2022 Schedule

I sure don’t see any thing that is a foul.

UP's 5-0 blowout win last evening likely eased their (and our) frustration over the ties with Central Arkansas and Nebraska, but now the team will face a tougher test against Seton Hall on Monday.  The Pirates come into the game with a record of 2-0-1 after defeating #10 OSU in Corvallis 1-0 Friday night.

Last week, UP President Rob Kelley led the Drum Squad on to the pitch, last night it was WBB Head Coach Mike Meek at the helm:

DoubleDipper wrote: ...now the team will face a tougher test against Seton Hall on Monday.  The Pirates come into the game with a record of 2-0-1 after defeating #10 OSU in Corvallis 1-0 Friday night.

Don't forget...this today's game begins earlier than usual: 5:30!

The men received 12 votes in the Coaches Soccer Poll, and their votes came before UP's victory over Seton Hall on Monday night.

The only other WCC team to receive votes is LMU with 7.

UP's next opponent, UCLA, is #15 in the nation, @ Denver on Sep. 16th is #6, and West Virginia on Sep. 19th is #23.

Exciting times...except that when playing teams like Central Arkansas and Seton Hall, one would think they were at the U.S. Diving Championships 

https://unitedsoccercoaches.org/rankings/college-rankings/ncaa-di-men/

The Portland Pilots swept the men's soccer WCC Player of the Week awards this week, with Gurman Sangha winning offensive player of the week and Kevin Bonilla winning defensive player of the week.

https://portlandpilots.com/news/2022/9/5/mens-soccer-sangha-bonilla-win-wcc-player-of-the-week.aspx

Awesome win. This is what  his team  can be if they don’t let the fouls get to them.

UP is perfect against UCLA in this millenium, and have a three game streak going - all Carlin Voight.

UCLA was #3 last week until they lost to Grand  Canyon. They came to Merlo ranked #15. I’m pretty sure they will drop out of the rankings next week.

I bet they are thinking they should have tried harder to keep him.

One thing I’ve noticed these last few games is the involvement President Kelly has with the students. I enjoy that energy and hope it bodes well for the future.

Geezaldinho wrote:Awesome win. This is what  his team  can be if they don’t let the fouls get to them.

I agree totally. Apart from a spell after the first goal, the Pilots controlled the match very effectively and frustrated the Bruins to the point where they were committing some silly fouls. Their #2 was a tremendous defender, but a volatile personality. At one point in the first half, he was responding to comments from the crowd, so he was clearly easily riled.

The Pilots substituted much less frequently last night than has been their custom. Has Nick settled on his best XI? Was it "if it ain't broke, don't fix it"? Did he feel like too much rotation might reduce the quality of the squad on the pitch? I don't see minutes on the box score, but from my recollection over half the team played 90 nd except for the single striker, they didn't substitute pretty much at all until the final 15 minutes. Going in, I was expecting more substituted due to the smoky air. I though players would get winded more quickly, but it didn't show on either side.

A very satisfying win. Now on to Denver, which could be even more challenging in the altitude. They are also undefeated and are returning home after 5 straight away games, including a trip to Maryland and Georgetown, which are good programs. They also beat Grand Canyon, who beat UCLA. The Pilots will need to be at their best for this one.

Up played Indiana, cal Poly, and Seton Hall pretty close together, so it made sense to get more players involved and keep legs fresher.
But there was more rest for last night, and we don’t play Denver until next Friday, so that wasn’t so much of a concern.

Carlin Voight might have wanted to keep some players on the pitch longer, but concerns about cards prevented that. Fofanah, for example, came on the pitch for Babalai, who was on a yellow, right after the ref had warned the entire UP team pointing around the whole team and giving the universal “no más” signal and within seconds Fofanah fouled a defender late. The foul wasn’t that big a deal, but after giving the warning, the ref couldn’t do much else but haul out the ticket.

So Fofanah obviously not aware of the way the game was going to be called, got three minutes on the pitch before Tibbling came in.

UCLA has the official box with minutes listed, as does the official NCAA site, so I just look elsewhere when the UP site posts the abridged version.

Here is a screenshot of part of the box, which confirms that both teams kept starters on the pitch for most of the match.

Good on you for bringing up the referee. I should have added in my longer post that I thought that the referee was masterful last night. In marked contrast to some recent "slugfests," he used his whistle and his book early enough to keep the game under control without stifling legal but often physical play. As a long-time referee, that was my most difficult challenge (especially with young men) and I thought he did it very well.

For the second week in a row, portland has swept the WCC player of the Week awards after performances against Seton Hall and UCLA.

Brandon Cambridge got the offensive POW and Delentz Pierre got the defensive award.

https://wccsports.com/news/2022/9/12/athlete-awards-portland-sweeps-wcc-ucu-mens-soccer-weekly-awards.aspx


This marks the second week in a row UP swept the awards.

And some national player of the week and team of the week accolades to Brandon Cambridge with a nod to Sebastian Nava.

https://portlandpilots.com/news/2022/9/13/mens-soccer-brandon-cambridge-named-topdrawersoccer-player-of-the-week.aspx

TDS player of the Week wrote:
“There wasn’t any hesitation to Brandon Cambridge’s shot. He leaned back, wrapped his left foot around the ball, and sent it spinning into the top corner. The celebrations were similarly emphatic, a slide in front of the home fans. It was a goal worthy of completing a 2-0 Portland upset over UCLA, one to cap off an impressive victory.

But that wasn’t Cambridge’s only impressive performance last week. The midfielder also ran the show against Seton Hall five days before, scoring two goals before assisting the third. It was a complete week for an ever-improving midfielder, a player finding form and establishing himself on the national stage.

Player of the Week: Brandon Cambridge, Portland”

TDS team of the week wrote:
“M Brandon Cambridge, Portland - His goal against UCLA — a wonderful curled finish — accentuated a fantastic week. He scored three times and added an assist.”

CSN team of the week wrote:
“Brandon Cambridge – Sophomore – Midfielder – Portland – Cambridge played a key role in two solid Portland wins. He scored twice and contributed an assist on the goal scored by teammate Delentz Pierre in the Pilots 3-1 win over Seton Hall and scored with an assist from Jacob Babalai and Gurman Sangha in Portland’s subsequent 2-0 win over UCLA. The Pilots have a tough contest coming up on Friday when they travel to face Denver.”

Geezaldinho wrote:“There wasn’t any hesitation to Brandon Cambridge’s shot. He leaned back, wrapped his left foot around the ball, and sent it spinning into the top corner. The celebrations were similarly emphatic, a slide in front of the home fans. It was a goal worthy of completing a 2-0 Portland upset over UCLA, one to cap off an impressive victory.

But that wasn’t Cambridge’s only impressive performance last week. The midfielder also ran the show against Seton Hall five days before, scoring two goals before assisting the third. It was a complete week for an ever-improving midfielder, a player finding form and establishing himself on the national stage.

He's a different player this year. My memories of him from the last two seasons is great pace down the line, but often disappointing once he got into the attacking zone. This year he seems to be able to do it all: run, cross, pass, and finish. He's on a great run right now!

Anybody pay to watch the men last night? Statistically it looks like Denver had the better of the action, but I'm curious what the match actually looked like.

SoreKnees wrote:Anybody pay to watch the men last night? Statistically it looks like Denver had the better of the action, but I'm curious what the match actually looked like.

I watched the entire game in the Pilot Club enclosure while keeping an eye on the women's game too.

As I said to no one in particular, "the Pilots appear to be playing Rope-a-dope soccer."  

Whether they actually were, we'd have to ask Nick, but because the game was being played at 5400' elevation it appeared the plan was to let Denver move forward and do all the work (they had the ball 62% of the time) and throw the punches while UP conserved its energy and occasionally made offensive thrusts of their own.

In a nutshell, the Pilots seemed to have the better opportunities while the Pioneers controlled the ball...but not the game.

DoubleDipper wrote:In a nutshell, the Pilots seemed to have the better opportunities while the Pioneers controlled the ball...but not the game.

Oh, and I forgot to add, Denver has VAR!

I believe it is relatively new for the NCAA to allow it, and I am told that as long as both teams agree to using VAR before the game begins, it can be used.

I recall it being used once during the Portland/Denver game when the referee's ruling that UP fouled a UD player just outside the box, not in the box, was upheld.

Based upon the officiating we have seen so far this season, it is no wonder that Nick and Frenchie would like to see it used at Merlo Field.  

UP has the one of the best streaming and video capabilities in the WCC, it should only take some initiative and $$,$$$ to bring it about.

DoubleDipper wrote:

DoubleDipper wrote:In a nutshell, the Pilots seemed to have the better opportunities while the Pioneers controlled the ball...but not the game.

Oh, and I forgot to add, Denver has VAR!

I believe it is relatively new for the NCAA to allow it, and I am told that as long as both teams agree to using VAR before the game begins, it can be used.

I recall it being used once during the Portland/Denver game when the referee's ruling that UP fouled a UD player just outside the box, not in the box, was upheld.

Based upon the officiating we have seen so far this season, it is no wonder that Nick and Frenchie would like to see it used at Merlo Field.  

UP has the one of the best streaming and video capabilities in the WCC, it should only take some initiative and $$,$$$ to bring it about.

Well, the uses to which VAR can be implemented are pretty limited. In 2016 the ncaa allowed referees to use var where available only in the following  three instances:

 the NCAA Playing Rules Oversight Panel approved a proposal allowing the use of video review in men’s and women’s soccer for three specific situations, all of which will be at the discretion of the referee and must display indisputable video evidence for the original call be overturned. They are:

*Determine whether a goal has been scored.
*Identify players for disciplinary matters.
*Determine whether a fight occurred and identify all participants.

The new rule is not required. However, if both coaches agree to allow video review before the start of the game, the home team will be responsible for providing the review equipment, and it must be available at the scorekeeper’s table or at another location at field level.

The Men’s and Women’s Soccer Rules Committee believes the recommendation will allow the referee to take advantage of technology to ensure the correct call is made on the field in limited, game-critical situations.

https://www.ncaa.com/news/soccer-men/article/2016-04-12/video-review-rule-approved-ncaa-soccer-2016-season


Whether a foul occurred in the box is not on the list of things that can be reviewed.

I recall that several committees since have discussed expanding reviewable cases, but if they agreed to do so I can’t find it in subsequent annual reports.

And the guy who made the call in dispute is the guy who decides whether video review is warranted or not. There is no VAR official. That’s a huge difference from what FIFA requires.

Thanks for the history of VAR in NCAA soccer, Geezer.

https://www.ncaa.org/news/2022/4/20/media-center-prop-approves-changes-to-soccer-overtime-rules.aspx

The above link to NCAA soccer rules for 2022 indicates:

"The panel approved expanding video review to include whether a foul occurred inside or outside the penalty area."

Finally, someone in Portland outside the Pilots' bubble has started to take notice:

https://www.oregonlive.com/pilots/2022/09/portland-pilots-soccer-programs-are-undefeated-and-poised-to-return-to-national-prominence.html

No one here has mentioned beating WVU. Any report?

up7587 wrote:No one here has mentioned beating WVU.  Any report?

Well, WVU came out and scored within the first 5 minutes and UP finally came back with 2 goals of their own, the second on a pretty set-piece...and that was the final: 2-1.

All the goals came in the first half, but UP dominated the second with quite a few scoring opportunities....

UP's goals:

Two quite impressive performances over the weekend against middling opponents. I thought that the first 40 minutes of Friday's win over Bakersfield were the best football I've ever seen from a Pilots' men's team. They moved and retained the ball with precision that reminded me of the best women's teams of the early 2000s. They were definitely worth the two-goal lead. The rest of the game was disappointing in comparison. I'm not sure how much of that was tactical adjustment by Bakersfield and how much was the Pilots just taking the foot off the gas.

Last night was very impressive. C.J. Tibbling might be the best pure target man I've seen in purple, but he is also good with his feet, fast, and a good finisher. I've wondered why he hasn't played more this season because I think he brings a lot to the side that they miss when he is out. Maybe after four goals last night we'll see more of his against conference rivals.

Both teams unbeaten heading into the conference schedule. Exciting season!

SoreKnees wrote:Both teams unbeaten heading into the conference schedule. Exciting season!

...the only D1 school with that distinction.

When CJ Tibbling, a grad student from Sweden, transferred in before this season from Seton Hall big things were expected from him, but not this big.  Perhaps Nick has just been saving him.

From a selfish point of view, it was good to see five of the six goals scored at the goal in front of the Pilot Club enclosure...

DoubleDipper wrote:

SoreKnees wrote:Both teams unbeaten heading into the conference schedule. Exciting season!

...the only D1 school with that distinction.

The last time that happened was in 1995 ( Frenchie was on that women’s team)
And that year both teams made it to the College Cup..

The men’s team went 17-3-3 and lost 1-0 to eventual Cup winner Wisconsin in the semifinal game.
That was a 32 team tournament

The Women went 17-0-2 in the regular season and lost to Notre Dame 1-0 in the third overtime of the College Cup final.
Erin Fahey, Shannon Macmillan, and Wynne McIntosh  all made the all tournament team.

The women played in a 24 team tournament that year and only 10 conferences got automatic bids, so Women’s soccer was still growing.

Not a big surprise after his performance last night.

C.J Tibbling earned this week’s WCC offensive Player of the week with his four goal explosion.

https://wccsports.com/news/2022/9/26/athlete-awards-tibbling-and-waltz-win-ucu-wcc-mens-soccer-player-of-the-week-honors.aspx