Complete week eight notes (PDF)

PORTLAND, Ore. — The Portland State women's soccer team (4-5-3, 1-2-1 Big Sky) faces a split weekend between the road and home this weekend, as they travel to play Idaho State in Pocatello, Idaho, on Friday, Oct. 10, before coming all the way back to Hillsboro Stadium for a home match against Weber State Sunday, Oct. 12. The Vikings will play Idaho State at 4 p.m. (MT) Friday, and then play Weber State at 1 p.m. (PT) on Sunday. The Vikings' match against Weber State will be a rematch of the 2013 Big Sky Tournament final, which Weber State won in penalty kicks to advance to the NCAA Tournament.
 
LIVE STATS:
Live stats will be available for both matches this weekend. Live stats for the match at Idaho State will be available here, while lives stats for the match against Weber State will be available on vikslive.com, as well as at viksmobile.com for mobile devices. Links to live stats for both matches will also be available on the women's soccer schedule page on GoViks.com.
 
LIVE VIDEO:
A free live stream will also be available for both matches this weekend. The match against Idaho State will be available here, while the match against Weber State will be available at WatchBigSky.com. Fans will have to create an account and download some plug-ins for the broadcast on WatchBigSky.com. Matt Marquette will call the match against Weber State for the Vikings.
 
LIVE AUDIO:
Live audio of the Vikings' match against Idaho State will also be available here.
 
SCOUTING IDAHO STATE:
The Idaho State Bengals (5-6-0, 2-2-0 Big Sky) suffered their first home loss of the season in their last match, a 2-1 loss to Northern Colorado on Sunday. Northern Colorado beat the Bengals on a goal just 10 seconds from the end of regulation after coming back from a 1-0 second-half deficit earlier in the match. The Bengals had better luck earlier in the weekend against North Dakota on Friday, as they were the ones to win on a late goal, beating North Dakota on a goal in the 87th minute. Overall this season, the Bengals have been one of the best offensive teams in the Big Sky, as they rank tied for the conference lead in goals scored with 21 so far this season. Additionally, senior forward Amanda Ellsworth has been the top individual offensive threat in the Big Sky Conference, as she leads the Big Sky in points (20) and goals (9) this season. Ellsworth's nine goals gives her three more than any other player in the Big Sky Conference this season. Ellsworth has not been alone in leading the Bengals' offense, however, as freshman forward Marla Sanchez ranks tied for second in the Big Sky with 14 points on five goals and four assists. Sanchez's four assists also lead the Bengals this season and rank her tied for second in the Big Sky. Sophomore midfielder Katherine Roberts has also scored three goals for the Bengals this season, making the trio of Ellsworth, Sanchez and Roberts responsible for 17 of the team's 21 goals so far. The Bengals' success on offense has had to compensate for a lax defense at times, however, as the Bengals rank last in the Big Sky in goals allowed per match, as they surrender 2.64 goals per match on average so far this season. The Bengals recorded their first shutout of the season last weekend, however, in their 1-0 win over North Dakota on Friday. Before that, the Bengals had surrendered more than one goal in eight of their first nine matches of the season, including six matches in which they surrendered three or more goals. Individually, junior goalkeeper Sheridan Hapsic has started the Bengals' last eight matches in goal, and takes a 2.46 goals-against average and .629 save percentage into the Bengals' match against the Vikings on Friday.
 
ALL-TIME SERIES VERSUS IDAHO STATE:
The Vikings and Bengals enter their match Friday tied 8-8-1 all-time in the their series against each other. The Vikings have owned the series of late, however, as they have won seven of their last eight matches against the Bengals, including a 1-0 win on the road last season. The Vikings have won their last four matches at Idaho State, where they also haven't given up a goal to the Bengals since 2004.
 
SCOUTING WEBER STATE:
The Vikings' match against the Weber State Wildcats (4-9-0, 1-3-0 Big Sky) Sunday will be a rematch of the 2013 Big Sky Tournament final, which Weber State won in penalty kicks. The Wildcats have been struggling lately, however, as they had a seven-match losing streak before beating North Dakota 3-0 in their last match. Some of the Wildcats' struggles can be attributed to the absence of junior midfielder Chansi Crompton, a two-time All-Big Sky first-team selection, who hasn't played in a match since the Wildcats' 4-0 loss to Cal State Northridge on Sept. 21. Without Crompton, junior forward Mackenzie Harrison, the 2013 Big Sky Offensive MVP and co-winner of the Golden Boot Award, has had to shoulder additional responsibilities, and has responded to the added pressure well. Harrison leads the Wildcats and the Big Sky with five assists this season, and ranks tied for fifth in the conference with 13 points (4g, 5a). Besides Harrison, junior forward Stacy Bair ranks second on the team with 10 points on four goals and two assists this season. Additionally, junior defender Brecken Holbrook and sophomore forward Lana Willard have each scored three goals for the Wildcats, while Holbrook has added two assists. As a team, the Wildcats have totaled 19 goals this season, ranking them tied for fifth in the Big Sky offensively. The real struggle for the Wildcats this season has been on the defensive side, however, as they rank last in the Big Sky with 31 goals allowed. The Wildcats also rank last in the Big Sky with nine goals allowed in Big Sky play this season, as they average 2.25 goals allowed per Big Sky match so far. The Wildcats allowed 18 goals over their recent six-match losing streak, which included 5-1 and 4-0 losses to Eastern Washington and Cal State Northridge. Individually, junior goalkeeper Danielle MacKay and freshman goalkeeper Sydnie Stokes have split time in goal for the Wildcats. MacKay leads the pair with a 2.14 goals-against average this season, though Stokes started the Wildcats' two matches last weekend.
 
ALL-TIME SERIES VERSUS WEBER STATE:
The Vikings and the Wildcats are tied 8-8-4 in the all-time series between their two teams. The Vikings hold a seven-match unbeaten streak over the Wildcats going into the match, though that includes a pair of painful penalty-kick losses in the Big Sky Tournament in the past three seasons. The Vikings have won their last five regular-season matches against the Wildcats, including a 3-1 win on the road last season. The Vikings have also not lost to the Wildcats at home since 2004.
 
LAST TIME OUT:
The Vikings split their home stand against Eastern Washington and Montana last weekend, beating the Eagles 3-1 on Friday before losing 1-0 to the league-leading Grizzlies on Sunday. The Vikings' offense put the team up early in their match against the Eagles, as sophomore midfielder Abbey Bergquist and senior midfielder Ariana Cooley scored in the first 20 minutes to put the Vikings up 2-0 early. The Eagles pulled back within one with a goal in the 27th minute, but junior midfielder/forward Cori Bianchini put the Vikings back up by two goals with a score in the 50th minute of the match. The Vikings' offense created chances again in their match against Montana on Sunday, but a 55th-minute goal from the Grizzlies' Savannah Witt proved the difference despite a 13-11 advantage in shots for the Vikings.
 
LOOKING AHEAD:
The Vikings head back out on the road to face Northern Colorado and North Dakota next weekend. The Vikings play Northern Colorado in Greeley, Colo., Friday, Oct. 17, at 7 p.m. (MT), while the Vikings play North Dakota in Grand Forks, N.D., Sunday, Oct. 19, at 11 a.m. (CT).
 
PLAYOFF CHASE:
The Vikings' matches against Idaho State and Weber State will be pivotal in the team's chase for a spot in the Big Sky Tournament at the end of the season. The Vikings currently stand tied for seventh in the Big Sky with four points in conference play, two points behind Idaho State, their opponent on Friday, which stands tied for fourth at six points. Weber State also stands right behind the Vikings at ninth in the Big Sky standings with three points in conference play. Additionally, the Vikings will only have four matches left on their Big Sky schedule after this weekend, leaving them limited opportunities to move up the conference standings. The top six teams will make the conference tournament at the end of the season, which the regular-season champion of the conference will host from Nov. 6-9.
 
BIANCHINI JOINS THE ALL-TIME GREATS:
Junior midfielder/forward Cori Bianchini's goal against Eastern Washington gave her nine goals in her career at Portland State, moving her into a tie for eighth on the all-time scoring list at the school. Bianchini's ninth goal moves her into a tie with all-time greats Juli Edwards (2004-07), Megan Plinski (2002-05) and Kala Renard (2008-11) on the all-time list. Besides Bianchini, junior goalkeeper Caitlin Plese has also moved up the all-time ranks this season. Plese earned her 13th career shutout at Portland State in the Vikings' 1-0 win over Oregon on Sept. 12, moving her into sole possession of second place on the all-time list at Portland State. Plese now ranks just four shutouts behind all-time leader Cris Lewis, who set the record with 17 shutouts from 2006-09. Plese also moved into a tie for fourth all-time in goalkeeper wins (15) after the Vikings' win over Eastern Washington, and ranks second all-time in goals-against average at 0.77. Senior defender Kayla Henningsen also has seven career goals at Portland State, leaving her just two goals short of moving into the all-time top 10 at Portland State.
 
IT'S ALL ABOUT ALTITUDE:
The Vikings' match against Idaho State will be the team's fifth match played at above 3,200 feet of elevation this season. The Vikings beat Colorado State 3-0 while playing at 5,004 feet of elevation on Sept. 5, and then narrowly lost 1-0 in double overtime to then-No. 10 Texas Tech at over 3,200 feet of elevation on Sept. 7. Meanwhile, the Vikings played back-to-back matches at over 5,800 feet of elevation to open Big Sky play, drawing 1-1 with Northern Arizona at over 7,000 feet on Sept. 26, and losing 2-0 to Southern Utah at over 5,800 feet on Sept. 28. The Vikings will also play at elevation against Northern Colorado on Oct. 17 (4,658 feet).
 
90 MINUTES NOT ALWAYS ENOUGH:
The Vikings' 1-1 draw with Northern Arizona on Sept. 26 was the team's fifth overtime match out of 12 total matches this season. The Vikings have gone 1-1-3 in their five overtime matches this season, including the draw against Northern Arizona. Besides that match, the Vikings also finished tied with Boise State, 1-1, on Aug. 24, and San Francisco, 1-1, on Aug. 29. The Vikings then split their other two overtime matches, losing 1-0 to then-No. 10 Texas Tech on Sept. 7 before beating Oregon 1-0 on Sept. 12. The five overtime matches are already more than the Vikings played during all of last season, when the Vikings went 1-0-3 in overtime matches, including the Big Sky Tournament final against Weber State.
 
SPREADING THE WEALTH:
Senior midfielder Ariana Cooley's goal against Eastern Washington last Friday moved her into a tie with freshman forward Mackenzie Bean and junior forward Tamia Hasan for the team scoring lead this season. Cooley, Hasan and Bean have each scored two goals this season, while Cooley and Bean lead the team with five points this season on two goals and an assist. The win over Eastern Washington also featured the first goals of the season for sophomore midfielder Abbey Bergquist and junior midfielder/forward Cori Bianchini, giving the Vikings eight different players now with a goal this season. Besides Cooley, Hasan, Bean, Bergquist and Bianchini, freshman defender Maddie Prehoda, senior defender Kayla Henningsen and junior midfielder Emma Cooney have all also scored for the Vikings. Bergquist and Bianchini also recorded their first assists of the season in the win over the Eagles Friday, giving the Vikings eight different players with an assist so far this season. No player has more than one assist for the Vikings this season, as besides Bergquist and Bianchini, Cooney, Cooley, junior defender Torie Morris, senior defender Kelsey Henningsen and sophomore midfielder Whitney Hilde have all also recorded one assist each this season.
 
FANTASTIC FRESHMEN:
Portland State's 10-member freshmen class has made a significant impact on the 2014 season for the Vikings. Freshman forward Mackenzie Bean ranks tied for the team lead in scoring with two goals this season, while fellow freshman Maddie Prehoda has also scored this season. Bean and Prehoda have also missed just one start between them this season, as Bean has started all 12 matches, while Prehoda has started 11 of the team's 12 matches, including the last nine straight. Additionally, freshman midfielder Katie Forsee has started nine of the team's 12 matches at the holding center midfielder position, while defender Dallas Malone has played in 11 of the team's matches this season.
 
BIG SKY STATISTICAL LEADERS:
Junior goalkeeper Caitlin Plese, the reigning Big Sky co-Goalkeeper of the Year, ranks among the Big Sky leaders defensively again this season, as she ranks third in the conference in goals-against average (1.02), sixth in save percentage (.784) and tied for sixth in shutouts (2). Junior forward Tamia Hasan also ranks tied for fifth in the Big Sky in shots per match (2.60) and tied for sixth in total shots (26). Meanwhile, as a team, the Vikings rank tied for second in the Big Sky in goals allowed (14), fourth in goals-against average (1.09) and tied for fourth in both shutouts (3) and corners (48).
 
RECORD BREAKERS:
The Vikings broke the Big Sky record for longest unbeaten streak at the start of the 2014 season, beating Utah Valley 1-0 in their season opener for their 14th straight match without a loss. That moved the Vikings past Weber State, which set the Big Sky record after going unbeaten over 13 straight matches during the 1998 season. The Vikings extended the streak to 16 matches with draws against Boise State and San Francisco, before their 5-0 loss to then-No. 21 California snapped it.
 
END-OF-SEASON GOAL:
The Portland State women's soccer team has a clear agenda for its 2014 season: get to the NCAA Tournament. A tournament berth would be the Vikings' first in program history, and would likely come via a Big Sky Tournament title. If the Vikings can win the Big Sky Tournament this season, it would end a series of frustrating results for the Vikings in the conference tournament. The Vikings have never won the Big Sky Tournament despite winning four of the past five Big Sky regular-season titles, and six regular-season titles overall. The Vikings made the tournament final for just the second time in program history last season, but fell 3-0 in penalty kicks after finishing tied with Weber State after regulation and two overtime periods. Overall, the Vikings are 2-7-3 in Big Sky Tournament matches.
 
DEFENDING THE TITLE:
The Vikings enter the 2014 season as the three-time defending Big Sky champions after winning regular-season titles in 2011, 2012 and 2013. The Vikings won their most recent title in their most convincing fashion yet, as they went unbeaten in the Big Sky Conference for the first time in program history. The Vikings won the Big Sky regular-season title in 2009 as well, giving them titles in four of the last five seasons. The Vikings should be well positioned to defend their title in 2014, too, as they return 10 starters from last season, as well as 17 letterwinners.
 
VIKINGS TABBED AS NARROW FAVORITES IN BIG SKY PRESEASON POLL:
Big Sky coaches picked the Vikings as slight favorites over Weber State in the Big Sky Preseason Coaches' poll, released earlier this month. Both teams received five first-place votes in the poll, but the Vikings finished with one more point at 93 to Weber State's 92. Besides the Vikings and Wildcats, Northern Arizona picked up the remaining first-place vote to finish third in the poll with 86 points, while Northern Colorado (69), Montana (62), Idaho State (52), Sacramento State (51), Southern Utah (32), Idaho (29), Eastern Washington (27) and North Dakota (12) rounded out the poll.
 
HENNINGSON TWINS' SWAN SONG:
Senior defenders and twin sisters Kayla and Kelsey Henningsen enter their fourth and final year within the Portland State women's soccer program this season. The Henningsen twins, prized recruits when they came into the program, have seen unprecedented success since joining the Vikings, as neither has been on a team that didn't win at least a share of the Big Sky regular-season title, while both have also earned numerous individual honors during their PSU careers. Kayla was named the Big Sky Defensive MVP last season, while both Kayla and Kelsey were named All-Big Sky honorees (Kayla: 1st team; Kelsey: 2nd team). Additionally, both Kayla and Kelsey earned CoSIDA Academic All-District VIII second-team honors last season. Watch an interview with the Henningsens on their final season at Portland State here, or on the Vikings' YouTube channel.
 
NON-CONFERENCE TESTS:
The Vikings played a tough non-conference schedule in 2014, as four of the Vikings' eight non-conference opponents finished in the top half of their respective conferences last season. The Vikings also faced two 2013 NCAA Tournament participants in Texas Tech of the Big 12 and California of the Pac-12, leaving them well-tested for the upcoming Big Sky Conference schedule. Additionally, the Vikings have faced several individual stars during the non-conference schedule, as four of their opponents have members playing some level of international youth soccer.
           
Opposing players with national team camp or playing experience:

• Madalyn Schiffel, junior goalkeeper for San Francisco – U.S. U-20 Women's National Team
• Leticia Torres, junior defender for San Francisco – Chile U-20 Women's National Team
• Jaelene Hinkle, senior defender for Texas Tech – U.S. U-23 Women's National Team
• Janine Beckie, junior forward for Texas Tech – U.S. U-20 Women's National Team
• Bri Pugh, senior defender for Oregon – U.S. U-23 Women's National Team
• Marlo Sweatman, sophomore midfielder for Oregon – Jamaica U-20 Women's National Team

             
NEWCOMERS:
The Vikings added 10 incoming freshmen during the 2014 signing period, giving the team extra depth going into the season. Of the 10 incoming freshmen, the Vikings signed two goalkeepers, one defender, five midfielders and two forwards. The 10 freshmen also come from six different states between Oregon (3), California (2), Washington (2), Colorado (1), Arizona (1) and Illinois (1).
 
THORNS FC GOALKEEPER CRIS LEWIS RETURNS TO ALMA MATER AS VOLUNTEER ASSISTANT:
Cris Lewis, the all-time leader at Portland State in shutouts, saves and goalkeeper wins, will return this season as a volunteer assistant coach. Lewis, the 2009 Big Sky Defensive MVP, will work closely with this year's crop of goalkeepers, which includes 2013 Big Sky Co-Goalkeeper of the Year Caitlin Plese. Plese ranks just six shutouts behind Lewis on the all-time list at PSU, and could pass Lewis as Lewis coaches her this season. Since leaving PSU, Lewis has played off and on with Portland Thorns FC as an amateur. Lewis started the Thorns' match against the Chicago Red Stars on June 1, 2013.
 
2013 SEASON REVIEW:
The 2013 season was easily one of the best in program history, as the Vikings completed their first unbeaten run through the Big Sky Conference at 8-0-1, and advanced to the Big Sky Tournament final for just the second time in program history. The Vikings also set program records for shutouts (12) and goals-against average (0.76) during the season, and only gave up three goals to Big Sky opponents during the season, two of which were penalty kicks.