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HILLSBORO, Ore. — That one was for coach.
 
Playing against head coach Katie Burton's alma mater Sacramento State – and one day short of her birthday, no less – the Portland State women's soccer team pulled off a miracle second-half comeback to beat the Hornets 2-1 Sunday at Hillsboro Stadium.
 
The Vikings (7-6-0, 4-1-0 Big Sky) trailed 1-0 until the 71st minute, when Morgan Matthews scored a highlight-reel goal to level the match at 1-all. That set off a crazy eight-minute sequence in which the Vikings tied things up with Morgan's goal, saw a SAC goal called back for offsides, saved a PK, and then went ahead on Katie Forsee's record-breaking ninth-career game-winning goal in the 79th minute.
 
The last time the Vikings came back to win after trailing at halftime was Oct. 13, 2013, when they beat Northern Arizona 2-1 at home in overtime.

"I'm so proud of this group of players, and to see their hard work pay off for them is incredible," Burton said after the match. "They earned this one today."
 
The Vikings went down 1-0 when Sacramento State's Caitlin Prothe headed home a corner from Chelsea Arnold just 94 seconds before halftime. That put a damper on what was otherwise a solid first-half performance by the Vikings that included a goal called back for offsides for the Vikings.
 
The Vikings came back firing out of halftime, as they outshot the Hornets 7-0 and earned five corners in the first 17 minutes of the half.
 
Sacramento State held the Vikings out of the net until Matthew's goal in the 71st minute, however, and even then only relinquished their lead on what was easily one of the best goals of the year. Matthews bodied a spinning ball to herself in the box and made a quick turn to one-time a shot in the air into the left-side netting for the goal.

"Morgan's goal was incredible," Burton said. "She works so hard in training and during games. She had great awareness of where the GK was, and was just trying to keep the play alive."
 
The euphoria following Matthews' goal was short-lived for the Vikings, as the Hornets came back with what appeared to be a go-ahead goal from Ariana Nino less than five minutes later in the 76th minute. Nino's apparent goal was discounted for offsides, but the Hornets were threatening again a minute later in the 77th minute, when Prothe was taken down in the box to draw a penalty kick for the Hornets.
 
However, redshirt junior goalkeeper Abbie Faingold – just as she did to keep the Vikings in their match against Nevada, a match the Vikings would go on to win in overtime – came up big for the Vikings with a penalty-kick save to keep the match tied. Faingold has now saved two of the four penalty kicks called against the Vikings this season – both times with the match tied – and the Vikings have gone on to win both matches.

"Our team defense was exceptional today, and Abbie was a stud as per usual," Burton said. "She raised the bar with her PK save. Our team feeds off her in moments like that."
 
Faingold's penalty-kick save left the stage open for Forsee, who completed the comeback with the go-ahead goal in the 79th minute. Michieli found Forsee running up the right post inside the box, and sent her a bending cross that Forsee one-timed with a header to the near post.
 
The goal marked the second straight game-winner for Forsee, following her game-winning penalty kick against Northern Arizona on Friday. Additionally, Forsee maintains her Big Sky lead for goals this season with her eighth on the year, which also ties her for the fourth-best single-season total in program history. Forsee assisted on Matthews' goal, as well, upping her point total to 19 this season, which also gives her the Big Sky lead in the category and ranks as the best single-season total by a Viking since Eryn Brown had 21 (8g, 5a) in 2013.

"Katie was typical Katie," Burton said of her senior. "She works so hard for 90 minutes and just kept believing it was coming. She's such a passionate leader with how she plays. It spreads through our team."
 
The Hornets pushed for an equalizer with six shots in the final 10 minutes of the match following Forsee's goal, but Faingold came up big again for the Vikings with two athletic saves to preserve the lead.
 
The Vikings' next match will now be a battle for the top of the Big Sky table, as they play at Eastern Washington Friday, Oct. 13. The Eagles lead the Big Sky with 13 points currently, one more than the Vikings at 12. That could change Friday, however, when the Vikings and Eagles kick off at 3 p.m. (PT) in Cheney, Wash.
 
Match Notes: The Vikings improve to 9-12-3 all time against Sacramento State with Friday's win…The Vikings snapped a two-match losing streak to the Hornets with the win…Forsee now ranks third all time in career points at Portland State with 38 on 15 goals and eight assists…Forsee also ranks third all time in goals scored, and is one assist shy of entering the top 10 all time in that category as well.