NORTHWEST RIVALRY WEEKEND: The Seattle University men's soccer team faces two Northwest rivals this weekend as part of the Husky Classic. Friday, the Redhawks take on the Portland Pilots. The match was originally scheduled to kickoff the Husky Classic at UW, but Seattle U and Portland agreed to move the match to Championship Field. Portland alum and former Seattle Sounders FC goalkeeper Kasey Keller will participate in the captain's coin toss before the match. Sunday, the Redhawks head across town to face the Washington Huskies in a contest to be nationally televised by Pac-12 Network. Seattle U is still looking for its first win over the Huskies since 1996.
THE UCSB MATCH: The UC Santa Barbara Gauchos showed that they are one of the top teams in the country, scoring three goals in each half for a 6-2 victory over Seattle University last Sunday, Sept. 16, at Championship Field. The Gauchos first scored 17 minutes into the match and then added a second goal just 2:16 later. UCSB earned its third goal of the first half with just 35 seconds remaining before halftime. After the Gauchos scored two more goals just 1:47 apart to extend their lead to 5-0 in the second half, Seattle U finally snapped the shutout, as a service from Miles Rodriguez-Nilsen was redirected by Hamza Haddadi into the net for Haddadi's first career goal. In the 73rd minute, Enrique Bello was taken down in the box, creating a penalty kick opportunity. Bello converted on the chance for his first collegiate goal. UCSB added one final tally in the 79th minute.
SCOUTING PORTLAND: The Pilots come into Friday's match with a 2-2-1 overall record after losing to Bradley Sept. 9, 4-1. Portland has victories over Cal State Fullerton (4-0) and CSU Bakersfield (2-1) as well as a 1-1 tie with Wisconsin. Steven Evans leads the team with four goals and eight total points, with Ben Hemphill scoring two goals so far this season. In net, Justin Baarts has played all but 10:34 for Portland, posting a 1.96 goals against average and a .643 save percentage.
SEATTLE U VS. PORTLAND: This will be the 25th meeting all-time between Seattle University and the University of Portland, with the Pilots owning an 18-5-1 series advantage. These two teams first met in 1977, with Portland winning 2-0 decisions both at home and in Seattle. Seattle U won the next two meetings: 4-1 in Seattle in 1978 and 3-0 in Portland in 1979. Portland would win 14 of the next 15 meetings between 1980 and 2002. The last five contests between the two teams have been split 2-2-1, with the tie coming at Championship Field Sept. 26, 2010, a 1-1 draw thanks to a goal by Seattle U's Ed Walugembe with only 14 seconds remaining in regulation.
SCOUTING WASHINGTON: The Huskies enter the weekend with a 4-2-1 overall record after defeating Memphis in overtime, 1-0, and losing to UAB, 2-0, in Birmingham, Ala., last weekend. Washington will face Brown Friday night before Sunday's contest against the Redhawks. Dylan Tucker-Gangnes has scored five goals so far this season for Washington, while James Moberg leads the way with three assists. Spencer Richey has played every second in net for the Huskies so far this season, posting a 0.81 goals against average and a .760 save percentage.
SEATTLE U VS. WASHINGTON: Seattle University and Washington are meeting for the 49th time in history, with the Huskies holding a 38-5-5 series advantage. During Seattle U's first year of varsity soccer in 1967, Washington won the first meeting on Oct. 6, 3-0, but Seattle U earned the rematch Nov. 18, 3-0. The crosstown rivals played at least twice a year every season until 1984, but the series continued with one meeting per year from 1985 to 1988. On Aug. 31, 1996, Seattle U defeated Washington, 1-0, but that did not prevent the Huskies from advancing to the NCAA second round that season. The rivalry renewed in 2009, with Washington winning in that season as well as in 2010. On Sept. 11, 2011, the teams played to a scoreless draw, with Jake Feener making three saves for the Redhawks and Spencer Richey stopping four shots for the Huskies.
SMILE, YOU ARE ON CAMERA: The Seattle University men's soccer team will appear on the Pac-12 Network Sunday, September 23, when it heads across town to Montlake to face the Washington Huskies starting at 12 noon. For Comcast subscribers, the Pac-12 Network can be found on channels 430 (Washington) and 431 (National), while Wave Broadband subscribers can access the Pac-12 Network on channels 123 (Washington) and 124 (National).