Complete season recap (PDF)

PORTLAND, Ore. — The Portland State women's soccer team (9-6-4, 6-2-2 Big Sky) overcame a tough Big Sky schedule during the 2014 season to maintain its position among the conference's leaders.
 
The Vikings played four of their five Big Sky road matches at 4,000 feet of elevation or above but sill managed to finish alone in second at 6-2-2 in the Big Sky Conference. The second-place finish marks the seventh straight year the Vikings have finished second or better in the Big Sky, while the team's two losses in Big Sky play also mark the seventh straight season the Vikings have finished with two conference losses or fewer.
 
"We performed well in some big moments this season," PSU head coach Laura Schott said. "Our young players were able to see what leadership styles and mentalities led to good performances, and which caused us to miss opportunities. Hopefully, that will be educational for them, and we will continue to improve from that experience."
 
The young Vikings will surely gain experience from the team's push up to second place in the Big Sky, which stood very much in doubt after the team stood tied for seventh at 1-2-1 in the Big Sky at the end of the second weekend of conference play. The Vikings opened Big Sky play 0-1-1 after enduring a difficult road trip on the first weekend of play that saw them play a double-overtime match against Northern Arizona at over 7,000 feet, then play a tough Southern Utah team just over 36 hours later at over 5,000 feet of elevation.
 
To make matters worse, the Vikings lost one of their top offensive threats in junior forward Tamia Hasan after the Southern Utah match, one of several injuries that hurt the Vikings during conference play.
 
The Vikings rebounded with a 3-1 win over eventual Big Sky Tournament participant Eastern Washington, but then lost 1-0 on a second-half goal to eventual regular-season champion Montana.
 
Things did not appear to be getting any easier for the Vikings after that either, as they faced another long weekend after that that would force them to play at Idaho State in Pocatello Friday, then travel all the way back to Hillsboro Stadium Sunday, when they'd host defending Big Sky Tournament-champion Weber State. However, facing the prospect of sinking further down the Big Sky standings, senior defender Kayla Henningsen delivered a pair of stunning goals for the Vikings, leading the Vikings to back-to-back 1-0 wins over both Idaho State and Weber State.
 
That catapulted the Vikings into playoff position, as they moved into a tied for third in the Big Sky at 3-2-1 at that point, within striking distance of earning their seventh straight second-place of better finish in the Big Sky.
 
Freshman forward Mackenzie Bean then scored with less than five minutes left in the Vikings' next game against Northern Colorado, helping the Vikings salvage a tie on the road against the Bears. Junior defender Torie Morris then delivered the game-winning goal against North Dakota two days later, giving the Vikings three wins in their last four matches, and putting them into a tie for second in the Big Sky Conference with Idaho, their next opponent.
 
The Vikings hosted Idaho on Oct. 26 with second place in the conference on the line, and had one of their best performances of the season in a 3-1 win over the Vandals. Junior midfielder/forward Cori Bianchini scored in just the fourth minute of the match to put the Vikings up early, while freshman midfielder Katie Forsee and former goalkeeper and senior Angela Haluska each scored within four minutes of each other early in the second half to give the Vikings a commanding 3-0 lead. Idaho scored a late goal to get back within two goals of the Vikings, but the outcome of the match was well in hand by then, as the Vikings put themselves in the driver's seat for second in the Big Sky with the win.
 
The Vikings then just needed to beat Sacramento State to secure second place in the Big Sky, as well as a first-round bye in the new six-team Big Sky Tournament. Sacramento State would not make things easy for the Vikings, though, as they entered the match winners of their last three, and stayed with the Vikings late into the match. However, with the score tied 0-0 going into the final 10 minutes of regulation, Hasan, who had returned from her injury the week before against Idaho, scored a pair of goals late to lead the Vikings to a 2-0 win over the Hornets. Hasan scored her first goal in the 83rd minute, then followed it up with her second less than three minutes later in the 86th minute.
 
The win over the Hornets completed the Vikings' comeback from their rough start to the Big Sky schedule, as it gave the Vikings their fifth win in their final six matches, moving them from a tie for seven at 1-2-1 in the Big Sky to second at 6-2-2.
 
The Vikings hoped to take their hot streak into the Big Sky Tournament, but third-seeded Northern Arizona upset the Vikings 2-1 in the semifinals thanks en route to their third Big Sky Tournament title.
 
The semifinal loss stopped the Vikings short of their ultimate goal of making the NCAA Tournament, but the Vikings gave themselves a chance with their run in the second half of Big Sky play.
 
The Vikings' run came in spite of the team having to deal with a series of injuries that forced the team to insert young players into key roles at various times of the season.
 
"The injuries made things difficult, but I thought our players took that aspect of the season in stride," Schott said. "I am really happy with how our players didn't dwell on injuries or what ifs in preparation for conference games."
 
Hasan overcame her own injury to lead the Vikings late in the season, as she totaled two goals and an assist in the team's final two regular-season matches. Hasan picked up All-Big Sky honorable-mention honors as a result, despite only playing in four of the team's 10 Big Sky matches.
 
Redshirt junior goalkeeper Caitlin Plese also overcame an injury that kept her out of the team's first two matches of the season to lead the Vikings defensively. Plese led the Vikings to six of their seven shutouts of the season, and ranked third in the conference with a 0.67 goals-against average in Big Sky matches.
 
Plese also tied the school record for career shutouts during the season, as her six shutouts in 2014 gave her 17 in her career, tying her with all-time great Cris Lewis (2006-09). Plese's record-tying performance earned her her second straight Big Sky Goalkeeper of the Year honor, as well as her second straight All-Big Sky first-team honor.
 
Additionally, Hasan and Plese led the Vikings to their biggest non-conference win of the 2014 season, as they each led the Vikings to a 1-0 win over Oregon on Sept. 12, the Vikings' first win over Oregon since 2004. With the team's tied 0-0 late, Plese made an 89th-minute save of an Oregon penalty kick to keep the Vikings in the match, while Hasan then followed with the game-winning goal two minutes and 30 seconds into the first overtime period.
 
Besides those two, Bianchini led the Vikings and the Big Sky Conference with five assists during the conference season, punctuated by three assists in the team's final two matches of the regular season. Bianchini recorded a goal and an assist in the Vikings' 3-1 win over Idaho, and then followed that up with assists on each of Hasan's goals in the team's win over Sacramento State.
 
Bianchini's five assists earned the junior her second straight All-Big Sky first-team honor, joining Plese and Henningsen on the first team for the second straight season.
 
Plese and Henningsen, meanwhile, headlined a decorated senior class with their first-team honors in their final season as Vikings. Besides them, senior defender Kelsey Henningsen earned her second straight All-Big Sky second-team honor, while senior midfielder Ariana Cooley was named an All-Big Sky honorable mention for the first time in her career. Senior goalkeeper Angela Haluska also achieved the rare feat of recording a shutout as a goalkeeper and scoring a goal as a field player in the same season.
 
Overall, the Vikings' five-member senior class leaves the Viking program as three-time Big Sky regular-season champions, and as winners of 24 Big Sky matches in their four years at Portland State, the highest total of any senior class in program history.
 
"This year's senior class is made of people that will have opportunities to lead again," Schott said. "They are intelligent people and they will have good professional careers beyond soccer. I wish them success and hope they will have many opportunities to perform at a high level in life."
 
Hasan and Bianchini, meanwhile, will lead the Vikings coming back for next season, which should be another strong year for the program after so many young players worked into the lineup this season.
 
"Our young players had great moments and many teachable moments," Schott said. "Just having the experience of playing at the college level for a season or two helps immensely."
 
The Vikings will begin working towards next season's goals during their 2015 spring season.
 
PLESE NAMED BIG SKY GOALKEEPER OF THE YEAR, EIGHT PLAYERS NAMED TO ALL-BIG SKY TEAMS:
Redshirt junior goalkeeper Caitlin Plese was named the Big Sky Goalkeeper of the Year for the second straight season, as the Big Sky Conference announced its individual and all-conference team awards at the end of the regular season. In addition to being named Big Sky Goalkeeper of the Year for the second straight season, Plese also made the All-Big Sky first team for the second time, along with senior defender Kayla Henningsen and junior midfielder/forward Cori Bianchini. Besides those three, senior defender Kelsey Henningsen and sophomore midfielder Bianca Munoz each were named to the All-Big Sky second team, while junior defender Torie Morris, senior midfielder Ariana Cooley and junior forward Tamia Hasan were all named All-Big Sky honorable mentions. Kelsey Henningsen and Morris repeated their honors from the 2013 season, while Munoz, Cooley and Hasan all earned the first all-conference honors of their PSU careers with their selections.
 
COOLEY NAMED TO COSIDA ACADEMIC ALL-DISTRICT VIII FIRST TEAM FOR SECOND STRAIGHT SEASON:
Senior midfielder Ariana Cooley became the first player in the history of the Vikings' program to earn CoSIDA Academic All-District VIII first-team honors in back-to-back years with her selection to the first team this season. Cooley earned the honor as a 3.96 student in health studies, and as a four-time President's List honoree. Additionally, Cooley is the co-recipient of the Alice and Taylor Alexander Endowed Scholarship, as well as the PSU UG Laurels Academic Scholarship. Cooley had been just the second player to receive first-team honors when she received the award last season.
 
EARLY BIRDS AND NIGHT OWLS:
The Vikings scored both early and late in matches this season, as six of the Vikings' nine game-winning goals in 2014 came in the first 30 minutes of play, while two of the team's other three game winners came in the 75th minute or later. Overall, 16 of the team's 21 goals this season either came in the first 30 minutes of play, or in the 75th minute or later. The Vikings scored a total of 11 goals in the first 30 minutes of matches this season, as well as five total goals in the 75th minute or later. Junior forward Tamia Hasan scored both of the team's late game winners, including the game winner in the team's last match of the regular season, when she scored the game-winning goal against Sacramento State in the 83rd minute. Besides that match, Hasan also scored the game winner in the Vikings' 1-0 win over Oregon, scoring a golden goal in the 93rd minute.
 
PLESE JOINS LEWIS ON TOP OF RECORD BOOKS:
Redshirt junior goalkeeper Caitlin Plese moved into a tie for the all-time lead in shutouts this season, tying the record in the team's regular-season finale as the Vikings shut out Sacramento State. Plese's shutout against the Hornets gave her 17 shutouts in career, tying her with all-time leader Cris Lewis (2006-09). Additionally, Plese moved up to second all-time in goalkeeper wins this season and will graduate with 20 wins in her career after the Vikings' win over the Hornets. Plese also finishes her PSU career second all-time in goals-against average (0.69) at Portland State, as well as sixth all-time in career saves with 144.
 
BIANCHINI JOINS THE ALL-TIME GREATS:
Junior midfielder/forward Cori Bianchini moved into the all-time top 10 at Portland State in goals, assists and points this season. Bianchini's five assists this season gave her 10 assists in her career at Portland State, moving her into a tie for seventh all-time with Katie Miyake (2002-04) and Megan Plinski (2002-05). Bianchini's nine points this season also gave her 30 in her career, moving her into sole possession of ninth all-time in the category at Portland State. Additionally, Bianchini moved into sole possession of eighth place all-time at Portland State with her 10th career goal this season, which came in the Vikings' 3-1 win over Idaho on Oct. 26. Bianchini's five assists this season also rank her tied for the sixth-best single-season assist total at Portland State. Besides Bianchini, senior defender Kayla Henningsen also moved into the all-time top 10 in goals scored this season, as she recorded her ninth career goal against Weber State on Oct. 12, moving her into a tie for ninth all-time with Plinksi, Juli Edwards (2004-07) and Kala Renard (2008-11).
 
SCORING FROM EVERYWHERE ON THE FIELD:
The Viking offense scored from everywhere on the field this season, as 11 different players accounted for the team's 21 goals this season. Additionally, 11 different players recorded the team's 17 assists this season, as only junior midfielder/forward Cori Bianchini, senior defender Kelsey Henningsen and sophomore midfielder Bianca Munoz have recorded multiple assists for the Vikings this season. Five of the team's 21 goals also came from the team's back line players, including three from senior defender Kayla Henningsen.
 
FANTASTIC FRESHMEN:
Portland State's 10-member freshmen class made a significant impact on the 2014 season for the Vikings. Freshman forward Mackenzie Bean ranked tied for second on the team in goals scored (3), as well as third on the team in points (7). Freshman defender Maddie Prehoda also started 14 of the team's 19 matches this season, and recorded the game-winning goal in the Vikings' 3-0 win over Colorado State on Sept. 5. Freshman midfielder Katie Forsee also scored the game winner against Idaho on Oct. 26, and played in all 19 matches for the Vikings, starting 12. Additionally, freshman defender Dallas Malone played in 12 of the team's matches this season.
 
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.
 
CHAMPIONSHIP HISTORY:
The Vikings entered 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 won their first Big Sky regular-season title in 2004, the only title to have not come under current head coach Laura Schott.
 
HENNINGSON TWINS' SWAN SONG:
Senior defenders and twin sisters Kayla and Kelsey Henningsen wrapped up their PSU careers this season. The Henningsen twins, prized recruits when they came into the program, saw unprecedented success at Portland State, as they won three Big Sky regular-season titles in their careers, while both have also earned numerous individual honors. Both Kayla and Kelsey were three-time All-Big Sky honorees, with Kayla earning two first-team honors, while Kayla earned two second-team honors. Kayla was also named the Big Sky Defensive MVP in 2013, when she and her sister Kelsey led the Vikings to an unbeaten regular-season Big Sky record (8-0-1). Additionally, both Kayla and Kelsey earned CoSIDA Academic All-District VIII second-team honors in 2013.
 
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

 
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, returned to the Vikings this season as a volunteer assistant coach. Lewis, the 2009 Big Sky Defensive MVP, worked closely with this year's crop of goalkeepers, including Caitlin Plese, who tied Lewis for the all-time lead in shutouts by the end of the 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.