Schuster creates three as Seattle U women shut out Portland 4–0

Seattle U turned a close first half into a commanding road victory with two goals just before intermission. The Redhawks beat Portland 4–0 on Wednesday, October 28, at Merlo Field in the Clive Charles Soccer Complex, improving to 10–4–4 overall and 4–1–2 in West Coast Conference play.

Kyla Schuster supplied three assists, four different Redhawks scored and Kassidy Kirgan played all ninety minutes in a four-save shutout. The combination made this a result built on chance creation and the work required to keep the other side from responding.

The decisive minutes before halftime

Katie Piburn opened the scoring at 23:23, with Schuster and Leila Leano credited with assists. Seattle U then stretched the margin at 41:46 when Kailee Wilson finished a chance created by Sydney Grundland Lanuza. Wilson’s ninth goal of the season gave the Redhawks room to breathe; Jaelyn Byeman’s first collegiate goal at 44:06 made the advantage much harder to overturn.

That final first-half strike, assisted by Schuster, changed the scale of Portland’s task. Instead of leaving the interval one successful attack away from an equalizer, the Pilots needed three goals simply to draw level. Seattle U had turned its better attacking half into a lead large enough to manage with patience.

Control after the break

Myah Polzin completed the scoring at 80:53 from Schuster’s third assist. The official box score credited Seattle U with twelve shots, eight on target, against Portland’s six shots and four on target. The Redhawks took nine shots before halftime and three afterward, while Kirgan made two saves in each half.

That distribution matters. The lower second-half shot count did not prevent Seattle U from adding a goal or protecting its clean sheet. Portland still put attempts on target, and Kirgan had to finish the job. A comfortable score should not erase the goalkeeper’s contribution or imply that the defense spent the final forty-five minutes without a test.

The documented view of the performance

Seattle U’s October 28 report described a dominant performance and highlighted Schuster’s three assists. The team’s published match updates also celebrated Byeman’s first collegiate goal. Portland’s official report confirmed the scoring sequence and acknowledged chances that failed to produce a reply. These are the schools’ documented accounts, rather than a claim about how every supporter received the match.

The result is particularly useful in the context of Seattle U’s previous two outings, both 1–1 home draws against Santa Clara and Loyola Marymount. The official schedule now shows a win to carry into the remaining road fixture. Wednesday supplies evidence that several players can share the finishing responsibility when the Redhawks create the right openings.

Analysis: carry the combinations into the next match

The priority is to repeat the quality of the connections around the penalty area. Three Schuster assists and goals from four players suggest several productive routes into the attack. That variety makes a defense account for more than a single scorer, although one strong match cannot guarantee the same efficiency against a different opponent.

The late first-half goals also offer a practical standard: keep attacking with purpose when already ahead, then protect the structure that allows the team to choose its moments. The improvement to pursue is sustained execution across opponents and score states, rather than an expectation that every match should end with four goals.

What comes next

Seattle U visits Saint Mary’s in Moraga on Saturday, October 31, at 1 p.m. Pacific. Its regular-season finale follows at Championship Field against Denver on November 7. The next opportunity is to make Wednesday’s balanced contribution travel again while keeping the defensive concentration that preserved the shutout.

Rain City Sports editorial desk | Published October 29, 2026. Sources checked October 29, 2026. Image: illustrative Seattle scene.

Sources

• Seattle U official match report (checked 2026-10-29)
• Portland official match report (checked 2026-10-29)
• Official box score and player statistics (checked 2026-10-29)
• Seattle U schedule and next match (checked 2026-10-29)

Analysis and recommendations are the editorial desk’s interpretation. Reporting and attributed perspectives are linked above. Information is current as of the publication date.