On a cold and rainy Sunday in Cedar City, Utah, a freshman making her first career start brought all the heat that the Portland State Vikings needed to escape with a win. Jadyn Harris scored the opening two goals of the game for the Vikings, who defeated Southern Utah 3-2 for their first road win of the season.

The Vikings nearly let the lead slip, allowing two late goals to Southern Utah's Devri Hartle, but Abbie Faingold made some clutch saves to seal the win and move the Vikings into postseason position after the third week of Big Sky matches.

"It was an all around team effort and a much needed win to give us a jump in the standings," head coach Katie Burton said.

The game started through a rain shower, making the pitch slick and allowing speed to be used as a weapon. Jadyn Harris, who had fresh legs after not playing much on Friday, had speed that Portland State's coaches thought might cause problems on the wet field. She proved them right.

The freshman scored the opener in the 19th minute, waiting at the back post for a rebound and poking it past the keeper for her first career goal.

The rest of the first half played out evenly with the teams each attempting six shots. The Vikings quickly gained some separation in the second half by way of another Harris goal. Molly Joyce made a nice run down the right wing and swung in a cross that Harris headed home to double the lead.

"We knew we were going to use Jadyn more this game," Burton said. "She had fresh legs and Southern Utah hadn't seen her play on Friday. The way the field played suited her well with her pace. She did a great job following on the first goal.

"The second half we started her and Molly as they have great chemistry on and off the field. They both played fantastic as individuals and teammates," Burton said.

The Portland State defense held the Thunderbirds in check for a long stretch in the second half and when Regan Russell added a third goal in the 76th minute the game seemed to be over. Sofi Papastamos found Russell in space just outside the box. She took a couple of touches and curled a long ball over the top of the keeper for her first goal of the season.

Harris, Russell and Joyce have all played primarily as substitutes this season, but they, along with their benchmates, played a huge part in the Vikings win. It was particularly important for a good bench performance after Jacky Huchler left with an injury in the first half and the Vikings had to play part of the match down a player because they were out of substitutions.

"The bench carried us to that win," Burton said. "Our starters dug deep and gave it everything they had but played so many minutes on Friday. We knew they would need a break in each half. The subs came in and brought energy on both sides of the ball."

The hosts didn't quit, however, answering back just two minutes later on a free kick from Devri Hartle. The Thunderbirds' leading scorer added a second goal in the 81st minute.

Southern Utah had some more chances down the stretch, including another dangerous shot from Hartle, but Abbie Faingold and the defense rose to the occasion. Faingold made a number of great saves and the Vikings would hold on for the win.

"Abbie and the backline are consistently growing stronger as a unit," Burton said. "They are paying attention to details in the defensive third and are making progressive steps in maturity and leadership. Abbie made some next level savs for us in both halves, but specifically in the final 12 minutes."

The Thunderbirds outshot the Vikings 16-14 in the match but Portland State did have more looks at goal. Southern Utah also had 13 corner kicks compared to Portland State's five and both goalies made five saves.

The win for the Vikings improves their point total to six, bringing them up into a tie with Sacramento State for fifth place in the Big Sky. The top six teams make the Big Sky tournament, meaning the win could have huge playoff implications with just three games remaining.

Portland State will now play just a single game next week on the road against Sacramento State. The game will likely have already been circled on the calendar for the Portland State coaching staff, who all played and coached for the Hornets.

Now it also brings with it the added pressure of postseason implications. The two sides have played the same Big Sky schedule so far and are tied for fifth in the conference with six points. The winner could move up in the standings, the loser will likely be on the outside of the postseason looking in entering the final week. The game will begin at 12 p.m.

MATCH NOTES: The Vikings are now 5-2-1 all-time against Southern Utah … freshman Jadyn Harris made her first career start and scored her first two career goals in the match … Molly Joyce recorded her first assist as a Viking on Harris' second goal .. Regan Russell scored her first goal of the season and third of her career.