PORTLAND, Ore. – Most games between college soccer teams end with each team heading their separate ways, with one team usually elated and the other going back to the drawing board. That was not the case after Monday's game between Portland Pilots men's soccer and the Lewis & Clark Pioneers. After the Pilots' win over the Pioneers, Portland players and coaches lingered on Merlo Field to hear what the coaches of the Pioneers had to offer.
The reason's simple: When Jim Tursi and Bill Irwin speak, people listen. That's what happens when you're a legend.
Monday's game was more than just a matchup between two Portland schools on a hot, muggy evening – it was a homecoming for two people who were instrumental in transforming Portland soccer into what it is today.