Complete Match Notes (PDF)

PORTLAND, Ore. — Throw everything else out the window, the Big Sky season is upon us.
 
The fresh start could serve the young Portland State women's soccer team well, as the Vikings come into Big Sky play with some momentum, after showing improvement over the latter half of the team's non-conference schedule.
 
The Vikings go into Big Sky play with a 2-6-0 overall record, but the team's two wins came in their last three non-conference matches. Additionally, while teams have put distance on the Vikings in the final tally with late goals, the Vikings haven't truly been out a match early on since their 6-0 loss to the traditionally dominant Portland Pilots on Aug. 26.
 
The Vikings will face a challenging start to the Big Sky schedule, however, as they open conference play on the brutal road trip to Northern Arizona and Southern Utah. The Vikings will play their match against Northern Arizona at over 7,000 feet of elevation, and then have to turn around and kick off against Southern Utah at over 5,000 feet of elevation in a little over 36 hours later.
 
The last time the Vikings made the trip in 2014, the Vikings drew with Northern Arizona on Friday before losing to Southern Utah on Sunday. Outside of that weekend, the 2014 Vikings went 6-1-1 against Big Sky competition, with their lone loss coming in a close, 1-0 match against Montana, which went unbeaten in Big Sky play that season.
 
Northern Arizona has traditionally been a bugaboo team for the Vikings, too, as they hold the best record against the Vikings of any Big Sky team at 12-5-5 all-time. Additionally, the Vikings have never beaten the Lumberjacks in Flagstaff, where the Lumberjacks are 10-0-3 all-time against the Vikings.
 
Northern Arizona enters Big Sky play in rebuilding mode, however, as they returned only four starters off of last year's team. The Lumberjacks lost leading scorer Haley Wingender off last year's team, after Wingender accounted for 17 of the team's 38 goals in 2015 off 12 goals and five assists.
 
Scoring has been an issue post-Wingender for the Lumberjacks, as the team ranks in the middle of the Big Sky pack at sixth with an average of 1.00 goals per match. Additionally, the Lumberjacks have been shut out in three of their first nine matches, and have only scored multiple goals in two of their nine matches so far.
 
Southern Utah has struggled to score even more so far this season, as they've only scored six goals through their first seven matches of the season, and three of those six goals came in the team's 3-2 win over NCAA Division II Dixie State last Saturday.
 
The Thunderbirds will likely be motivated going into their match against the Vikings this season, though, after the Vikings beat the Thunderbirds in a dramatic, 2-1 overtime match last season. Current senior Aurora Bodenhamer scored both of the Vikings' goals last season, including the game-winning penalty kick in the 98th minute.
 
The Vikings will hope for a similar result against the Thunderbirds this season, when they kick off at 1 p.m. (MT) Sunday. The Vikings' match against Northern Arizona, meanwhile, will kick off at 7 p.m. (PT) Friday.
 
MATCH INFO:
Sept. 23, 2016 – 7 p.m. (PT) – at Northern Arizona – Flagstaff, Ariz. (Lumberjack Stadium)
Sept. 25, 2016 – 1 p.m. (MT) – at Southern Utah – Cedar City, Utah (Thunderbird Soccer Field)
 
LIVE VIDEO:
A live video stream will be available for the Vikings' match at Southern Utah on Sunday. Fans can access the streams via the women's soccer schedule page on GoViks.com.
 
LIVE STATS:
Live stats will be available for both matches this weekend. Fans can access live stats via the women's soccer schedule page on GoViks.com.
 
SCOUTING NORTHERN ARIZONA:
• The Northern Arizona Lumberjacks (3-5-1) are in a rebuilding season with only four starters returning from a team that missed the Big Sky tournament last season while finishing seventh in the conference at 4-4-2 in Big Sky play. The Lumberjacks had been picked to win the Big Sky Conference last season, as they returned the majority of their players who led the Lumberjacks to the 2014 Big Sky tournament title.
• The Lumberjacks have been a better team at home so far this season, as they're 2-1-1 at home, with their lone less coming in their first match of the season, a 4-1 loss to Utah Valley.
• The Lumberjacks rank fourth in the Big Sky in shots per match (13.33), sixth in goals per match (1.00) and eighth in goals-against average (2.06).
• Junior forward Adrian Nixt leads the Lumberjacks in goals (3) and points (7), and ranks tied for 13th in the NCAA in game-winning goals (3). Nixt has scored the game-winner in all three of the Lumberjacks' wins, while no other player on the team has scored more than one goal this season.
• Nixt and senior forward Lindsay Doyle were the Lumberjacks' top returning scorers from last season, when they each scored four goals for the Lumberjacks. Haley Wingender accounted for 17 of the Lumberjacks' 38 goals scored last season between 12 goals and five assists, but she graduated out of the program after the 2015 season.
• Meghan Dickmann has started all nine matches for the Lumberjacks in goal, after splitting time in goals with the departed Natalie Gilbertson last season. Dickmann ranks tied for 52nd in the NCAA with three shutouts this season, but ranks ninth in the Big Sky with a save percentage of just .673.
 
ALL-TIME SERIES VERSUS NORTHERN ARIZONA:
The Lumberjacks have the best record of any Big Sky team against the Vikings, as they lead the all-time series between the two teams, 12-5-5. The Lumberjacks have an even better record at home, where they've never lost a match to the Vikings and hold a 10-0-3 record against Portland State. Additionally, the Lumberjacks have controlled the series of late, as they've lost only once in their last 12 matches against the Vikings going into Friday.
 
SCOUTING SOUTHERN UTAH:
• The Southern Utah Thunderbirds (1-5-1) won their first match of the season last Saturday, as they beat NCAA Division II Dixie State 3-2 in Cedar City. The Thunderbirds had been on the road a lot before that, as five of their seven non-conference matches were played on the road. The lone home match the Thunderbirds played besides their match against Dixie State was a narrow, 2-1 loss to UNLV on Sept. 4. Besides that, the Thunderbirds drew with UC Riverside, 1-1, on the road on Sept. 2, and lost the rest of their matches on the road or at neutral sites.
• The Thunderbirds played two matches in Portland earlier this season, as they played at the Nike Portland Invitational on Sept. 9 and 11. The Thunderbirds lost 6-0 to the University of Portland on Sept. 9, and lost 3-0 to the University of Washington on Sept. 11.
• The Thunderbirds have struggled to score at times this season, as they had scored just three goals before their match against Dixie State, when they doubled their season total with three more goals.
• Junior forward Ally Thimsen returned for the Thunderbirds after leading the team with seven goals last season. Thimsen leads the Thunderbirds again with two goals so far in 2016, and also leads the team with five total points on two goals and an assist.
• The Thunderbirds rank eighth in the Big Sky in shots per match (9.29) and goals per match (0.86), and 10th in goals-against average (2.49).
• The Thunderbirds have allowed a goal in every match they've played this season, and have only allowed less than two goals in one match this season, which was the team's 1-1 draw with UC Riverside.
• The Thunderbirds have played three different goalkeepers, including two different starters, so far this season, after losing 2015 starter Taylor Bolding to graduation. Destiny Collins has started three of the Thunderbirds' last four matches, but has still split time with Kaitlyn Caldera in two of those three starts.
 
ALL-TIME SERIES VERUS SOUTHERN UTAH:
The Vikings lead the all-time series between them and the Thunderbirds, 3-1-1, but lost for the first time to the Thunderbirds the last time they played in Cedar City, Utah. The Thunderbirds won that match, 2-0, while the Vikings came back to win 2-1 in overtime last season.
 
LAST TIME OUT:
The Vikings split their weekend last week, winning 2-0 at home against Colorado State Friday, before falling 5-1 on the road at San Jose State Sunday. The split, home-and-away weekend was the second of the season for the Vikings, who have never won the back end of a home-and-away weekend when the second match is played on the road. The Vikings' performance against Colorado State was their most complete of the season, as the team outshot its first opponent of the season in Colorado State, 20-7. The Vikings hadn't surpassed 20 shots 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. The Vikings' 2-0 win over Colorado State also marked the team's second straight shutout following a 1-0 win over Nevada on Sept. 11 – the first back-to-back shutouts for the Vikings since a pair of 1-0 wins over Idaho State and Weber State on Oct. 10 and 12, respectively, in 2014.
 
UPCOMING:
The Vikings continue Big Sky play at home next weekend, as Eastern Washington and Montana come to Hillsboro Stadium. The Vikings will play the Eagles Friday, Sept. 30, while the Grizzlies come to play Sunday, Oct. 2. Both matches will kick off at 1 p.m. (PT).
 
STRONG OFFENSE:
A year after the Vikings' worst offensive season ever under head coach Laura Schott, the Vikings' attack has rebounded this season with nine goals through the team's first eight matches of the season. Last year at this time, the Vikings had only scored two goals, and would go on to score only 13 all season, just four less than the Vikings' current total. Additionally, the Vikings scored multiple goals in back-to-back matches this season between the team's matches against Fresno State and Gonzaga on Sept. 2 and 4, respectively, something the team did not to at any time in 2015. The Viking offense started to emerge in the team's match against Fresno State, as that marked the first time the Vikings cracked seven shots in a match, and the team has done that in four of their five matches since.
 
THE FORCE-EE IS WITH THE VIKINGS:
Junior Katie Forsee might as well be playing Jedi mind tricks out there this season, as she's added so much to the Vikings' attack since missing the team's first two matches of the season due to injury. Forsee ranks second on the team with five points on two goals and an assist, and scored the team's game-winning goal against Colorado State on a beautiful flick that would have left Yoda, or his soccer equivalent, jealous. Forsee is also unquestionably the team's most versatile player, as she fluctuates in-game between the Vikings' attack and defense. Forsee also spent time at every position, save goalkeeper, last season, when she was named an All-Big Sky honorable mention.
 
MATTHEWS EMERGING AS SCORING THREAT:
Sophomore Morgan Matthews became just the 33rd player in school history to score in back-to-back matches, as she scored the Vikings' second goal in a 2-0 win over Colorado State last Friday, after netting the game-winner in the Vikings' 1-0 win over Nevada on Sept. 11. Matthews has now scored five goals in her young Portland State career, all in just 25 matches played. That rate gives Matthews an average of a goal every five matches, by far the best scoring rate of any player on the team. By comparison, senior Aurora Bodenhamer – the active career leader in goals scored for the Vikings – averages a goal every 7.75 matches with eight goals in 62 career matches played. Additionally, Matthews scored both her goals as a freshman in the last six matches of the season, meaning her five career goals have all come in her last 14 matches for the Vikings, going back to last season. Additionally, Matthews' three goals this season rank her tied for fourth in scoring within the Big Sky Conference, while she also ranks tied for eighth with six points.
 
FAINGOLD RECORDS TWO STRAIGHT SHUTOUTS:
Redshirt sophomore goalkeeper Abbie Faingold recorded back-to-back shutouts in the team's wins over Nevada and Colorado State. Those wins marked the first time the Vikings had shut out back-to-back opponents since a pair of 1-0 wins over Idaho State and Weber State on Oct. 10 and 12, respectively, in 2014. Faingold started the year splitting time with redshirt freshman Ashton Blanskma, but has played all 90 minutes of the Vikings' last four matches after Blanksma left the Vikings' match against Gonzaga on Sept. 4 with an injury. Neither Blanksma nor Faingold had started a match before the season, and only Faingold had ever played for the Vikings, after she played the last 27:07 of the team's match against Weber State last season.
 
IRON WOMAN:
Trains should run their schedules off the Vikings' Kristin Moyer because she's just that reliable on the Vikings' back line. The redshirt junior defender has not missed a minute of action in five of the Vikings' eight matches so far this season, and has only missed a total of 34 minutes in the other three matches combined. For her career, Moyer has missed playing time in just eight matches, and did not miss a minute of any match last season. Additionally, Moyer has started all 45 matches of her career, giving her a chance to break the school records for career starts and minutes played if she stays healthy over her final two seasons of eligibility. Moyer has a better chance to break the school record in minutes played if she stays healthy, as her 3,991 career minutes played rank more than halfway to Juli Edwards' current record of 6,224, with Moyer just a little bit into her junior campaign with the Vikings. To break the record for career starts, meanwhile, Moyer would likely need the Vikings to make the Big Sky tournament during both her junior and senior seasons, or make an extended postseason run in one or the other. If she starts every match this season and the Vikings do not make the Big Sky tournament, then Moyer will finish the year with 55 career starts, 19 behind the current record shared by Nathalie Wollman and Dolly Enneking at 74. The Vikings have played 18 matches in the regular season in each of the past three seasons, meaning Moyer will likely need to pick up a start or two in the postseason somewhere to either tie or break the record.
 
TOUGH ROAD SCHEDULE:
The Vikings face a tough road schedule in 2016, as they play four of their five Big Sky road matches at 4,000 feet of elevation or above. The Vikings will open Big Sky play on their toughest road trip of the season, playing at Northern Arizona (7,000 feet above sea level) and Southern Utah (5,000 fee above sea level) within 36 hours. The Vikings will also travel more than 3,500 miles as they play at Northern Colorado and North Dakota on Oct. 14 and 16, respectively.
 
BY THE HAMMER OF BODEN:
Senior midfielder/forward Aurora Bodenhamer scored her first goal of the season in the Vikings' match against Gonzaga, opening her 2016 bank account after leading the team with five goals last season. Bodenhamer now has scored eight goals in her Portland State career, ranking her one goal from tying Juli Edwards (2004-07), Megan Plinski (2002-05), Kala Renard (2008-11) and Kayla Henningsen (2011-14) for ninth all-time at Portland State. Additionally, Bodenhamer's five goals last season all came in Big Sky play, and ranked one off the single-season record for conference goals by a Viking. Bodenhamer scored two goals in two different matches last season, including both goals in the Vikings' 2-1, overtime win over Southern Utah. Bodenhamer was named an All-Big Sky honorable mention after the season, the first all-conference honor of her career.
 
DE RAMOS SPENDS TIME WITH THE PHILIPPINES NATIONAL TEAM:
Sophomore midfielder/forward Krystal de Ramos played with the Philippines National Team at the AFF Women's Championship over the summer. De Ramos earned her first cap on July 26, when she was inserted into the starting XI for the team's match against Thailand. De Ramos also started in the Philippines' 2-0 win over Singapore on July 30.
 
YOUTH MOVEMENT:
The Vikings brought in 10 true freshmen during the offseason, and added a transfer from South Carolina in sophomore forward/midfielder Jacky Huchler. The Vikings will rely on their young players frequently during the season, as freshmen or sophomores make up 18 of the team's 26-player roster. Additionally, all four of the Vikings' goalkeepers are freshmen or sophomores, and none of them had started a match for the Vikings before the season. Redshirt sophomore Abbie Faingold was the only goalkeeper to have seen action for the Vikings before this season, as she made her Portland State debut last season while playing the final 27:07 in the Vikings' match at Weber State.
 
2015 SEASON RECAP:
Injuries and inexperience led the Vikings to a disappointing 2015 campaign that saw their seven-year streak of making the Big Sky tournament snapped. The Vikings finished the season 5-13-0 overall and 3-7-0 in Big Sky play. Goal scoring was an issue all season, as the Vikings scored only 13 goals, the lowest total of any season under head coach Laura Schott. The Vikings also only shut out two opponents during the season, and had the highest goals-against average (1.65) of any Viking team under Schott.