Complete match notes (PDF)

PORTLAND, Ore. — The Portland State women's soccer team (3-7-0, 1-1-0 Big Sky) heads out on the road for the first time in the young Big Sky Conference season, as the Vikings play at Idaho and Eastern Washington this weekend.
 
The Vikings hit the road riding a five-match streak in which all five deciding goals have come in the 80th minute or later. That streak includes both of the Vikings' matches last weekend, when the Vikings split a pair of matches against Southern Utah and Northern Arizona to open Big Sky play.
 
The Vikings beat Southern Utah 2-1 on a 98th-minute penalty kick by junior midfielder/forward Aurora Bodenhamer, but got burned by a late goal in their next match, as Northern Arizona's Lindsay Doyle scored the deciding goal with just over four minutes left in regulation.
 
The Vandals and Eagles, meanwhile, each opened Big Sky play with a pair of wins over Idaho State and Weber State on the road last weekend. The Vandals and Eagles are two of three teams to stand 2-0-0 after the first weekend of Big Sky play, joining Sacramento State.
 
The Vikings kick off against Idaho at 3:30 p.m. (PT) Friday in Moscow, Idaho, and kick off against Eastern Washington at 1 p.m. (PT) Sunday in Cheney, Wash.
 
LIVE STATS:
Live stats will be available for both matches this weekend. Fans can find the live stats links on the women's soccer schedule page on GoViks.com.
 
SCOUTING IDAHO:
The Idaho Vandals (6-4-1, 2-0-0 Big Sky) were an odd team last season in that they lost their first nine matches of the season, but then rebounded to win four of their first six Big Sky matches and rank second in the Big Sky for much of the conference season. However, after the Vandals' hot start, they lost four of their last five matches to drop out of the conference tournament and finish 4-14-2 overall. The Vandals had a better start to their 2015 season, as they went 4-4-1 over the non-conference schedule, and won both of their matches to start Big Sky play last weekend. The Vandals swept Idaho State and Weber State on the road last week, winning each match by a single goal, including an 86th-minute game-winner in the team's 2-1 win over Idaho State. Overall this season, the Vandals have been the most balanced team in the Big Sky this season, as they rank second in the conference in goals scored (20), and lead the conference with a 1.15 goals-against average. The Vandals also lead the Big Sky in shutouts with four already this season, and hold a huge lead in assists with 27 so far, eight more than the next-best team, Northern Arizona with 19. Individually, junior forward Kavita Battan leads the Vandals with six goals scored so far this season, a total that also ranks her fourth in the Big Sky. Battan also ranks fourth in the Big Sky in total points with 15 (6g, 3a), one spot ahead of teammate Olivia Baggerly, who has 11 total points this season (2g, 7a). Baggerly's 11 points come on the back of seven assists, a total that gives her a share of the Big Sky lead in the category with teammate Clara Gomez, who also has seven assists this season. Freshman forward Kayla Watanabe, meanwhile, ranks second on the team with four goals scored, and ranks tied for fifth in the Big Sky in goals scored, as well as tied for sixth in total points. Defensively, freshman goalkeeper Amanda Poertner has started all but one of the Vandals' matches this season, and ranks second in the Big Sky with a 1.06 goals-against average so far, as well as third in the conference with a .817 save percentage.
 
ALL-TIME SERIES VERSUS IDAHO:
The Vikings trail the all-time series with Idaho, 4-5-0, but have won the last two matches, including last season, which was the first Big Sky Conference meeting in the series between the two teams. The Vikings beat Idaho 3-1 at home last season, which was the first meeting between the teams since 2011. The Vikings have only won once on the road against the Vandals, which came in 2003.
 
SCOUTING EASTERN WASHINGTON:
The Eastern Washington Eagles (8-1-1, 2-0-0 Big Sky) have had an impressive start to the season, continuing the program's strong upward trend after they qualified for their first Big Sky tournament since 2009 last season. The Eagles have only lost one match so far, which ironically came on the Vikings' home field in a neutral-site match with UC Davis. The Eagles' offense has led the team to its strong start to the season, as the Eagles rank second in the Big Sky with an average of 1.90 goals per game. The Eagles have scored two or more goals in seven of their 10 matches so far this season, including both of their Big Sky matches last weekend, as the Eagles beat Weber State, 2-1, and Idaho State, 3-2, on the road. The Eagles have also been a solid defensive team so far this season, as even though they've only shut out one opponent this season, they've still only allowed 13 goals in 10 matches and rank third in the Big Sky with a 1.22 goals-against average. Individually, sophomore forward Chloe Williams has been one of the biggest offensive stars in the Big Sky this season, as she ranks second in the conference with eight goals scored so far. Two other players starred for the Eagles last weekend, however, as freshman midfielder Jenny Chavez and freshman midfielder/forward Allison Raniere each scored two goals last weekend. Freshman forward Devan Talley has also scored two goals and has recorded two assists this season, ranking her third on the team in points behind Williams (18) and Raniere (8). Defensively, junior goalkeeper Mallory Taylor has started all 10 matches of the season so far, and ranks third in the Big Sky with a goals-against average of 1.14.
 
ALL-TIME SERIES VERSUS EASTERN WASHINGTON:
The Vikings have dominated their series against the Eagles, as they lead the series 14-4-1. Portland State head coach Laura Schott has never lost to the Eagles, as the Vikings have won six of their seven matches against the Eagles under Schott while outscoring the Eagles 18-3.
 
LAST TIME OUT:
The Vikings split a pair of matches against Southern Utah and Northern Arizona last weekend, with both matches decided by late scores. Junior midfielder/forward Aurora Bodenhamer converted a 98th-minute penalty kick in the Vikings' match against Southern Utah Friday, sealing the first brace of her Portland State career while leading the Vikings to a 2-1 win. The shoe was on the other foot in the Vikings' next match, however, as Northern Arizona's Lindsay Doyle recorded a brace while leading the Lumberjacks back from a 1-0 deficit to the Vikings. Doyle's second goal came with just over four minutes left in regulation, breaking a 1-1 tie with the Vikings right before the end of the match.
 
LATE GOAL DRAMA:
The Vikings have played five straight matches in which the deciding goal was scored in the 80th minute or later, including both of the Vikings' matches last weekend. The Vikings beat Southern Utah on a 98th-minute penalty kick on Friday, before Northern Arizona scored the game-winning goal in the 86th minute to beat the Vikings, 2-1. The Vikings also lost a pair of 1-0 matches on late goals to Oregon and Utah Valley over the previous weekend, with Oregon scoring the game-winner in the 81st minute, while Utah Valley scored the game-winner less than 28 seconds left in regulation. Before that, the Vikings beat Air Force 1-0 on another penalty kick in overtime, with senior midfielder/forward Cori Bianchini converting the kick in the third minute of overtime.
 
STRENGTH OF SCHEDULE:
Portland State head coach Laura Schott likes to challenge her team and she did so again during the non-conference season, as the Vikings played the second-toughest schedule of any Big Sky team, according to HEROSports.com. Additionally, the Vikings played two opponents who have been ranked in the NSCAA Coaches poll in Arizona State (ranked as high as 18th) and Long Beach State (ranked as high as 23rd this season), and beat a talented Hawai'i team that put a scare into then-No. 3 Stanford on the first day of the 2015 regular season. Hawai'i led Stanford 1-0 going into the 70th minute of that match, but Stanford came back with two late goals to beat Hawai'i, 2-1.
 
BIANCHINI WRITING HER NAME IN PSU RECORD BOOKS:
Senior midfielder/forward Cori Bianchini already has her name all over the PSU record book, and will be looking to move up in several categories throughout the season. Bianchini ranks in the top 10 all-time in points (T-5th), points per game (10th), goals (T-5th), goals per game (9th), assists (T-7th), assists per game (10th) and shots on goal per game (8th), and recently moved into the top 10 in total shots on goal (T-6th), total shots (T-7th) and shots per game (1.72).
 
ANGELA HALUSKA, SAVE MACHINE:
Redshirt senior goalkeeper Angela Haluska has been a save machine for the Vikings in her first season as the Vikings' starting goalkeeper, and enters the weekend ranked 25th in the NCAA in total saves (60), as well as 35th in saves per match (6.0). Haluska has already had two matches with 10-plus saves, including making 11 saves in the Vikings' 1-0 win over Hawai'i on Sept. 4. Haluska's 11 saves against Hawai'i were the most by a PSU goalkeeper since Lainey Hulsizer made 14 saves against Sacramento State on Sept. 30, 2011. Haluska also made 10 saves in the Vikings' season opener against No. 19 Arizona State, and has made six or more saves in three of the Vikings' other eight matches as well. Haluska's average of 6.00 saves per match would also rank as the fourth-best single-season average in school history if the season ended today. Additionally, Haluska has moved into the top 10 all-time at Portland State in save percentage and total saves this season, and will enter the top 10 in saves per match once she meets the minimum playing requirements.
 
RETURNERS:
Despite the youth on the defensive side of the field, the Vikings still returned a lot of talent on the offensive side of the ball this season, led by last year's co-leaders in points in senior Tamia Hasan and senior midfielder/forward Cori Bianchini. Hasan led the Vikings with four goals scored last season, while Bianchini led the Big Sky with five assists in conference play and made her second straight All-Big Sky first team last season. Besides them, senior Emma Cooney, junior Bianca Munoz and sophomore Katie Forsee return after starting most of last season at their respective positions. Munoz was an All-Big Sky second-team selection last season, when she started the final 11 matches of the season and ranked tied for second on the team with two assists. Outside of last year's starters, redshirt senior goalkeeper Angela Haluska, redshirt junior midfielder Whitney Hilde, junior midfielder Aurora Bodenhamer, sophomore forward Zoe Vincini, junior midfielder Nikia Evans, sophomore midfielder Dallas Malone, sophomore forward Rachel Michieli and sophomore midfielder Lauren Owens return after playing last season, while redshirt freshman goalkeeper Abbie Faingold and redshirt sophomore defenders Breanne Chilton-Eddy and Kristin Moyer return after sitting out last season.
 
NEWCOMERS:
The Vikings brought in 10 freshmen with their 2015 recruiting class, including five defenders who have helped bolster the team's young defense. Head coach Laura Schott singled out Rachel Ross and Maxine Nagramada as two defenders who could contribute right away, while Laura Gougeon, Zoe Ramer and Dallin Esmond should all also factor into the Vikings' lineup. Outside of the team's new defenders, Ashton Blanksma gives the Vikings a third option at goalkeeper, while Megan Myers, Morgan Matthews, Kylie Long and Krystal de Ramos will all factor into the Vikings' attack.
 
A LOADED MIDFIELD:
The Vikings entered the 2015 season with a loaded crop of midfielders to choose from for a starting lineup. Senior midfielder/forward Cori Bianchini has been a leader for the group, as she led the Big Sky with five assists in conference play last season. Besides her, senior Emma Cooney, junior Bianca Munoz and sophomore Katie Forsee all also returned after starting the majority of the team's matches last season in the midfield. Additionally, redshirt junior Whitney Hilde made three starts in the midfield for the Vikings last season and was part of the Vikings' rotation all season.
 
BIG SKY PRESEASON POLL:
Big Sky coaches picked the Vikings to finish third in the conference this season in the annual preseason coaches poll that was released in August. Portland State earned 74 points in the poll, placing them behind preseason favorites Northern Arizona and Montana. NAU and Montana each earned 93 total points in the poll, but NAU beat out Montana for the top spot on the virtue of NAU's five first-place votes to Montana's four. Weber State received the other two first-place votes and finished fourth in the poll with 72 total points. Northern Colorado and Idaho State, meanwhile, rounded out the hypothetical six-team Big Sky tournament field, as they placed fifth and sixth in the poll with 60 and 57 points, respectively.
 
2014 SEASON RECAP:
A senior-laden Vikings team surged over its final six matches of the regular season to finish second in the Big Sky last season, continuing the team's streak of finishing no worse than second in the Big Sky for the seventh straight season. The Vikings started Big Sky play just 1-2-1 after four matches, but then won five of their last six to finish at 6-2-2. Goalkeeper Caitlin Plese led the Vikings from the back, as she tied the Portland State career record for shutouts with 17 by the end of the season. Plese was also named the Big Sky Goalkeeper of the Year for the second straight season, and made her second straight All-Big Sky first team along with senior defender Kayla Henningsen and then-junior Cori Bianchini. Senior Kelsey Henningsen also made the All-Big Sky second team as a member of the team's defense, as well as Torie Morris, who was an All-Big Sky honorable mention. The Vikings also set a Big Sky Conference record at the start of the 2014 non-conference schedule, as the team broke the record for longest unbeaten streak with a 1-0 win over Utah Valley in its season opener. That win extended the Vikings' unbeaten streak to a record 14 matches, and the team would stretch it to 16 before a loss to then-No. 21 California snapped it. The Vikings also pulled out a dramatic, 1-0 overtime win over in-state rival Oregon early in the season, giving the Vikings their first win over the Ducks since 2004.