Box Score

PORTLAND, Ore. --- Portland junior goalkeeper Justin Baarts made six saves and senior Keith Grubisich notched the game-winner as the Pilots shutout the San Francisco Dons 1-0 in a West Coast Conference men’s soccer game played at Merlo Field on Friday night. It’s the second shutout this year recorded by Baarts and the fifth of his career.
 
The Pilots won two conference games this week to open the WCC slate at a perfect 2-0-0. Portland also evens its overall record to 4-4-1, while the Dons drop to 2-3-2 (0-1-0 WCC).
 
Grubisich scored the game’s only goal when he re-directed a shot by Colin Anderson in the 31st minute. Sophomore Michael Escobar set up Anderson with a pass, and the senior drilled a low shot from about 12 yards out. Grubisich re-directed the shot just enough to easily put it past USF goalkeeper Brendan Roslund and into the back of the net.
 
Baarts would take over from there, denying every San Francisco shot sent his way. He preceded the Grubisich goal with a pair of nifty saves in the 23rd minute, helping the Pilots take a 1-nil lead into the halftime locker room.
 
It was more of the same in the second half as the native of Surrey, B.C., made three more saves after the break. The Dons did, however, have a golden opportunity at an equalizer in the 62nd minute, but Taylor Krueger was wide left with a strike from point-blank range.
 
On the other end of the field, the Portland offense peppered the USF goal with six second-half shots and 14 attempts overall. In the 66th minute, freshman Jaime Velasco cracked a shot towards the upper left corner from 15 yards out, but Roslund was there to make the leaping save to keep it a 1-0 game.
 
Grubisich’s goal is his first this season, and it’s the first game-winner of his career. The center back has four goals total during his career.
 
The Pilots next return to the road for a pair of WCC matches next week. First on Friday, Portland will be in San Diego, Calif., for a 7 p.m. game against the San Diego Toreros. The Pilots then travel to Los Angeles for a 3 p.m. tilt against LMU on Sunday.