Soccer Travels West for Nike Invitational
PORTLAND, Ore. – Having wrapped up its recent four-match homestand, the University of Miami women’s soccer team travels to the west coast this weekend for a pair of games at the Nike Portland Invitational hosted by the University of Portland.
The Hurricanes (2-4-0) will battle the host Pilots (2-3-0) in their opening match at 10 p.m. ET Friday night at Merlo Field. Miami will conclude its weekend with a matchup against Washington (4-1-0) Sunday at 3 p.m.
San Jose State is the fourth team that will be taking part in the invitational, which will feature sizable crowds in a stadium that seats 4,892.
“We’re excited about this trip out to Portland,” head coach Mary-Frances Monroe said. “It’s a great experience for the team to play at a different venue that they haven’t been to before.”
The two matches will end Miami’s nonconference slate. The Hurricanes picked up two wins in their recent homestand, toppling Jacksonville (1-0) on Sept. 2 and Stetson (3-0) on Sept. 5.
With the start of the ACC schedule looming next Saturday, Miami will use these last two nonconference games as the chance for final preparations against talented competition ahead of conference play.
Portland has been ranked as high as No. 13 in the weekly TopDrawerSoccer polls this season, while Washington is off to a fast 4-1-0 start. The Pilots are led by sophomore Danica Evans (two goals, one assist) while the Huskies are led by senior Jaclyn Softli (four goals).
Miami has faced Portland just twice before, with its most recent contest coming in the form of a 2-0 road loss back in 2009. The Hurricanes topped Washington 1-0 on the road in 2009 in the only prior matchup between the two schools.
“Both Portland and Washington have been very successful this season, so it will be a good challenge for us heading into our conference games,” Monroe said.
Miami’s match against Portland will feature live stats and live video available through PilotsVideo.com. The Hurricanes’ finale against the Huskies will only have live stats. For more information, visit PortlandPilots.com.
