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HILLSBORO, Ore. — Fresh off its first win of the season last Sunday, the Portland State women's soccer team put in its most complete performance of the season Friday, as the Vikings dominated all aspects of their match against Colorado State in beating the Rams 2-0 at Hillsboro Stadium.
 
The Vikings (2-5-0) have now won their last two matches, following their 1-0 win over Nevada last Sunday, the first time the Vikings have won two matches in a row since winning three in a row to close out the 2014 regular season.
 
Additionally, the Vikings posted their second straight shutout in the win over the Rams (2-5-0), giving the team back-to-back shutouts for the first time since the Vikings won a pair of 1-0 matches against Idaho State and Weber State on Oct. 10 and 12, respectively, during the 2014 season.
 
"We've been playing some really good soccer lately," PSU head coach Laura Schott said. "The score lines in soccer don't always reflect or reward good play so it is certainly good to get some results.
 
"The main contributors to our success have been resilience and continuing to improve. I love that our team is not deterred by some tough results or adversity in games. It's a great sign for such a young group."
 
The Vikings' recent wins over Nevada and Colorado State have rewarded a strong run of play by the young Vikings. The Vikings started to turn a corner against Fresno State and Gonzaga on Sept. 2 and 4, respectively, as the scored multiple goals in both matches – the first time the Vikings had done that since the end of the 2014 season. The Vikings then held UC Davis to a then-season-low 11 shots in their match last Friday, before breaking through with their first win against the Wolf Pack last Sunday.
 
The Vikings' offense has driven the team's recent success, as the players have created more and more chances as the season has gone on. The Vikings have recorded seven shots or more in four of their last five matches, after only surpassing five shots in one of their first four matches of the season.
 
All that came to a head against the Rams, as the Vikings set a new season high with 20 shots, while holding the Rams to just seven shots in the match, a season low for a Viking opponent. Before Friday, the Vikings had not hit 20 shots in a match since recording 27 against North Dakota on Oct. 16 last season, and hadn't held an opponent to less than 10 shots since holding Northern Colorado to seven on Oct. 18 last season.
 
Junior Katie Forsee helped open things up for the Vikings, as she scored the first goal of the match in the 22nd minute off a brilliant pass up from freshman Jade Rafallo. Rafallo sent a long ball up from the back line that found Forsee perfectly in stride and drew out the Rams' goalkeeper as well. Forsee easily won the ball, however, and flicked on a shot that bounced easily into the back of the net for the score.
 
The goal marked the second of the season for Forsee, as well as the fourth of her career, while Rafallo earned her first career assist on the play.
 
Forsee put the Vikings in a couple more scoring opportunities in the first half as well, but sophomore Morgan Matthews scored the Vikings' second goal of the match just before halftime. Matthews recognized confusion on the Rams' backline on the play and pounced, stealing the ball from a Rams defender at the top of the box and placing the ball past the Rams' goalkeeper for another score in the 44th minute.
 
Matthews also scored the Vikings' game-winner against Nevada, making her just the 33rd player in program history to score goals in back-to-back matches. Only four Vikings have ever scored goals in three straight matches, something that Matthews could do if she scores again in the Vikings' match Sunday.
 
Additionally, Matthews' goal against the Rams marked the fifth in her last 13 matches played for the Vikings, continuing a hot streak she started at the end of her freshman season. Matthews also took over the team lead with her third goal of the season Friday, moving past fellow sophomore Krystal de Ramos and Forsee, who are tied for second with two goals each.
 
Redshirt sophomore goalkeeper Abbie Faingold also picked up her second straight shutout while making three saves in the match.
 
The Vikings' recent momentum will be put to the test Sunday, as the team faces San Jose State on the road at 12 p.m. (PT). San Jose State went 8-3-0 while finishing second in the Mountain West Conference last season, and the Spartans return four of their top five goal scorers from a year ago.
 
The young Vikings, meanwhile, will be looking for their third straight win to close out non-conference play, before opening Big Sky play on the road at Northern Arizona and Southern Utah next weekend.
 
Match Notes: The Vikings improve to 2-0-0 all-time against Colorado State with Friday's win…The Vikings have now scored eight goals this season, putting them close to surpassing last year's total of 13 already…By this point last year, the Vikings had only scored two goals.