Portland Pilots Beat San Francisco 2-1 in OT to Reach WCC Final

The No. 6 Portland Pilots secured an overtime victory against the San Francisco Dons on Wednesday to reach the 2026 WCC Men’s Soccer Championships final.

The 2-1 win moves the Pilots to a 12-3-2 record for the season. The victory was decided in the 99th minute of play when a cross from Christian Mendoza deflected off a San Francisco defender and into the net, resulting in an own goal that ended the match.

This win is part of a surge for the Portland program. The Pilots have extended their winning streak to 11 matches and their unbeaten streak to 13. This marks the longest winning streak for the program since 1988 and stands as the longest winning streak in the nation.

Ritvik Karra provided the initial momentum for Portland in the 39th minute. Following a cross from Diego Rosas, Karra scored to give the Pilots a 1-0 lead. While the Pilots held that advantage through much of the second half, San Francisco found an equalizer in the 86th minute after a foul on Olayinka Ogunleye inside the box led to a successful penalty kick.

The decisive moment in overtime came from a free kick sequence. After a foul, Mendoza delivered a ball into the box that led to the game-winning deflection. The play marked the third assist of the season for Mendoza and the 13th for Rosas.

The match highlighted several individual and team achievements for the Pilots.

Category	Statistic/Achievement
Diego Rosas Career Assists	40
Portland Season Wins	12
Portland Season Unbeaten Streak	13 matches
Portland Season Winning Streak	11 matches
Portland Season Goals	44

Rosas has now recorded 40 career assists, making him one of just three players in NCAA Division I to have at least 40 assists since 1998. The team’s offensive output has been consistent, with 44 goals scored this season, the most they’ve had in a season since 2023.

The team currently sits at 55 assists for the year, placing them just two assists shy of breaking the program record.

The team has also secured nine wins against WCC opponents this season, a program record.

The Pilots’ advancement places them in the WCC Tournament final in the first year of its existence.

Miguel-Angel Hernandez contributed to the defensive effort with four saves during the match to help keep the Pilots in contention against the Dons.

The Pilots will face the 2-seed San Diego Toreros in the WCC Men’s Soccer Championship Final. The match is scheduled for Saturday, Nov. 14, at 7 p.m. at Merlo Field.

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