Complete week six match notes (PDF)

PORTLAND, Ore. — The Portland State women's soccer team opens Big Sky Conference play this weekend with a road trip to Northern Arizona and Southern Utah. The Vikings open the weekend against Northern Arizona Friday, Sept. 26, at 7 p.m. local time, and then play Southern Utah Sunday, Sept. 28, at 12 p.m. (MT).
 
LIVE STATS:
Live stats will be available for both matches this weekend. Live stats for the Northern Arizona match will be available here, while the live stats for the Southern Utah match will be available here. 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 the match against Southern Utah this Sunday at WatchBigSky.com. Fans will have to create an account and download some plug-ins beforehand, however.
 
SCOUTING NORTHERN ARIZONA:
The Northern Arizona Lumberjacks (4-3-1) enter their match against Portland State Friday on a four-match winning streak, including a dramatic, 1-0 win over UTEP in double overtime in the team's last match. The Lumberjacks have posted shutouts in four of their last five matches going into Friday, and take a shutout streak of over 320 minutes into the match against the Vikings. Northern Arizona has moved to the top of the conference in shutouts this season (4) with their recent shutout streak, and rank tied for second in the conference in goals allowed (9), as well as third in goals-against average (1.08). Sophomore goalkeeper Natalie Gilbertson also ranks atop the conference in nearly all the defensive statistics individually, as she leads the Big Sky in goals-against average (0.46), save percentage (.919) and shutouts (4). Meanwhile, the Lumberjacks have picked up their play offensively recently, as they have scored seven goals in their past four matches, after only scoring three goals in their first four matches of the season. Most of the team's offense has come from junior Haley Wingender, who leads the Lumberjacks and ranks tied for second in the Big Sky with five goals scored this season. Wingender also has one assist this season, making her part of six of NAU's 10 total goals this season, and ranking her third in the Big Sky in points (11). Besides Wingender, freshman forward Adrian Nixt ranks second on the team with two goals scored this season, while junior Emily Wadell and freshman forward Anna Goebel have scored one goal each for the Lumberjacks. Lumberjack Stadium has historically been a tough place to play for the Vikings, as they stand 0-8-2 all-time in road matches against Northern Arizona. The two draws have come in the Vikings' last two matches at NAU, however, as the Vikings tied NAU 1-1 during the 2011 season, and then 0-0 in 2012. The Lumberjacks have a 3-0-1 record at home in 2014, too, and hold a six-match home unbeaten streak dating back to last season.
 
ALL-TIME SERIES AGAINST NORTHERN ARIZONA:
The Lumberjacks have the best record against the Vikings of any Big Sky team, and are one of just three Big Sky teams with a winning record against the Vikings. Northern Arizona leads the all-time series against Portland State, 10-5-4, including an 8-0-2 record at home. The Vikings snapped an eight-match winless streak against the Lumberjacks last season, though, when junior midfielder/forward Cori Bianchini scored a golden goal in the first overtime period to give the Vikings a 2-1 win at Hillsboro Stadium. Additionally, PSU head coach Laura Schott has a 1-3-4 record against NAU in her coaching career, while NAU head coach Andre Luciano has a 7-4-4 record against Portland State after 14 seasons at Northern Arizona.
 
SCOUTING SOUTHERN UTAH:
The Southern Utah Thunderbirds (3-3-1) have won two straight matches in double overtime going into the weekend, having beaten both Grand Canyon and Wright State on golden goals at the NAU Tournament in Flagstaff, Ariz., last weekend. Freshman midfielder Abbie Flandro scored the game winner in the 105th minute against Grand Canyon on Friday, while freshman forward Megan Bolding scored the game winner against Wright State in the 109th minute on Sunday. Southern Utah has played well offensively overall this season, totaling 14 goals in seven matches so far, ranking them tied for second in the Big Sky in both total goals (14) and goals per match (2.00). No one player has dominated offensively for the Thunderbirds, either, as five different players rank tied for the team lead with two goals scored this season, while nine different players have scored a goal for the Thunderbirds. Individually, Flandro leads the Thunderbirds in points with six (2g, 2a) so far this season, while fellow freshman Ally Thimsen ranks second on the team with five total points (2g, 1a). Southern Utah also leads the Big Sky in both total assists (13) and assists per match (1.86) this season, but again have no dominant player in the category. No player has recorded more than two assists this season, while 10 different players have recorded at least one assist for the Thunderbirds. Meanwhile, defensively, the Thunderbirds have played better since sophomore transfer Taylor Bolding took over as the team's starting goalkeeper. The Thunderbirds have allowed only three goals in Bolding's four starts in goal this season, much less than the 10 goals the Thunderbirds have given up in their other three matches. Consequently, Bolding ranks third in the Big Sky in goals-against average (0.92), and ranks fifth in the conference in save percentage (.789) and tied for fifth in shutouts (2). The Thunderbirds' success so far this season has come as the team deals with a young roster, as 23 of the team's 27 players have less than two years of experience within the Thunderbird program. Southern Utah was also the only Big Sky team the Vikings did not beat during the 2013 regular season, as the team's tied 0-0 at Hillsboro Stadium on Oct. 11 last season.
 
ALL-TIME SERIES AGAINST SOUTHERN UTAH:
The Vikings lead the all-time series against Southern Utah, 2-0-1, including a 1-0-1 record in Big Sky matches. Additionally, the Vikings have never given up a goal to the Thunderbirds in their three matches against them. The Vikings also won their only match at Thunderbird Field so far, with a 3-0 win over the Thunderbirds in 2012, Southern Utah's first season as a full Big Sky member.
 
LAST TIME OUT:
The Vikings lost 1-0 to San Jose State on an 86h-minute goal from Lupita Estrada Sunday, snapping the Vikings' 11-match home unbeaten streak. Estrada's goal proved the difference in a match the Vikings created plenty of chances in but couldn't find the back of the net. Estrada scored on a late free kick for the Spartans that got volleyed on via several headers before eventually finding Estrada on the back post. San Jose State outshot the Vikings 11-10 overall in the match.
 
LOOKING AHEAD:
The Vikings return home for matches against Eastern Washington and Montana next weekend. The Vikings host Eastern Washington in the first Dam Cup match of the season Friday, Oct. 3, and will then host Montana Sunday, Oct. 5. Both matches will be played at 1 p.m. (PT) at Hillsboro Stadium.
 
UNBEATEN AGAINST BIG SKY OPPONENTS SINCE 2012:
The Vikings take an 11-match unbeaten streak in Big Sky regular-season matches into their first weekend of conference play this season. The Vikings last lost a Big Sky regular-season match on Oct. 12, 2012, when they lost 2-1 at home to Idaho State. Since then, the Vikings have gone 10-0-1 in Big Sky regular-season matches, including an 8-0-1 mark during the 2013 Big Sky regular season, the program's first unbeaten conference record since the Vikings joined the Big Sky in 1997. The Vikings' one draw over their 11-match unbeaten streak in Big Sky matches came on Oct. 11 last season, when the Vikings and Southern Utah tied 0-0 at Hillsboro Stadium.
 
VIKINGS TOP TEAM IN OREGON IN FIRST EDITION OF RPI:
Portland State stands as the highest-ranked team in Oregon in the first edition of the NCAA Women's Soccer RPI, which the NCAA released Monday. The Vikings rank 80th in the first edition of the RPI, four spots ahead of Oregon at 84th, and 14 spots ahead of cross-town rival Portland at 94th. Oregon State, meanwhile, was ranked 240th in the first edition of the NCAA Women's Soccer RPI. Portland State also stands as the highest-ranked team in the Big Sky in the RPI, well ahead of the No. 2 team in the Big Sky, Northern Arizona, which ranks 37 spots behind the Vikings at 117th. Both Portland State and Northern Arizona also each rank well ahead of the No. 3 team in the Big Sky, Montana, which was ranked 177th in the first edition of the RPI.
 
IT'S ALL ABOUT ALTITUDE:
The Vikings' matches against Northern Arizona and Southern Utah will both be played at 5,800 feet of elevation. The Vikings and Lumberjacks will play at over 7,000 feet of elevation, by far the highest elevation the Vikings will play at during the 2014 regular season. The Vikings have already played a couple matches at elevation, however, as the Vikings played Colorado State on Sept. 5 at 5,004 feet, and played Texas Tech on Sept. 7 at about 3,200 feet. The Vikings will also play at elevation against Idaho State on Oct. 10 (4,462 feet) and Northern Colorado on Oct. 17 (4,658 feet).
 
90 MINUTES NOT ALWAYS ENOUGH:
Four of the Vikings' eight matches this season have gone into overtime, and the Vikings have gone 1-1-2 in those matches. The Vikings drew in their first two overtime matches of the season, tying Boise State, 1-1, on Aug. 24, and San Francisco, 1-1, on Aug. 29. The Vikings then split their last two overtime matches, losing 1-0 to then-No. 10 Texas Tech on Sept. 7 before beating Oregon 1-0 on Sept. 12. The four overtime matches equals the Vikings' total from 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:
Six different players have scored the Vikings' seven goals this season, as only freshman forward Mackenzie Bean has scored multiple goals this season. Besides Bean, senior midfielder Ariana Cooley, junior forward Tamia Hasan, freshman defender Maddie Prehoda, senior defender Kayla Henningsen and junior midfielder Emma Cooney have all scored for the Vikings. Four different players have recorded the Vikings' four assists this season, as well. Cooley recorded the team's last assist on Hasan's game winner over Oregon, while junior defender Torie Morris, senior defender Kelsey Henningsen and sophomore midfielder Whitney Hilde have all also recorded one assist each this season.
 
FANTASTIC FRESHMEN:
The Vikings' 10-member freshmen class has already made a significant impact on the 2014 season just through the team's non-conference schedule. Freshman forward Mackenzie Bean has quickly become the Vikings' top offensive threat, as she leads the team with two goals scored so far this season. Bean and fellow freshman Maddie Prehoda have also tallied two of the Vikings' three game-winning goals this season, as Bean scored the game winner in the Vikings' season-opening, 1-0 win over Utah Valley on Aug. 22, while Prehoda scored the game winner in the Vikings' 3-0 win over Colorado State on Sept. 5. Additionally, freshman midfielder Katie Forsee has started seven of the team's eight matches at the holding center midfielder position, while defender Dallas Malone has played in seven of the team's eight 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 save percentage (.818), fourth in goals-against average (0.92) and tied for fifth in shutouts (2). Junior forward Tamia Hasan also ranks fourth in the Big Sky in both total shots (22) and shots per match (2.75), while freshman forward Mackenzie Bean ranks tied for 10th in the conference in goals scored (2). Meanwhile, as a team, the Vikings rank tied for second in the Big Sky in shutouts (3) this season, while also ranking second in the conference in goals-against average (1.04), tied for second in goals allowed (9), fourth in shots per match (12.12) and fifth in corners per match (3.50).
 
REWRITING THE HISTORY BOOKS:
Junior goalkeeper Caitlin 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 up to sixth all time in goalkeeper wins with her performance against Oregon, and ranks second all-time in goals-against average at 0.71, just over a tenth of a point behind all-time leader Melissa Ferguson at 0.59. Plese is not the only player on the verge of rewriting the Portland State record books, however, as junior midfielder/forward Cori Bianchini currently ranks ninth all-time in goals per game (0.19), and also ranks 10th all-time in points per game (0.49). Additionally, Bianchini has eight career goals, leaving her one short of moving into a tie with Juli Edwards (2004-07), Megan Plinski (2002-05) and Kala Renard (2008-11) for eighth all-time at Portland State. 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.
 
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.