Complete Match Notes (PDF)

PORTLAND, Ore. — It's here. The Big Sky Conference schedule gets underway Friday, with the Vikings hosting Southern Utah at 1 p.m. (PT) at Hillsboro Stadium.
 
The turn to conference play will be a refreshing one for the Vikings, who faltered in their non-conference finale against Seattle last Sunday. The Vikings lost 4-0 to the Redhawks, but all of that will be made irrelevant by the time the Vikings and Thunderbirds take the field Friday.
 
The Vikings will be shooting for a return to the Big Sky tournament this season, after missing the conference tournament following each of the past two seasons.
 
Portland State narrowly missed the Big Sky tournament last season. The Vikings entered their regular-season finale needing only a win to make the tournament, after rallying from several points out of tournament contention with three straight wins over Northern Colorado, North Dakota and Weber State. Sacramento State – with current Viking head coach Katie Burton serving as the associate head coach – beat the Vikings 2-1 in their regular-season finale, however, and the Vikings missed the tournament by just three points.
 
No team has made the Big Sky tournament with less than 15 points in conference play since the field expanded to six teams before the 2014 season.
 
The easiest way to 15 points is five wins in Big Sky play, a barrier the Vikings will be hoping to reach for the first time since 2014.
 
A win Friday would put the Vikings out on the right foot, and the Vikings have had good success against Thunderbirds in the past, especially at home. The Vikings beat the Thunderbirds 2-1 in overtime in their last match at Hillsboro Stadium, with Aurora Bodenhamer winning it for the Vikings with a 98th-minute penalty kick.
 
The Vikings and Thunderbirds also played to a 0-0 draw at home in 2013.
 
The Thunderbirds, in their first year under head coach Fred Thompson, have had a tough start to the season thanks in part to a difficult non-conference schedule. The Thunderbirds played their first seven non-conference matches on the road, and traveled for far-off matches in Laramie, Wyo., Iowa City, Iowa, and Milwaukee, Wis.
 
The tough schedule has contributed to some lopsided losses on the Thunderbirds' record, as five of the team's seven losses have come by two goals or more. Additionally, opponents have scored three goals or more against the Thunderbirds in six of their eight matches so far.
 
The Thunderbirds rank last in the conference with 30 goals allowed this season, though 19 of those came in three matches against Boise State, Iowa and Milwaukee.
 
The Thunderbirds and Vikings share wins over Nevada, however, with both teams winning on late goals. Katie Forsee scored the game-winner for the Vikings in double overtime of a 1-0 win on Aug. 25, while Southern Utah's Megan Deherrera scored the game-winning goal in the 88th minute of a 2-1 win for the Thunderbirds on Sept. 8.
 
Southern Utah also lost a match last Sunday to Florida Atlantic on a late goal in what was their first home match of the season. The Thunderbirds came back to tie the match, 2-2, in the second half, but then lost the match on a Florida Atlantic goal with just 18 seconds left in regulation.
 
Friday's match could also come down to a late goal, as the last two matches between the Vikings and Thunderbirds have gone to overtime. The Vikings won 2-1 in overtime in 2015, while the Thunderbirds won 3-2 in 2016. The Vikings came back from an early 2-0 deficit to force overtime against the Thunderbirds last season, but lost it on a goal in the 94th minute.
 
MATCH INFO:
Friday, Sept. 22 – vs. Southern Utah – 1 p.m. (PT) – Hillsboro, Ore. (Hillsboro Stadium)
 
LIVE STATS:
Live stats for the Vikings' match against Southern Utah will be provided through StatBroadcast. Fans can find the link to live stats through the Portland State women's soccer schedule on GoViks.com.
 
LIVE VIDEO:
Live video for the Vikings' match against Southern Utah will be streamed through Pluto TV, both on mobile devices and laptops/desktops. Fans can find the link to the stream through the Portland State women's soccer schedule on GoViks.com.
 
SCOUTING SOUTHERN UTAH:
The Southern Utah Thunderbirds (1-7-0, 0-0-0 Big Sky) played a difficult non-conference schedule with their first seven matches being played away from their home field. The Thunderbirds traveled long distances for their road matches, too, as they played in such places as Laramie, Wyo., Iowa City, Iowa, and Milwaukee, Wis. The difficult schedule led to some lopsided results, as five of the Thunderbirds' seven losses have come by two goals or more. Additionally, opponents have scored three goals or more against the Thunderbirds in six of their eight matches so far.
 
The Thunderbirds and Vikings share a common opponent in Nevada, which both teams beat during the non-conference schedule. The Vikings beat Nevada 1-0 at home in overtime on Aug. 25, while the Thunderbirds beat the Wolf Pack 2-1 on the road on Sept. 8 behind an 88th-minute game-winner.
 
The Thunderbirds played their first home match last Sunday, when they lost 3-2 to Florida Atlantic. The Thunderbirds tied it up, 2-2, in the 61st minute, but Florida Atlantic won it on a goal 18 seconds before the final whistle.
 
The Thunderbirds have scored eight goals in their eight matches so far this season. Makenzie Lawrence and Payton Wells lead the team with two goals each so far this season, while Meghan Deherrera, Ally Thimsen, Jessica French and Brielle Bourgeois have all scored one goal each. Deherrera leads the Thunderbirds with three assists, while French and Thimsen follow with two and one assist, respectively.
 
The Thunderbirds have given up 30 goals in their eight matches, though 19 of those 30 goals came in three matches against Boise State, Iowa and Milwaukee. Four different goalkeepers have seen playing time for the Thunderbirds, while three different players have started a match in goal. Kaitlyn Caldera has played the most of the Thunderbirds goalkeepers, with four starts in five appearances, and leads the team with a 3.20 goals-against average and .647 save percentage. Alanna Carbonaro started the Thunderbirds' last match, however, and ranks second on the team to Caldera with a 3.79 goals-against average to go along with a .556 save percentage.
 
The Thunderbirds' difficult non-conference schedule has hurt them in the Big Sky rankings, as they stand 10th out of 11 teams in goals scored, and 11th in goals allowed.
 
Thimsen returned for the Thunderbirds this season after being named to the All-Big Sky second team last season. Summer Soriano also returned after being named an All-Big Sky honorable mention in 2016.
 
ALL-TIME SERIES VERSUS SOUTHERN UTAH:
The Vikings lead the all-time series between them and the Thunderbirds, 3-2-1. The Vikings have never lost to the Thunderbirds at home, either, where they are 1-0-1 all time in the series. The last two matches between the Vikings and Thunderbirds have gone to overtime, with both teams winning at home.
 
LAST TIME OUT:
The Vikings had a match to forget last Sunday, as they lost 4-0 to Seattle in their final non-conference match of the season. Seattle got ahead of the Vikings early, as the Redhawks jumped on a couple of Viking goal kicks to go up 2-0 with a pair of goals before the 15th minute. The Vikings came out on the front foot after halftime, but the Redhawks tacked on a third goal off a counter attack in the 47th minute. The Redhawks then added a fourth goal in the 78th minute off a converted cross following a throw-in. The 4-0 score line marked the Vikings' worst home loss since losing 7-0 to then-No. 3 UCLA in 2008.
 
UPCOMING:
The Vikings head out for their first conference road weekend next week. The Vikings will open the weekend with a night match at Weber State Friday at 7 p.m. (MT) in Ogden, Utah. The Vikings will then face a quick turnaround as they head to Idaho State Sunday at 1 p.m. (MT) in Pocatello, Idaho.
 
THE FORCE-E IS WITH THE VIKINGS:
Katie Forsee shares the Big Sky lead for goals scored this season with Sacramento State's Kylee Kim-Bustillos, as both players have scored five goals so far in 2017. Forsee also ranks second in the Big Sky – behind teammate Kasey Isobe – in goals per game (0.62), and ranks tied for second with Isobe in total points this season with 10. Forsee's strong start to the season has her moving up the Vikings' record books as a senior, and could finish the year with several all-time records. Forsee stands just seven shots on goal from tying Dolly Enneking (2006-09) for the career record at Portland State, as Forsee trails Enneking 66-73 currently. Forsee also ranks fourth all time in game-winning goals with six in her career, two behind the record Enneking and Frankie Ross (2007-10) currently share at eight. Forsee has a chance at setting the career record in shots, as well, as she stands fifth with 130 currently, 36 behind Enneking's record of 166. Additionally, Forsee ranks tied for sixth all time with 12 goals in her career, and ranks 10th all time with 29 career points (12g, 5a).
 
ISOBE IS SO BAE:
Sophomore midfielder Kasey Isobe had a match to remember against Chicago State on Sept. 10. Isobe tied the program record for points in a match with eight on three goals and two assists, and did it all in only 30 minutes of playing time. Isobe ranks tied with Katie Forsee for the team and conference lead in points with 10 (4g, 2a), while Isobe ranks alone atop the conference in points per game (1.67) and goals per game (0.67). Isobe also ranks tied for second in the Big Sky with 10 points this season, and ranks tied for third with four goals scored.
 
STAY FAIN-GOLD, PONYBOY:
Redshirt junior goalkeeper Abbie Faingold has three shutouts in eight matches this season, ranking her tied for second in the Big Sky. Faingold also ranks second in the Big Sky with 42 total saves, and ranks third in the conference with an average of 5.25 saves per game. Faingold moved into the top 10 all time at Portland State in saves following the Vikings' match against Seattle. Faingold ranks tied for ninth all time with 111 career saves, and also stands in the top 10 all time in goalkeeper wins (7th), shutouts (7th) and goals-against average (9th).
 
KATIE BURTON ERA:
The Katie Burton era opened for the Vikings with the team's match against cross-town rival and national powerhouse University of Portland on Aug. 18. Burton came to the Vikings after serving as the associate head coach at her alma mater Sacramento State, where she led a program turnaround in just over two years there. The Hornets hadn't made the Big Sky tournament in four seasons before Burton's arrival, but made the Big Sky tournament in their first year under Burton in 2015. Burton led the Hornets to a second-place finish last season, when they clinched the No. 2 seed and a first-round bye in the Big Sky tournament with a 2-1 win over the Vikings in both teams' regular-season finale.
 
NEWCOMERS:
The Vikings added 13 newcomers to their roster in 2017, including seven from Oregon. Additionally, the Vikings added two players from Washington, two players from Arizona, and a player each from California and Idaho. Of the 13 newcomers, 11 came into the season as freshman, while Tiegan Horton and Molly Joyce enter as junior and sophomore transfers, respectively. The 11 freshman for the Vikings are: Rilee Castilla, Megan Cornett, Paige Donathan, Liz Hansen, Mya Lopez, Tasi Poore, Teá Poore, Kendall Pope, Diamond Quinn, Ellie Vasey, Teri Walters.
 
2016 SEASON RECAP:
The Portland State Vikings came within a game of returning to the Big Sky tournament last season. The Vikings entered their regular-season finale against Sacramento State with the chance to clinch a spot in the tournament with a win, only to fall to the Hornets, 2-1. The season-ending loss put a damper on what had been a strong, and at times dramatic, push by the Vikings to make the tournament. The Vikings entered their final road weekend four points out of the sixth and final playoff spot, and had lost eight straight Big Sky road matches at that point. The Vikings pulled out a pair of 1-0 wins at Northern Colorado and North Dakota, however, giving them their first six-point conference road weekend since 2013. The true magic followed the following weekend when then-senior Breanne Chilton-Eddy scored a golden goal on her own Senior Day against Weber State on a magical shot that ESPN ran on SportsCenter's Top 10 plays that night. The Vikings also came back to beat the Wildcats after giving up the first goal – the first time they had done that since 2013.