Soccer in Oregon has plenty of momentum

In the past five years both Oregon State and Portland have been ranked No. 1 in the nation in men's soccer, and that's translated into programs starting their seasons with the goal of not just reaching the NCAA playoffs, but winning there, too.

The University of Portland head coach and players talked up their potential of winning the national championship this season starting from their home opener with Cal, a 0-0 tie. And, although the Pilots tied the Beavers 0-0 in their Sept. 13 meeting at Merlo Field, it still was in the vein that they're best play is yet to come, and a playoff run is very available for this season, which gets into West Coast Conference matches Saturday at home against Loyola-Marymount.

Oregon State not only played the Pilots evenly, but then upset No. 25 Cal-Santa Barbara the following weekend to make itself a contender for the Pac-12 title and a playoff run as well.

The crowd at Merlo Field, in attendance for a women's/men's doubleheader, gave off the energy that the Portland women's program built up in the early 2000s, which eventually led to a pair of national titles - starting with the women's game: a 1-0 Pilots win.

Portland still has the luster of the program that built the need for a stadium like few other college programs have in the nation. It has not, though, had the success it previously had, reaching the NCAA playoffs just once in the past decade, 2022. In the years 2000-09, the Pilots reached the Sweet 16 of the playoffs in every season, but they have not been back since.

The Pilots women opened 1-5, but enter their WCC schedule at home Saturday against Pepperdine on a three-match winning streak - all with shutouts.