Nebraska Faces Third 2001 College Cup Team in Five Games

The Nebraska soccer team will face its third 2001 NCAA College Cup qualifier this season, when the Huskers take on the Portland Pilots Saturday afternoon at Harry A. Merlo Field, in Portland, Ore.

The Huskers tied North Carolina, 1-1, in their season opener, and lost to Florida, 1-0 last weekend. All three teams made it to the round of four in the 2001 NCAA Tournament, and have proven to be challenging competitors for Nebraska.

The only College Cup team Nebraska will not face in regular season play in 2002 is last season's national champion, Santa Clara.

The Huskers are 1-2-1 all-time against the Pilots, including two losses coming in the 2001 season. Both games were played in Portland, with the Pilots knocking the Huskers out of the NCAA Tournament with a 4-0 loss in the NCAA Sweet 16.

Nebraska's only win against Portland came in a 3-2 overtime win in Lincoln during the 1999 season.

Portland is 2-2-0 so far this season, most recently defeating sixth-ranked Notre Dame, 1-0. In their opening two games of the season, the Pilots were without their ace, Christine Sinclair. She was absent in their first two games while playing for Canada at the Under-19 World Championships. Sinclair didn't take long to make her presence felt for the Pilots, scoring goals in each of her first two games back. Last season, Sinclair scored 2 goals and 2 assists in two games vs. Nebraska.