2021 Season

DoubleDipper wrote:It is likely going to be raining and the Timbers are playing at the same time as the Pilots, but the game tonight against Gonzaga has some meaning!

It did not rain, and the Pilots (3-1) are now alone in 2nd place, one point behind Santa Clara.  

UP’s RPI moved from 48 to 39, and if they can maintain that or better it, they are almost to the point they can get an at-large bid in the 48 team NCAA Tournament if they are not one of the 23 conference winners getting an automatic bid.

Not sure which was more enjoyable, watching the Pilots beat Gonzaga 4-1 or listening to the GU fans whine about the ref's calls or complain when their players fell to the ground…surprisingly, there were only two yellow cards, and UP’s was not until the 88th minute.

Next up, Pacific (2-1-1/RPI 85) on Saturday at 7pm…the Pilot Club will be serving food and beverages.

DoubleDipper wrote:It is likely going to be raining and the Timbers are playing at the same time...

For those who did not see the Timbers 2-0 win over San Jose, you might want to jump directly to the 4:20 mark to see Dairon Asprilla’s wonderful goal….” Mr. October!”

DoubleDipper wrote:

DoubleDipper wrote:It is likely going to be raining and the Timbers are playing at the same time as the Pilots, but the game tonight against Gonzaga has some meaning!

It did not rain, and the Pilots (3-1) are now alone in 2nd place, one point behind Santa Clara.  

Are the Pilots' games posted anywhere for replay? Long drive, chilly weather, and possible rain is keeping me from attending these days, but I'd enjoy watching at least parts of the replay if it's on YouTube or elsewhere. They used to post a link on the schedule, but don't any more.

SoreKnees wrote:Are the Pilots' games posted anywhere for replay?

All I have ever seen are the YouTube highlights that come up soon after the game...and they don't seem to be in HD.

[quote="SoreKnees"]

DoubleDipper wrote:

Are the Pilots' games posted anywhere for replay? Long drive, chilly weather, and possible rain is keeping me from attending these days, but I'd enjoy watching at least parts of the replay if it's on YouTube or elsewhere. They used to post a link on the schedule, but don't any more.

All the men’s and womens soccer games have been on the web for replay all year at the WCC website

https://wccsports.com/watch/?id=6279556447001

Select on demand. You can select by sport and school.

They are also available on YouTube search portland Pilots.

Here, for instance, is the full Santa Clara game.

The Pilots are now in 2nd place 3 points behind SCU and are going to need some help from LMU if they going to win the WCC title after their 1-1 tie with UOP last night.  

SCU and UP play in California next Saturday and the Broncos must play at LMU after that in the last game of the season, but before then UP has a date with #16 Northern Illinois in the first game of a soccer double-header on Wednesday afternoon at 4:30.  (In the second game, the 4-3 women host 6-1 BYU at 7pm on Senior Night.)

Northern Illinois, of the Mid-American Conference, is 12-1-2 on the year and are a projected #4 seed in the NCAA Tournament before heading into their final regular season game against UP...not only that, but the Huskies 38 goals on the season are twice as many as UP has scored this year.

DoubleDipper wrote:Northern Illinois, of the Mid-American Conference, is 12-1-2 on the year and are a projected #4 seed in the NCAA Tournament before heading into their final regular season game against UP...not only that, but the Huskies 38 goals on the season are twice as many as UP has scored this year.

It portends well for the future when two sophomores and two freshmen score the four goals in a 4-0 win over #15 Northern Illinois, but in many respects the future is now as UP moves its RPI to 30 and puts itself in good position for the postseason.

Suffering only its second loss of the season, the other was to Notre Dame 2-0 in their second game of the season, the Huskies were totally outplayed by the Pilots who frankly made a team that had been projected as a #4 seed in the postseason look bad.

The selection committee tends to like teams with double-digit wins, and UP 9-5-1, will have to get there by beating SCU and USF starting this coming Saturday at first place SCU (10-1-3/4-0-1/RPI 72).

When the score is UP 4-0 over Northern Illinois, the highlights belong to the Pilots...

The Pilots will be rooting for the NIU Huskies as they begin the Mid-American Conference Tournament on Tuesday as the #1 seed...

This article was posted yesterday before the Pilots routed NIU, 4-0.

https://northernstar.info/89483/sports/sports-mens-soccer/what-regular-season-title-means-to-mens-soccer/

Pilots looked great yesterday, but the scheduling made this a "nothing to play for" game for NIU, who looked flat. After clinching the regular-season championship last weekend and looking forward to the conference tournament, they really almost seemed to write this one off. Lots of miles to travel at this time of the season as well.

SoreKnees wrote:Pilots looked great yesterday, but the scheduling made this a "nothing to play for" game for NIU, who looked flat. After clinching the regular-season championship last weekend and looking forward to the conference tournament, they really almost seemed to write this one off. Lots of miles to travel at this time of the season as well.

The Pilots soundly defeating the 15th ranked team in the country is laudable even if that team was "flat." I doubt we have another sports team now that could defeat a 15th ranked team so soundly regardless of whether they were flat or not. And, though I did not see the game, the flatness, assuming it was noticeable, likely became noticeable after NIU was already down significantly; I assume too that NIU played its regular starters.

An accomplishment I wish we could enjoy across the athletics board.

Go Pilots.

SoreKnees wrote:Pilots looked great yesterday, but the scheduling made this a "nothing to play for" game for NIU, who looked flat. After clinching the regular-season championship last weekend and looking forward to the conference tournament, they really almost seemed to write this one off. Lots of miles to travel at this time of the season as well.

I think both teams had plenty to play for.

NIU has not clinched a tournament auto slot in a conference that rarely sends more than one or two teams to the tournament. The one and two RPI teams in the MAC are now WVU and Akron.  They play 10-4 Bowling Green next, who played a more rigorous schedule.
Their RPI went from 29 to 39 in the loss putting them squarely in the selection bubble from a confortable seed with the top RPI and head to head advantage for selection.  They are the last team in in RPIUpdate’s tournament projection. Another loss puts them below the line. Their best out of conference win is #52 Marquette.  Seven of their twelve wins are teams with RPI over 165.
That not going to impress the selection committee.

West VA is the current favorite for the Auto bid in the MAC


UP went from 41 to 30.

If UP beats SCU Saturday and woeful USF next week, we win the conference title and the Auto bid, and more importantly for the NIU result,  even a loss to SCU still keeps UP in the hunt for a slot.


I think the play of NIU was less lethargy than an indicator of the problem with the RPI in a COVID environment. That was a less impressive team than any team in the WCC we have yet faced, save maybe USD.
Teams are not scheduling across regions as much, and one persistent theory is that the lack of linkage is overvaluing regions with lots of teams ( the East) while West coast  teams from stronger conferences beat up on each other.

Great post, Geezer.  

I was going to just say it is all about the RPI baby, but you actually explained why!!

Portland's RPI rose to #28 Thursday night after two opponents UP lost to earlier in the season won.

#1 Oregon State beat #48 San Diego St. 1-0 on the road (SDSU plays in the Pac-12 for soccer)
#2 Washington beat #40 UCLA 3-0 on the road.

Interesting match up on 11/11 when UW and OSU meet in Corvallis.  In their first meeting in Seattle the Beavers beat the Huskies 3-2.

In other action #31 Stanford beat #191 USF 1-0

NIU had a school record 13-game unbeaten streak coming into the match that they were hoping to build upon going into the Mid-American Tournament next week.  

"The result was probably a fair reflection of the game," said NIU head coach Ryan Swan. "Portland were better than us tonight, almost everywhere. It was a poor outing from us and obviously that is a big disappointment, both in the way that I prepared the team and in the way that we came out and performed today.

https://niuhuskies.com/news/2021/11/3/mens-soccer-huskies-unbeaten-streak-ends-in-portland.aspx

UP’s night at Santa Clara went South 24 seconds into the match and didn’t get any better. Final 1-3.

The good news is The NIU result had uP’s RPI ar 26 going into the match and dropped 3 points to 29

Pretty important game for the Pilots against USF tonight...with a win the odds are better than even UP will host a first-round game in the tournament.  

A loss would hurt the team's chances of playing at home again this season, but it will all be determined and shared during the NCAA's selection show at 1pm on Monday.

Lots of jumping between 2 bb games and the Men’s regular season finale against USF. I got there right after RJStretch’s goal that sealed the game at 1-0.

The rest of the night was pretty good D but a bit of a shambles in the midfield as UP played down to the hapless Dons.

The win propelled the pilots from an RPI of 29 going into the match to an RPI of 30 at the end. Better than I though a win against a 2-12-1 team would get us..

Now it’s up to the selection committee. UP is in, and should get a first round home match, but you never know…. And with NW Teams OSU and UW ranked #1 and #2, we probably won’t get a cupcake to host.

My first guess is Denver.

Geezaldinho wrote:My first guess is Denver.

Perhaps, but unlikely, IMO...but I would prefer Denver instead of other possibilities.

The first-round games are generally no more than 400 miles away for the visiting team so they are capable of driving to the venue, and Denver is about three times that distance.

I would think it more likely that #36 Seattle U. will come to Portland for a rematch on Thursday**, and the victor will likely take on #1 UW or #2 OSU on Sunday.

Looks like the WCC will get three teams in the Soccer Tournament...#55 SCU, #35 LMU, and #30 UP.

**  If UP does host a game on Thursday, it sure would be nice to have the soccer game begin NLT 5 o'clock so we don't have to sprint back and forth between the MBB game and the MSOC game.

Geezaldinho wrote:Now it’s up to the selection committee. UP is in, and should get a first round home match, but you never know….

There will be a tournament selection show watch party with the team in the Pilot House tomorrow (Monday) at 10am!

DoubleDipper wrote:I would think it more likely that #36 Seattle U. will come to Portland for a rematch on Thursday**, and the victor will likely take on #1 UW or #2 OSU on Sunday.

Looks like the WCC will get three teams in the Soccer Tournament...#55 SCU, #35 LMU, and #30 UP.

LMU is shut out of the Tournament and SCU has to travel to Akron to play the always good Zips.

UP will host Seattle...with the winner heading to Seattle to play the #2 seed UW Huskies.

The overall #1 seed is Oregon State.

For those who may not have gotten the word, the Seattle U. @ UP game on Thursday will kickoff** at 6pm...with the Pilot Club opening at 5.

**I think that is the proper term for the beginning of a soccer match...

Does anyone have a link to a video stream? The UP website link and NCAA website link just go to a page on the NCAA website where I only see recorded content, but not the live match.

Or is this one of those "because it's an NCAA Tournament match we cannot have our usual broadcasting crew" things?

The regular broadcast is on Channel 3, but I have not been able to get it at the NCAA link on the site.

Seems none of the games are being streamed on the NCAA site. Ran into the same issue with Santa Clara's game.

I'm at least glad that I'm not the only one having issues finding an online option ...