By Nicholas Slepnikoff
As celebratory fireworks streaked into the sky, the Pilot women's soccer squad's excitement soared with each blue, green and red plume. Shutting out their Cal Berkeley challengers on the cloudy afternoon, the Pilot women rained goals in their 4-0 home opener at Merlo Field on Friday.
The Pilot defensive juggernaut allowed only five shots throughout the course of the 90- minute match. The Pilot offense sent 14 shots flying at the Bears, seven of which were on target, and punched through the violent Bears' defense.
With Cal committing eight fouls in the first half and possessing the only two yellow cards in the second half, the Pilot women fought through the barrage of abuse, sending the Bears back to California with only bruises and scarred feelings.
All-WCC sophomore Danielle Foxhoven helped the Pilots break away early, scoring a goal within the first three minutes of the game. Assisted by senior Michelle Enyeart, another All-WCC player and U.S. U-20 national team player, this goal foreshadowed the deficit from which the Bears would not recover.
"We always aim for a goal in the first three minutes," Enyeart said after the game. "We try to get them down early and then we just take it from there."
Following the quick and demoralizing goal, Foxhoven tallied another goal at 19 minutes and 34 seconds with another assist from Enyeart.
"As a forward, our job is to always follow on shots and follow on shots and they repeatedly put it in our minds, so I think that is what I did, instinct I guess," Foxhoven said after the game.
This instinct led the Pilot women to score another two goals in the course of the game, with a header from sophomore defender Michelle Olivier in the 27th minute and another goal from junior Sophie Schmidt in the 59th minute of the match.
The night was also one of new records. Enyeart, with two assists on the night, became the sixth player in UP history to join the 30/30 club for goals and assists.
"It's great, but really we're just looking to take on games one by one," Enyeart said of her accomplishment. Stressing team play, she said her deeds are part of the team's collective efforts. In addition to her individual performance, the school boasted the third highest attendance in Merlo Field history, with 5068 fans in the stands.
With the Pilots rated third in the NSCAA and first on the popular website TopDrawerSoccer.com, Head Women's Coach Garrett Smith had some positive comments about the shutout win.
"I feel it was a great night all around ... The performance from the team was outstanding. Not just the victory of 4- 0, but to put it away early and allow us to get as many freshmen and new faces on the field really helps us out not tonight, but down the road. I think that is probably the biggest thing that we take out of this game," Smith said.
Coach Smith went on to say that the team knew they had to gain the upper hand early so they could get some playing time for the players on their 23-person roster. The early practice, Smith stressed, offers invaluable experience to the new players which will continue to "pay dividends for the rest of the season."
"It was a good learning experience against a quality team from Cal. It tested us at times, but we came through in the end," Smith said.
The coach also stressed that the team needs to buckle down. Referencing three Pilot turnovers and trouble close to the penalty box in the second half, the squad showed promise and will continue to improve as the season goes on. Additionally, Enyeart said that the team was "still a work in progress," that had two good results so far and that she looked forward to the game versus the University of Washington.
The Pilots' game at UW, which occurred last Sunday, also developed into the third consecutive shutout win for the Pilots this season with two goals scored by Foxhoven.
"It was not one of our better performances this year. That was some world class finishing by Danielle Foxhoven. It was good to get her some rest on Friday night because she was fresh and basically won the game for us today," Smith said. Scoring at 21:26 and 38:55 on the Huskies home pitch, the Pilot women managed to stay ahead of the barrage of 17 shots. Sophomore goalkeeper Hailee DeYoung also recorded her first shutout of the season and fourth of her career with six saves in the match.
Although the Saturday game troubled the women's soccer team, through hard work and coaching by Garrett Smith, the Pilots continue to stun the University of Portland community with shut-out wins. "If our crowd is that loud all season, how can we lose?" senior Kevin Mowrey, said. "I'm bringing bubbles to the next game."
