The difference that three points can make for a team struggling to get on the board cannot be overstated. Portland State soccer entered last Sunday's match against Idaho State disappointed after dropping a result at home on Friday. They had zero points to show through three games and if they failed to pick any up against Idaho State, it would have made for a near impossible comeback into a postseason spot.

But the Vikings rose to the challenge and played one of their best games of the season, routing Idaho State 3-1 and putting themselves right back into the Big Sky Tournament discussion.

Now, back-to-back weekends on the road will likely show just what this team is made of. The points helped get them back into the discussion, but Portland State is still on the outside looking in. The top six teams qualify for the Big Sky tourney. PSU currently sits in a tie for seventh with Idaho State.

There are points to be gained on the road this weekend, and the Vikings will likely need them. They begin the road trip with a difficult match against Northern Arizona. The Lumberjacks are undefeated in the Big Sky and the Vikings have never won while playing in the elevation at Flagstaff, Ariz.

On Sunday, there is a match that will almost be a must-win for the Vikings against Southern Utah. The Thunderbirds have started off Big Sky play 0-3 and haven't won or tied a match in over a month.

A good weekend could leapfrog Portland State above Eastern Washington, who currently sits just one point ahead on the table and plays a single game this weekend. They will also have a crucial match in two weeks against Sacramento State, who have picked up three more points than the Vikings against the same opponents.

Since the Big Sky Tournament expanded to six teams, the lowest point total for a tournament team was 13. There was a four-way tie at 13 points last season, which left two teams out of the postseason. In the previous three seasons, it took at least 15 points to make the tournament.

But with North Dakota leaving the Big Sky this season, a higher percentage of teams will qualify for the tournament. There are still 15 points available to the Vikings, but there is not a lot of room for error.

This weekend will prove vastly important in the long run of the season. The Vikings are winless away from home and will need to change their luck if they want to stay alive in the playoff race.

NORTHERN ARIZONA (6-3-2/2-0-1 BSC)

•Northern Arizona enters the weekend undefeated in Big Sky play with all three of their matches coming on the road. They started the year off with a 3-2 win against Idaho State in Pocatello, who Portland State beat 3-1 at home last weekend.
•The Lumberjacks have a draw against league-leaders Weber State, the only team to take a point from the WIldcats this year. They played out a scoreless draw in Ogden, Utah.
•NAU will enter the match well-rested after playing just one match last weekend. They defeated Southern Utah 2-0 in Cedar City, Utah. The Lumberjacks led for 85 minutes in the match.
•Northern Arizona currently sits in a tie for third in the Big Sky table with seven points. They are tied with Idaho, who beat Portland State 4-0 in the opening weekend.
•The Lumberjacks and Vikings share a common non-conference opponent in Grand Canyon. Northern Arizona picked up a 1-0 overtime win against the 'Lopes while Portland State lost 4-1. Both matches were played in Phoenix, Ariz.
•Northern Arizona is tied with Portland State for second in the Big Sky in goals per game. The two teams both have 13 goals through 11 matches (1.18 Avg/G).
•The road has actually been kinder to the Lumberjacks this year. They have a 4-1-1 record away from home and a 2-2-1 record in Flagstaff.
•The Lumberjacks have outscored opponents by three goals this year and have averaged 2.5 shots more per game. They attempt over 11 shots and score just over one goal per match.
•A tough defense has been the focus of NAU's success this season. They are tied for the lead in the Big Sky with 10 goals allowed this season. The team they are tied with at the top, Weber State, allowed one goal to Portland State last weekend in a 2-1 win.
•Goals are hard to come by against Northern Arizona, as are shots. They have allowed the fewest goals in the conference while also making the fewest saves. Taryn Benham, NAU's goalkeeper, is fourth in the Big Sky in save percentage at .778.
•Paige Maling leads the team with seven points on the season. She has been on a hot streak lately, recording two goals and an assist in the last three matches. Sam Larberg has two goals for the Lumberjacks while Tatum Heeres is tied for second in the Big Sky with four assists.

ALL-TIME SERIES VS. NORTHERN ARIZONA

The Lumberjacks lead the all-time series 13-7-5. The Vikings, however, won two meetings against NAU last season. It was a defensive battle when the teams met in the regular season as neither team reached double-digit shot attempts. Portland State scored the only goal of the match on a Katie Forsee penalty kick goal in the 60th minute.

The game played out similarly in the Big Sky Conference tournament, where No. 4 seed Portland State moved into the semifinals with a win against No. 5 Northern Arizona. The two sides again failed to reach double-digit shot attempts, but Regan Russell's goal in the 70th minute was enough for the VIkings in another 1-0 win.

The series has historically been controlled by the home team. The Vikings have never won in Flagstaff, amassing a 0-9-3 record on the road. Portland State is 6-2-2 at home against NAU. Portland State trails 1-2 in neutral settings.

SOUTHERN UTAH (1-11/0-3 BSC)

•The Thunderbirds enter the weekend at the bottom of the Big Sky after losing their first three games of the conference schedule. They opened with a 5-2 loss to Weber State, then fell 1-0 to Idaho State before losing to Northern Arizona 2-0 last weekend.
•The offense has gone missing for Southern Utah, who have been shutout in six of the last eight matches. They are ninth in the Big Sky with just seven goals on the year.
•It has been over a full month since Southern Utah won a match. Their only win on the season came against UNLV on Aug. 23 in Cedar City.
•Southern Utah is 1-3 at home this season and have played significantly better in Cedar City, where the elevation is over 5,800 feet. In addition to the win against UNLV, they dropped a close 2-1 match against Nevada and another 2-1 loss to Wyoming. They played their only home conference match last weekend, a 2-0 loss to Northern Arizona, who is also used to playing at altitude.
•Goalkeeper Brianna Aldridge has been called into action often, leading the Big Sky in saves by nearly 20. She is also in the top half of the conference in save percentage.
•The Thunderbirds have had just four different goalscorers this season. MaKenzie Lawrence leads the team with three goals. Devri Hartle has two goals and two assists while a couple of other players have a single goal.

ALL-TIME SERIES VS. SOUTHERN UTAH

Portland State leads the all-time series 4-2-1. The Vikings won the meeting last season in the conference opener for both teams 2-0. Katie Forsee scored the opening goal in the 74th minute and Diamond Quinn doubled the lead minutes later.

The Vikings trail the all-time series in Cedar City 1-2. They have lost the last two meetings on the road against the Thunderbirds.


SCORE SOME MORE

The Vikings have played an exciting brand of soccer this season, scoring goals in six of their last seven matches. On the flip side, the Vikings also haven't shut out an opponent since the opening win of the season, which means you can normally expect quite a few goals when the Vikings take the pitch.

The offense for Portland State has been efficient and the recent success is moving them up the Big Sky offensive rankings. The Vikings are ninth in the conference in shots but have moved up to a tie for fourth in goals with 13.

CASTILLA'S COMEBACK

The Vikings had played nearly all of their first three conference matches without sophomore midfielder Rilee Castilla after she picked up a red card in the opener against Idaho. On Sunday, she proved just how big of an absence that was for PSU.

Castilla scored the second goal of the match and ultimately the game-winner for the Vikings in the second half. She made a deep run toward the back post and cleaned up a ball that snuck through a couple of players for the goal. It was incredibly similar to her only other goal this season, also a game-winner at home where she made a run to the back post and scored on a cross from the right wing.

At the start of the season Burton said that Castilla had spent a lot of time learning under former Viking Katie Forsee, who had six game-winners last season. The experience is apparently paying off for Castilla, who is tied atop the Big Sky with two game-winning goals this season.

PAPASTAMOS' PATIENCE PAYS OFF

Freshman Sofi Papastamos had already been one of the best players for the Vikings this season, even if she hadn't recorded a point. She has started every game in the midfield and made a huge impact from the season opener, but had yet to record a point entering conference play.

In the first weekend against Eastern Washington she snapped that drought, recording two assists in a 3-2 loss against the Eagles. It was the first two-plus assist game for a Viking player since Rachel Michieli did it last season against Sacramento State on Oct. 8.

At home, Papastamos continued her offensive hot streak. The freshman scored the lone goal in Portland State's 2-1 loss to Weber State on Friday. After a Wildcat turnover, Papastamos made a long run right up the middle of the field. Fellow freshman Amanda Dahl dribbled out toward the right wing and slipped a pass back in front of Papastamos, who calmly slotted it home past the keeper.

HIGH ELEVATION TRIP

The road trip to Northern Arizona and Southern Utah provides a very unique challenge in terms of elevation. Portland State, which plays and practices essentially at sea level, will have to journey high up into the mountains. Flagstaff, Ariz. has an elevation of 6,910 feet. Cedar City, Utah has an elevation of 5,846 feet.

It will be a fitness test for the Vikings, who have struggled on the road trip historically. This will be the fourth time Portland State makes this road trip. The last two times, in 2014 and 2016, the Vikings returned to Portland with zero points. In 2012 they won against Southern Utah and drew Northern Arizona for a four-point trip.

In addition to the elevation, it is also a quicker turnaround than normal for the Vikings. The Northern Arizona match on Friday will be a night game, starting at 6:00 p.m. On Sunday, they start earlier, kicking off against Southern Utah at 12:00 p.m.

ABBIE FAINGOLD RECORD WATCH

Redshirt senior goalkeeper Abbie Faingold entered the 2018 season with a firm place as one of the best goalkeepers in Portland State history. Now, she is chasing after school records in numerous different categories.

Faingold's win last weekend against Idaho State moved her into a tie for third place with Joell Giger in goalkeeper wins with 17. It is one of five categories in which Faingold has reached the top three in program history.

She now has 211 saves and 4,278 minutes. Faingold is just the third Portland State goalkeeper to reach those marks, joining Cris Lewis (2006-09) and Kim Street (1996-98).

She also broke a tie to become third in goalkeeper starts. She now has 48 career goalkeeper starts. She passed Niki Brooks last weekend, but third is likely as high as she can climb in that category as she trails Kim Street by 17 starts for second.

She is tied with Street for third in school history with 12 career shutouts. Faingold also cracks the top 10 in goals against average (1.70) and save percentage (.723).

NUMBERS TO KNOW

999- Time for a little match. 11 matches multiplied by 90 minutes. Add in the nine overtime minutes and what do you get? 999 of course, the number of minutes played by both Abbie Faingold and Liz Hansen this year. The two have played every second of every game this year. Tasi Poore is almost there, but she was subbed out with eight minutes to play against Weber State leaving her season total for minutes at 991.

2- This is the number of goals that Portland State has needed to score this year to get a win. More goals obviously equates to more wins, but the Vikings are 0-7 when scoring less than two goals and 3-1 when scoring at least two goals.

29- The number of corners the Vikings have attempted this season, which is last in the Big Sky. The Vikings have allowed the opponent to take more corners in nine of the 11 games they have played this season.

10- Portland State's opponent has attempted at least 10 shots in every game the VIkings have played this year. The Vikings, meanwhile, have reached double-digit shots six times. They are 3-3 in those matches.

8- The number of times the Vikings have been outshot through 11 games this season. They are 1-7 when being outshot and 2-1 when they get off more shots than their opponent.

SEEING YELLOW, CARDS THAT IS

The Vikings lead the country in one statistical category this year; yellow cards. The Vikings picked up a season-high four yellow cards against Idaho State in Sunday's match and now have 18 total on the season. They are tied with three other teams for the most in the country.

Big Sky rival Sacramento State is tied for fifth with 17, which could set up a scrappy showdown when the two teams meet in two weeks.