5 Pilots to Receive All-Region!
Date Posted: 2/6/2019
Date Posted: 12/5/2018
PORTLAND, Ore. --- Juniors Benji Michel and Rey Ortiz were both named to the United Soccer Coaches All-West Region First Team, while senior Kienan Weekes and junior Gio Magana-Rivera landed on the second team and senior Malcolm Dixon earned third-team recognition. This is the second straight year to land on the all-region first team for both Michel and Ortiz.
Michel, a forward, battled through injuries this season to lead the Pilots with 11 goals, which included scoring the only goal during Portland's win over UCLA in the NCAA First Round. He ranks third nationally with seven game-winners, and he also had two assists for a total of 24 points. Michel opened the year by scoring a goal in six straight games, and he was named Top Drawer Soccer's National Player of the Week on Oct. 1. In November he was named to the All-West Coast Conference First Team.
Ortiz also battled injuries this fall, and the midfielder tallied three goals and three assists for nine points. He had one-game winner against Syracuse, and he previously landed on the All-WCC Second Team.
Magana-Rivera had a stellar junior campaign, scoring two goals, while handing out five assists. He also had one game-winner, which came against Loyola Marymount. The five assists are a career-high for Magana-Rivera, who landed on the 2018 All-WCC First Team.
Weekes, a redshirt-senior goalkeeper, flourished this season after taking over between the pipes. He produced five solo shutouts this fall, and he registered a goals-against average of 0.92. He nabbed WCC Player of the Week honors after the Pilots shutout the ninth-ranked Washington Huskies 1-0 on Sept. 14, while also landing on Top Drawer Soccer's National Team of the Week.
Dixon, a senior forward, had his best year with the Pilots, finishing second on the team with four goals. He also recorded two assists for 10 points, and he scored one game-winner. The four goals and 10 points are both career-highs, and he nabbed All-WCC Honorable Mention recognition last month.