The heroics came when Portland State needed them, but unfortunately for the Vikings it wasn't enough on Sunday afternoon at Hillsboro. Despite Ellie Vasey's late equalizer to force overtime, CSUN scored in the golden goal format to leave with a 2-1 win.

"We had an average start today. We were inconsistent offensively," head coach Katie Burton said. "We had some pretty possession sequences in the middle of the field, but needed to advance to the final third. We had a much better second half and overtime being dangerous."

In a physical game that saw over 30 fouls recorded, neither team could find much momentum early. Each side had registered some shots, but neither goalkeeper was troubled until late in the match.

When CSUN finally found a way past Abbie Faingold, it seemed destined to be the winner. Alyssa Aguilar won the ball on the far sideline and played it through to Bethany Fitzsimmons, who did the rest. Fitzsimmons cut back inside of the defense on a nice run and scored with just 12 minutes remaining.

Portland State made some substitutions and got right back on the attack, pressuring more than they had all game in search of an equalizer. It was a right place, right time moment — paired with determination — that produced the equalizer in the 84th minute.

Jacky Huchler played a long, low ball in toward the box that Jadyn Harris touched just the slightest amount. The deflection found Vasey in between a pair of defenders and she took the quick shot. Her first shot was deflected, but Vasey stuck with it. Her second attempt went low and left, sneaking past the goalkeeper to tie the match.

The Vikings took the momentum swing at the end of regulation and continued to attack well in the overtime period, controlling the ball and playing much of the period in CSUN's half. Unfortunately, the numbers forward were the eventual downfall of the Vikings.

On the attack with just 50 seconds remaining in the first half of overtime, a clearance header created a counter-attack for CSUN. Two passes later, the ball was in the back of Portland State's net and the game was over.

CSUN recorded 11 more shots than Portland State in the game, but the game was much more balanced than the stats suggested. The Matadors attempted just two more shots on goal, but the Vikings had some good looks and kept possession close throughout the game.

"This week we will be working on all aspects of our team defense," Burton said. "Pressure-cover-balance hurt us today. Overall we made progress, but the expectation is for us to be making bigger strides than what we did today."

The Vikings return to action next Sunday, Sept. 2 against Seattle.

MATCH NOTES: The Vikings are now 1-6-0 all time against the Matadors … Captain Ellie Vasey scored her first goal of the season and fourth of her career … The Vikings are now 0-1 in overtime this season … This was the first loss of the season for the Vikings in a game which they scored.