Round 3: Pilots 4, Arizona 0

PORTLAND, Ore. - The No. 1 seed Portland Pilots dealt the Arizona Wildcats a 4-0 loss before a sellout crowd of 4,892 in the third round of the NCAA Women's Soccer Championships Friday, Nov. 17 at Merlo Field. Redshirt freshman Megan Rapinoe scored two goals and added an assist, while Lindsey Huie and Elsa Hume also tallied goals. The win set up a quarterfinal showdown between Portland and defending national champion Notre Dame, which knocked Portland out of the quarterfinals in 2004.

In the Arizona match, Portland maintained a majority of the possession and had a 29-3 edge in shots for the match, including a 13-3 advantage in shots on goal. Despite national scoring leader Christine Sinclair being held without a point for the first time this season, the Pilots had little trouble finding scoring opportunities. Rapinoe got the scoring started in the 18th minute with her 11th goal of the season. After taking a pass from sophomore forward Natalie Budge, Rapinoe settled the ball at the top of the arc and blasted a line drive into the left netting. It was Portland's third shot of the night and gave Budge her eighth assist of the season. Budge assisted on Portland's second goal as well in the 28th minute. She penetrated into the right side of penalty area and centered a short cross to Huie about 12 yards out from the right post. Huie put a left-footed attempt into the upper right for a 2-0 Portland lead. It was her fourth goal of the season and 30th of her career. The Pilots continued to pressure but did not manage to find the back of the net again until the 84th minute, when Rapinoe struck another long attempt from beyond the arc into the upper right. Junior reserve forward Elsa Hume capped the scoring in the 90th minute after just entering the game. She subbed into the game for Sinclair seconds earlier and took a rebound off of a Rapinoe shot and finished for her first goal of the season. Portland had three other attempts go off the goal frame and the Arizona defense cleared another shot off the line in the second period. Arizona goalkeeper McCall Smith played solid between the pipes and finished the night with eight saves. UP junior goalie Cori Alexander stopped all three shots she faced to earn her ninth shutout of the season and the team's 15th overall.