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WEEK 3: @ THE NIU INVITATIONAL

PORTLAND (1-1-1) vs. #20 NO. ILLINOIS (3-0-0)
Date: Sunday, September 11, 2011
Location: DeKalb, Ill.
Kick-off: 9:00 a.m.
Field: NIU Soccer Complex
Live Video: NIUHuskies.com ($)
Live Stats: NIUHuskies.com
Overall Series: NIU leads 1-0-1
Last: @UP 0, NIU 0 (2ot) - Sept. 3, 2010 

THIS WEEK
• The Pilots head out on their longest road trip of the year, at least measured by distance traveled, to play at the NIU Invite hosted by the No. 20 Northern Illinois Huskies in DeKalb, Ill.
• UP will face Northwestern at 12:30 p.m. (Pacific) on Friday afternoon before playing the Huskies at 9 a.m. on Sunday. 

LAST WEEK
• The Pilots hosted the 2011 Nike Invitational at Merlo Field last weekend, which was won by the Washington Huskies.
• On Friday night, Portland tied Florida Gulf Coast 1-1 after the Eagles scored the equalizer in the 85th minute; UP’s Keith Grubisich had given the Pilots a 1-0 lead with his second career goal in the 59th minute.
• On Sunday, the Pilots fell behind Loyola Chicago 2-0 in the first half before going on to drop a 3-0 decision to the Ramblers. 

ABOUT THE PILOTS
• The Pilots were picked to finish fourth in the WCC this season.
• Ryan Kawulok and Steven Evans were both voted to the Preseason All-WCC Team.
• Director of Soccer and men’s head coach Bill Irwin is in his ninth year at the helm of the soccer program and in his 25th year overall on the UP staff.
• The Pilots went 9-4-6 last season and finished third in the West Coast Conference with a 6-3-3 league mark.
• Key losses from last season include Jarad vanSchaik, who is currently playing for the Puerto Rico Islanders of the NASL; vanSchaik had eight goals and three assists as a senior last year; also gone is Ryan Luke, Portland’s second top scorer last year with six goals, and four-year starting goalkeeper Austin Guerrero.
• Portland has reached two College Cups (1988, 1995), while making 14 overall postseason appearances, most recently in 2009. 

THE IRON HORSE
• Senior defender Ryan Kawulok has not only appeared in every game during his three-year career on The Bluff, but he’s also been a starter in all 65 games.
• He’s earned all-conference recognition all three years, including landing on the All-WCC First Team as a junior, and he was voted Preseason All-WCC this fall.
• Kawulok has eight career goals and he helped the Pilots post six shutouts last season.
• He played with the Portland Timbers U-23 team during the past two summers, landing on the Premier Development League’s 2011 All-Western Conference Team. 

BACK FOR AN ENCORE
• Last season, midfielder Steven Evans became the first Pilot to be named the WCC’s Freshman of the Year since Michael Gavin in 2004.
• Evans was also named to the all-conference second team and the all-freshman team, while landing on the College Soccer News All-Freshman Third Team in 2010.
• Evans is Portland’s top returning scorer after notching four goals and four assists (12 points) last season.
• He was voted to the All-WCC Preseason Team this fall. 

IN GOOD HANDS
• Four-year starting goalkeeper Austin Guerrero may be gone, but redshirt-sophomore Justin Baarts is more than ready to step in to fill the void.
• Baarts is no rookie after answering the call when needed during the 2009 NCAA postseason.
• As a freshman, Baarts was called on during overtime of an NCAA First Round game at New Mexico on Nov. 19; he helped the Pilots win that game against the Lobos before starting and playing every minute during a 2-1 win at NC State in the NCAA Second Round.
• He opened 2011 with four clutch saves during the 2-1 win at OSU on Aug. 27.
• Justin is one of three Baarts in the UP program, as cousin Tyler is a sophomore defender and uncle Rob is an assistant coach. 

HOME SWEET MERLO
• The Pilots have ranked in the top 15 in home attendance nationally in 13 of the past 16 years, including the nation’s top attendance in 1996.
• Last season, Portland was 17th in the country with total attendance of 13,849 and a per game average of 1,539.
• The Pilots have posted an all-time record of 124-45-18 (.711) at the friendly confines.

LIVE ON THE AM DIAL
• KPDQ 800 AM will once again be the Pilots’ home on the radio as the True Talk Station and UP enter another year as broadcast partners.
• KPDQ will broadcast Portland’s home game against San Diego on Oct. 7 and the Pilots’ home match against Santa Clara on Nov. 13.

NATIONAL EXPOSURE
• Portland will also be featured on national television this season as the home tilt against San Diego on Oct. 7 will be broadcast live on Fox Soccer Channel. 

A NEW LOOK
• For the first time in more than 30 years, the West Coast Conference has a new member as Brigham Young University formally joined the WCC last summer.
• The Cougars, who do not feature a men’s soccer program, will field a team in 11 of the Conference’s 13 sponsored sports.
• With the change in membership, the WCC launched its new brand identity with a new logo (which can be seen in the far right column).
• It’s the WCC’s first visual change since 1995. 

THEY DON’T CALL IT ‘GAMECENTRAL’ FOR NOTHING
• UP is entering its second year of providing fans with ‘GameCentral’, which is a free portal via PortlandPilots.com that offers live video, live audio and live stats all on the same page.
• ‘GameCentral’ is available for every home game that is not scheduled for a national television broadcast.
• The internet broadcast will feature a three-to-four camera production this season, instant replays, in-game live and taped interviews and on-screen graphics. 

THE GATEWOOD BLOG
• Taking on blogging duties this season for the men’s soccer team is redshirt-sophomore Alex Gatewood.
• Make sure to visit portlandpilots.com/gatewood blog and follow Alex and the Pilots all season long.