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POCATELLO, Idaho — Tough, hard-nosed, resilient…they've all been used to describe the Portland State women's team in the past and yet we'll dust them off at least one more time after the Vikings came back from an early deficit to beat Idaho State, 2-1, on the road Sunday.
 
The Bengals (3-9-0, 2-2-0 Big Sky) went up 1-0 with a goal in the eighth minute, but the Vikings (5-6-0, 2-1-0 Big Sky) knotted the score again in the 24th minute, and then went ahead for good on Liv Jillings' goal in the 60th minute – the first goal of Jillings' Viking career.
 
The Vikings hadn't come back to win on the road in Big Sky play since beating North Dakota 3-1 on Sept. 23, 2012 – over five years ago. The match Sunday also marked the Vikings' first road win of the season, and wiped away the bad taste from Friday's 2-0 road loss to Weber State.

"This team is a different team, a new team. When they battle together they can come back from adversity," head coach Katie Burton said. "We have been working on playing down a goal this week so they were prepared for the challenge. They knew it was coming, they just had to work for it."
 
The Vikings were on the front foot early Sunday, as they recorded three shots in the first five minutes of the match. Idaho State scored on its first shot of the match, however, as Makena Bambei converted a cross from Samantha Rodriquez to put the Vikings in a hole early.
 
The Vikings didn't have to wait long for their equalizer, though, as freshman Ellie Vasey scored her second goal of the season in the 24th minute to level the match again at 1-all. Vasey converted a cross from junior Krystal de Ramos on the play, after de Ramos initiated the threat with a push into the 18-yard box.
 
Idaho State came out strong in the second half with five shots in the first six minutes of play, but the Viking defense held tough with redshirt junior goalkeeper Abbie Faingold making two of her five saves in the match during the period.
 
The Vikings found their way back into the match after that, and pushed ahead just a little bit later with Jillings' goal in the 60th minute. Jillings scored off a free kick from senior Katie Forsee, who recorded her second assist of the season on the play, along with her 14th point (6g, 2a).
 
Forsee also had two shots on goal in the match, giving her the career record for shots on goal at Portland State with 74. Forsee moved past the old record of 73 that former Big Sky Offensive MVP Dolly Enneking set from 2006-09.
 
Idaho State pushed for an equalizer with seven straight shots following Jillings' goal. Faingold saved a shot from Idaho State's Michaela Didericksen in the 77th minute for her fifth save in the match, however, and the Bengals only mustered one shot from there.

"This was a must-win after Friday's loss [to Weber State]. It showed a lot about our team's ability to bounce back and stay confident and focused for the next game. They are getting mentally stronger as individuals and as a unit. That will take us a long way in the Big Sky."
 
The Vikings return home for a pair of matches next weekend, when they'll host Northern Arizona and Sacramento State next Friday and Sunday. The Vikings' match against Sacramento State next Sunday, Oct. 8, will carry added significance for the Vikings' coaching staff, who are all former players and coaches within the Sacramento State women's soccer program.
 
Match Notes: The Vikings improve to 11-9-1 all time against Idaho State with Sunday's win…Redshirt senior Kristin Moyer moved into fifth all time in minutes played in the match…Moyer now has 5,575 minutes played in her career, 649 minutes behind the current record of 6,224 that Juli Edwards set from 2004-07.