The women's soccer blog is back, and this year it's Kendall Johnson who is taking on blogging duties for the Pilots. Kendall will check in now and then with updates on the Pilots, the season and life in general. Be sure to bookmark PortlandPilots.com/KendallBlog to follow Kendall and the Pilots all season long!

ENTRY #3
Friday, Aug. 24, 2012

Good day Pilot fans!
 
The 2012 soccer season has commenced my friends. Last Friday we played a hard-fought battle against UNC and were able to secure a victory. The goal was scored in the first 5 minutes from an exquisite free kick by Amanda Frisbee, of which Ellen Parker magically flicked the ball into the back of the net. And the rest is history, literally. We had not beaten UNC ever. That was pretty exciting, but unfortunately we couldn’t get the same outcome against OSU. We were unable to finish our chances and were handed a 1-0 loss to OSU. But, the past is in the past. Today, we play another in-state rival, the Oregon Ducks. We are all eager to get that win.
 
August 24 is a fabulous day because it is game day, but it also signals that summer is coming to an end. Excuse me for a second while I go find a towel to wipe the tears from my keyboard. Considering this is my last summertime blog, I thought I’d reflect on what summer is all about; nightly bike rides. I confidently speak for my entire house when I say that the highlight of this summer has been Rydn DrT (the name of our bike gang). Although I must add that perfecting my handstands is a very close second.  These nightly rides have evolved into an art form. DJ K. Camels provides the tunes with speakers in her bike pouch, Mic provides the whistling, and the rest of us aimlessly ride around to wherever the wind takes us. And a lot of times that breeze happens to be blowing straight towards Baskin Robbins. Funny how that works out. Rydn DrT welcomes all wheels of life on our rides (longboarders, rollerbladers etc.). More than half our team has at one point or another joined us, and every ride brings us something new.  We’ve come across dead raccoons, dead snakes, dead possums, dead squirrels, and many other living things. However, there are two particular rides that stand out above the rest:
 
The whole Kitten and Kaboodle
 
Just a few days ago, a group of us had just taken a campus lap, and now we were zigzagging through the neighborhoods. All of a sudden we saw a cute little black kitten, and then another, and another, and another...until we realized there were a dozen kittens all around this one house. When we tried to approach them, all the kittens scurried away. These cats looked malnourished and they were very scared of humans. I have always wanted a pet for our house, and this discovery seemed like fate. However, we decided to sleep on the idea of “kittynapping” and reevaluate the situation. The next day, we recruited part-animal and cat-enthusiast Taylor Brooke to investigate the scene. With a can of tuna in hand, we biked our way over to the kitties. While feeding the cats the tuna, one of the kittens straight up stiff armed the runt of the group so he could have the food to himself. The claws of the kitten were still stuck on the runt, so Taylor’s natural animal instincts caused her to break up the fight. Taylor procured a flesh wound from the kitten biting her, but she saved the day. On top of that, Taylor called the Oregon Humane Society to express her concern for their health. I may not have gotten the pet I wanted, but Taylor’s initiative serves as inspiration for us all.