Men’s soccer punched their ticket as the No. 8 seed in the NCAA tournament on Nov. 17. The Pilots ended the season with a 13-1-3 overall and 6-1-2 West Coast Conference (WCC) record, closing the season with 1-0 shutout against the Gaels on Nov. 15. Portland will host the second round of the tournament, where they will face the winner of UC Irvine vs. Denver on Nov. 23.
Like other home games, there will be free entry for students. If Portland advances to the next round, they will retain home-field advantage.
The Pilots’ regular season was one of the most successful in program history. For the first time ever, they ranked No. 1 in the nation in the United Soccer Coaches Top 25 poll and spent 10 weeks in the poll’s top 10. They were also the most successful home team in college soccer, with a 11-0-0 record at Merlo Field.
Their 13 total wins were the program’s most since 1995, and six conference victories were the most since 2022. Their .853 win percentage was the best since 1998. This is the sixth 10-win season for head coach Nick Carlin-Voigt, as well as his sixth time making the tournament.
Several individual Pilots shined this season. Junior forward Diego Rosas tied the Pilots’ single-season assist record with 14, which also tied for first in the nation. Sophomore forward David Ajagbe’s 10 goals were the most in a Pilot’s first season since 2016 and second most in the WCC. Redshirt sophomore Joe Highfield was third in the conference with nine goals.
The Pilots were stellar on both offense and defense. They were fourth in the NCAA with a .562 team goals against average and fifth in goal differential at 31. Redshirt junior goalkeeper Miguel-Angel Hernandez led the conference in save percentage and earned WCC Defensive Player of the Week honors on Sept. 8, Sept. 15 and Nov. 17.
Kaeden Souki is the Sports Editor for The Beacon, he can be reached at souki28@up.edu.
