The Pilots are 15-1 all-time at Merlo Field in postseason play, with their only loss coming to Notre Dame (1-0) in the 1994 semifinals. The program boasts a 27-9 all-time playoff record en routed to seven College Cup appearances.

ABOUT SANTA CLARA: The Broncos are making their 15th consecutive NCAA postseason appearance and have advanced to nine College Cups. Ranked No. 3 in all four national polls at the end of the regular season, the Broncos earned a No. 9 seed in the NCAA Tournament. Santa Clara (14-3-5) claimed the WCC outright championship after posting a 6-0-1 conference mark. The Broncos advanced by beating Stanford, 1-0 in the first round on Marian Dalmy’s second half goal. SCU edged No. 22 Arizona State, 1-0 in the second round as Tina Estrada netted the game-winner in the 23rd minute.

Head coach Jerry Smith’s team is led by WCC Player of the Year Leslie Osborne, who has 28 points on the season (11g, 6a). Osborne was joined on the all-WCC first team by senior Chardonnay Poole and freshmen Lauren Zealear and Julie Ryder. Zealear was named the WCC Freshman of the Year, while Ryder has logged 1,357 minutes in goal for the Broncos, posting a 0.46 goals-against average. Estrada is the team’s second leading scorer with seven goals and four assists.

FAMILIAR WITH THE FIELD: Portland has played nine members of the NCAA 64-team field this season, compiling a 5-3-1 against those teams. The Pilots beat Stanford, Pepperdine, Colorado, Texas and Washington. Santa Clara, Denver and Connecticut handed Portland their three losses, while San Diego pulled out a tie against Portland to close out the regular season.

NCAA FIRST ROUND: Lindsey Huie’s header in the 23rd minute was the only score Portland needed as they beat Denver, 1-0 in the first round of the 2003 NCAA Tournament. Huie, a redshirt sophomore from Mission Viejo, Calif., started the sequence that led to the score. She found junior Kristen Rogers down the right sideline unmarked, then circled back into the penalty box awaiting the cross. Rogers beat one defender and centered to Huie who placed the header into the upper left of the goal. It was the 11th goal of the season for Huie and one of the few header attempts from the 5-3 midfielder. The Pilot defense did its usual business to secure the team’s 15th shutout of the season.

NCAA SECOND ROUND: On a cold, wet and windy Northwest day, the University of Portland women’s soccer team found their stride and sent Nebraska home with a 4-1 defeat at Merlo Field. Lindsey Huie notched her second goal through the first two rounds of the NCAA tourney, while three other Pilots netted goals in the win. Wanda Rozwadowska, Kristen Moore and Lisa Sari scored the other goals for Portland, with Sari assisting on Moore’s strike. A late score by Nebraska’s Brittany Timko found the left post off a deflection to spoil the shutout.

SOCCER BUZZ FINALISTS ANNOUNCED: Portland is one of five schools who have multiple players among the list of finalists for the Soccer Buzz Magazine Division 1 women's soccer National Player of the Year and Freshman of the Year awards. Sophomore midfielder Lindsey Huie and freshman defender Stephanie Lopez are among the 12 finalists for the Player and Freshman of the Year awards.

In 2002, Soccer Buzz named Portland’s Christine Sinclair as National Player of the Year and Lindsay Tarpley of North Carolina as National Freshman of the Year. All Division 1 players remain eligible for the Player of the Year honor and all freshmen remain eligible for the top Rookie award. The winners are based on a vote open to all 299 Division 1 head coaches and Soccer Buzz staff.

ALL-WCC SELECTIONS: Eight Pilots received all-West Coast Conference recognition as selected by the conference coaches. Imani Dorsey was named the WCC Defender of the Year and took home her fourth all-WCC honor with a first team selection. Joining Dorsey on the all-WCC first team was sophomore midfielder Lindsey Huie and freshman defender Stephanie Lopez. Freshman forward Angie Woznuk was the lone second team pick, while Cori Alexander, Kristen Moore, Wanda Rozwadowska and Kristen Rogers were honorable mention selections.

PLAYER OF THE MONTH...TWICE: A Pilot was named the WCC’s Player of the Month in both September and October. Sophomore midfielder Lindsey Huie took the October honors after scoring at least one point in seven of the Pilots’ eight victories in the month. The Mission Viejo, Calif. native netted six goals and handed out nine assists as the Portland squad outscored their October opponents 29-2. In September, senior defender Imani Dorsey claimed the award after guiding the Pilot defense to seven shutout wins. Dorsey was named the Nike/Husky Invitational Defensive MVP after shutout wins over Texas and Fresno State.

PILOT SENIORS: Portland seniors Jennifer Bosa, Wanda Rozwadowska and Imani Dorsey will participate in their final collegiate soccer matches this postseason. Bosa has lettered four years and has two goals and two assists for her career as a midfielder. Rozwadowska came to Portland as a junior last season and is third on Portland’s active roster in total points with 12 goals and eight assists. Dorsey has been a four-year starter as both a midfielder and defender. She is a four-time all-WCC selection and has seven goals and two assists for her career.

ACADEMIC ALL-DISTRICT: Imani Dorsey, Lindsey Huie and Kelsy Hollenbeck were selected to the CoSIDA Academic All-District VIII first team, while Kristen Rogers and Wanda Rozwadowska made the second team. Dorsey has been named to the first team two straight years, while Rogers took second team honors in both seasons she has been eligible. Hollenbeck, Huie, and Rozwadowska each claimed the honors in their first year of eligibility for the awards.

RANKINGS: In the final regular season polls, the Pilots dropped to No. 4 in the Soccer America and Soccer Buzz rankings. Portland dipped to fifth place in the NSCAA poll, while Soccer Times has Portland at No. 6. In the West Regional Rankings, the Pilots are third according to both Soccer Buzz and the NSCAA.

AMONG THE NATION’S LEADERS: Portland is tied for second in national shutout percentage (0.68), as the Pilots have blanked 15 opponents in 22 matches. With a 16-3-1 record, the Pilots are seventh in win percentage (0.841). The solid defense places Portland at No. 10 nationally, with a 0.62 goals-against average, while the team is tied for 14th in average scoring at 2.50 goals per game.

Individually, Lindsey Huie is eighth in the nation in assists per game (0.65) and 23rd in points per game with a 1.85 average. Freshman goalkeeper Cori Alexander is now 13th in goals-against average at 0.60.

LEADING THE WCC: The Pilots led the WCC in seven statistical categories through the end of the regular season. Portland tied for first in points, was first in shots, assists, assists per game, goals allowed, goals against average and shutouts. The Pilots were second in goals and goals per game, while leading the conference in average home attendance.

Lindsey Huie was the conference leader in shots, points and assists. She was second in game-winners and third in goals. Angie Woznuk was second in shots per game, fifth in total shots and tied for ninth in assists. Wanda Rozwadowska tied for eighth in shots, tied for sixth in points and seventh in goals. Jennifer Tuttle tied for third with three game-winners and tied for eighth with six total goals, while Kristen Moore tied for sixth in points and third in assists. Goalie Cori Alexander led the conference in shutouts and was second in goals-against average.

MERLO DOMINANCE: The Pilots have historically been dominant at Merlo Field since it’s inception in 1990. The team is 122-17-4 (.867) and are 9-1-1 at home this season. Portland concluded the 2002 season 7-2-1 (.750) on their home turf. The Pilots were ranked second in national attendance last season, averaging just over 1,685 fans per contest.

NOT AFRAID OF THE ROAD: Portland has always been dominant at Merlo Field, and they are showing how good they can be away from it this year as well. The Pilots are 7-2-0 on the road and 2-0-0 at neutral sites. Portland is 4-1-0 against ranked opponents in away contests after beating Stanford, Texas, Washington and Pepperdine in road matches. The Pilots also beat currently fifth ranked Colorado in Boulder, Colo. to open the season. Denver came back to hand Portland their first road defeat, 4-3 on Aug. 31, then was dealt a double overtime loss on Nov. 2 at the hands of Santa Clara.

YOUTH MOVEMENT: The young Portland team is coming into their own as they advance in through the NCAA Tournament. Seven freshman see action on a regular basis, and at least five freshman have started every match this season. Combined, the freshman have scored 20 goals and tallied 16 assists.

Stephanie Lopez has played and started in all 22 games this season and has been pivotal as a member of the Pilot defense. Midfielder Lisa Sari and goalie Cori Alexander also have played and started every game this season. Jennifer Tuttle has made 11 starts in 20 games and is Portland’s fourth leading scorer (6g, 3a). Angie Woznuk missed five games due to injuries but has come on strong as of late with three goals and five assists. Holding midfielder Kari Evans has started 19 matches, while Elsa Hume has 11 starts and played in 20 games. Rebecca Meierbachtol provided a midseason spark in place of the injured Evans, racking up two goals and an assist in seven games.

THE NIL FACTOR: With the shutout win over Denver, Portland has racked up 15 shutouts this season, moving the team into a tie for third place on the all-time season shutouts list. The 1996 and 2000 teams also racked up 15 shutouts on their way to the NCAA semifinals both seasons. With one more shutout the Pilots can move into a tie for second place with the 1995 team that advanced to the NCAA Championship before losing to Notre Dame, 1-0. In their run to the 2002 National Championship, last year’s squad racked up 17 shutouts to top the list.

SINCLAIR REDSHIRTS: All-American junior forward Christine Sinclair will redshirt after missing over half of the 2003 season to participate in the FIFA Women’s World Cup for semifinalist Canada. The junior was the Soccer Buzz, Soccer America and NSCAA Player of the Year last season after tying for the national lead with 26 goals. Sinclair broke the single-season College Cup goals and points records with her 10 goal, 21 point effort in the six tournament wins in 2002. Through two seasons, Sinclair is already third in career goals (49) and fourth in total points (109) on UP’s all-time lists.

SPREADING IT OUT: Portland has not been dependent on one or two individuals for scoring this season, an encouraging thought as the Pilots are without star forward Christine Sinclair. Twelve players have scored goals, fifteen Pilots have assists and six players have at least 10 points on the season. Eleven of the twelve goal-scorers have multiple strikes. In their run to the championship last season, Portland had only five players with more than one goal.

WCC HONORS CLIVE CHARLES: During the 2003 fall season, the soccer community has mourned the loss of the University of Portland’s former Director of Soccer Clive Charles, who passed away in August after a long fought battle with prostate cancer. The West Coast Conference honored the memory of Charles and his contributions to the WCC, the University of Portland, student-athletes and the soccer community with the WCC Lifetime Achievement Award. Charles is the first recipient of the award, which was created in 2000 by the league’s Executive Committee. The conference presented the award at the Pilots’ home women’s soccer contest versus San Diego on Sat, Nov. 8.

NATIONAL TEAM PARTICIPATION: Portland redshirt forward Christine Sinclair has made her mark as one of the elite performers on the world’s stage. Sinclair netted the only goal in a 4-1 loss to Germany to begin Group C play in the 2003 FIFA Women’s World Cup. The loss meant Canada would most likely have to win their next two matches to have a chance to move on. Sinclair did her part, assisting on the equalizing strike and then scoring the game-winner in a crucial, 3-1 win over Japan. Sinclair started every match for Canada as they advanced to the semifinals before falling to Sweden, 2-1.

Active Pilots Lindsey Huie, Angie Woznuk and Stephanie Lopez had a summer filled with competitive, National Team soccer. Huie was a key factor in helping the U.S. Under-21 Women’s National Team win its fifth consecutive Nordic Cup championship, sixth in the last seven years. Huie scored a goal in a Group A match versus Iceland, then added an assist in the 2-1 win over Sweden in the championship. Woznuk and Lopez have played on the U.S. U-19 squad and are looking to rejoin the team for the 2004 FIFA U-19 World Championship, hosted by Canada from May 28-June 6, 2004.

HEAD COACH GARRETT SMITH: One of the highest-scoring defenders in University of Portland soccer history in his playing days (1986-89), Smith has proven to be a premier coach at the collegiate level as well. Smith spent 11 seasons as an assistant coach under Clive Charles for both the men’s and women’s teams, before taking over this season as the head women’s coach. Smith also coaches for the men’s squad, assisting head coach and Director of Soccer Bill Irwin. Smith’s 2003 team has compiled a 18-3-1 record and a 5-1-1 WCC mark.