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HILLSBORO, Ore. — Senior midfielder/forward Cori Bianchini converted a 93rd-minute penalty kick to lead the Portland State women's soccer team to a 1-0 overtime win over Air Force Sunday at Hillsboro Stadium.
 
The goal gives the Vikings (2-4-0) two wins out of their last three matches, and gives the Vikings some momentum as they head into the final weekend of their non-conference schedule next week.
 
"Air Force is a good win for us with a group that has been gaining experience against a lot of good teams during non-conference play," PSU head coach Laura Schott said after the match. "The most important take away on the day is that we made the positive choice to grind and work even when we didn't always connect going forward.
 
"The willingness to grind will be the difference between a Big Sky tournament championship and falling short."
 
Bianchini not only took, but earned the PK for the Vikings, after she was pushed in the box as she was chasing down a long boot from goalkeeper Angela Haluska. Bianchini placed the penalty to the right of Air Force goalkeeper Alex Kahalley, who had committed to the left side of the goal.
 
"Cori did what good attacking players do: she came up big when a big moment was needed," Schott said.
 
The goal marks the second career golden goal for Bianchini, who also scored the game-winner in overtime in the Vikings' 2-1 win over Northern Arizona in 2013. The goal also gives Bianchini 11 goals in her PSU career – six of which have been game-winners – moving her into a tie for sixth all-time at Portland State. Bianchini moved into a tie for sixth all-time in career points as well, as she now has 32 in her PSU career.
 
Bianchini's penalty kick put a positive end on what was at times a frustrating match for the Viking offense. Both teams combined for only five shots in the first half, with the Vikings outshooting the Falcons (2-4-0) 4-1 at the break.
 
Portland State came out of halftime with a more aggressive approach, however, and played a much better second half in which the team outshot Air Force, 10-6.
 
Senior midfielder Emma Cooney had the first good chance of the second half, as she collected a ball just outside the box in the 59th minute and took one touch into space before trying to thread a ball through a group of Air Force defenders. Cooney's shot nearly caught Kahalley off guard, but the Falcons' goalkeeper made a diving save to punch the ball around the post.
 
The Vikings kept pressing and had another chance a minute later in the 60th minute, when a long free kick from freshman defender Dallin Esmond found freshman defender/forward Megan Myers near the six-yard line. Myers got a head on the end of Esmond's free kick, but couldn't direct the ball enough, and Kahalley collected Myers' shot easily.
 
Redshirt sophomore defender/midfielder Brianne Chilton-Eddy also fired a quick shot in the 61st minute, but it sailed just left of the goal post.
 
Portland State had a fourth chance at goal near the hour mark come in the 62nd minute, but an apparent goal by Myers got called back for offsides.
 
The Vikings had one final chance in regulation come in the 78th minute, when Cooney and sophomore midfielder Katie Forsee combined to swing the ball across the field to a charging Whitney Hilde on the left post. Forsee's pass fed Hilde on the run in the box, but Hilde's hard shot went right at Kahalley, who was able to collected it for the save.
 
Air Force had a couple of their own chances late when they could have stolen the match, especially in the 83rd minute, when the Falcons' Ashley Greco sent a nice cross in from the left side that came right to the feet of a charging Kaitlyn Cook. Greco's cross left Cook with an open shot in the middle of the box, but Cook's shot grazed off the crossbar and out for a goal kick.
 
The Falcons had another chance early on in overtime, as the Falcons' Angela Karamanos got free in the middle of the pitch and sent a shot across the ground that looked like it could tuck inside the post but instead bounced just out.
 
The Viking defense kept the Falcons out of goal, however, earning the unit its second shutout of the season. Haluska now has three shutouts in her career, tying her for ninth all-time at Portland State.
 
"Angela has been playing well for us," Schott said. "She made some good saves today and I look forward to her continuing consistency."
 
Haluska came into the weekend eighth in the NCAA in total saves with 41, and added four more saves to that total in the match against Air Force.
 
The Vikings will now look to keep their momentum going into their final weekend of the non-conference season, when they travel for a pair of road matches at Oregon and Utah Valley. The Vikings play the Ducks Friday at 3:30 p.m. (PT) in a match that will be televised on Pac-12 Networks.
 
Match Notes: The Vikings improve to 2-4-1 all-time against Air Force with Sunday's win, and have won two in a row in the series…Sunday's match was the first match between Portland State and Air Force since 2002…The Vikings are now 2-1-0 at home this season…Sunday's match was the Vikings' first overtime match of 2015, and came almost exactly a year since the team's last overtime win, which came 1-0 over Oregon on Sept. 12 last season.