Vikings Take on Seattle Seeking First Win Against Redhawks

The Portland State soccer team received some much needed rest this week, finally getting a chance to recover from a blistering start to the season. It started with four games in 10 days. Last week, the Vikings traveled to Spokane last week only to wait for hours to have a game get canceled. They followed that up with a home match on Sunday to wrap up another busy weekend.

A single match against Seattle awaits Portland State on Sunday. The two teams have met nine times before but the Vikings are still looking for the first ever win against the Redhawks.

Before taking on Seattle, they have a week of practice time to make some adjustments following a 2-1 overtime loss to CSUN last Sunday. The Vikings have some work to do, particularly on the defensive side where head coach Katie Burton said they will be looking at all aspects of their team defense.

The Vikings struggled to get much going offensively in the first half, failing to record a shot. In the second half and throughout overtime, Portland State's offense looked far more dangerous. They tallied five shots in the second half, one of which was a determined equalizer from Ellie Vasey to force the extra period.

On the other side, Portland State allowed 11 second half shots. In overtime, a counter-attack within the last minute doomed the Vikings. After clearing the ball with a header, CSUN made one pass and a cross for an easy golden goal.

The season moves quickly, with just four games remaining on the schedule before Big Sky Conference play starts. After the loss against CSUN, Burton said "the expectation is for us to be making bigger strides than what we did today."

This week, with more time to spend on the training grounds, Burton and associate head coach Maureen Whitney will be looking for more progress at the halfway point of the non-conference schedule.

SCOUTING SEATTLE

•Seattle enters the match with Portland State 1-1-1. Their only loss came against a nationally ranked Washington State team in the season opener.
•The Redhawks are also returning to action after a full week off. They played out a draw against Cal State Fullerton on Aug. 26. SU scored in the sixth minute to take a 1-0 lead but CSUF answered before the half. The two sides played even the rest of the way.
•Seattle has already played a match against a Big Sky team, although it came under strange circumstances. The Redhawks were scheduled to play the two-time defending Big Sky champions Eastern Washington in Cheney on Aug. 19, but poor air quality forced the game to be rescheduled. The teams traveled to Seattle to play the next day, where the Redhawks won a 3-0 decision.
•Junior Jessie Ray has been one of the best goalscorers in the nation this year. Ray has four goals through three matches, which puts her in a tie for eighth in the NCAA in total goals. She is in a tie for fourth in goals per game with 1.33. She has produced two goals with her head, one after dribbling around the defense and poached another in front of goal. She also has one assist this season, which places her fifth in the national rankings with three points per game. She has scored 80 percent of the team's goals this season and contributed to the only other goal. Last season, she led the team with eight goals.
•Seattle has scored in every game they have played so far this season.
•Mackenzie Curry has started all three games in goal. She has allowed four goals while making 10 saves. Ariana Romero has come off the bench twice, playing 78 minutes and not allowing a goal.
•The Redhawks have scored three goals in the first half and two goals in the second half of games this year.
•They have played fairly clean games so far this season. In regulation time through three games, Seattle has just 15 fouls. In contrast, Portland State had 18 fouls during the opening 90 minutes against CSUN.
•A member of the WAC, the Redhawks have been to the conference championship game five straight times, a conference record. Head coach Julie Woodward, the all-time winningest coach in school history, has led SU to eight consecutive seasons with a winning record.

ALL-TIME SERIES VS. SEATTLE

Portland State trails in the all-time series 0-5-4. The last meeting came in 2017, which Seattle won 4-0. Jessie Ray scored two goals in the match and the Redhawks outshot the Vikings 17-6.

GAMEDAY COVERAGE

The game will be available for streaming through the WAC Digital Network. Live stats will also be available for the game through Stat Broadcast.

MILESTONES NEARING

There are a couple of Portland State players that could reach significant career milestones in this weekend's match. Senior Morgan Matthews is just seven minutes away from reaching 3,000 career minutes played. She has appeared in every game so far this season and has 26 career starts at PSU.

Junior defender Kasey Isobe is 75 minutes away from reaching 2,000 career minutes. She has started all three games this season and played in 79 minutes against CSUN, putting the milestone well within reach on Sunday.

Sophomore midfielder Tea Poore is just 57 minutes away from 1,000 in her career. She played all 99 minutes in the overtime loss against CSUN and has started every match this season. She also made 19 appearances as a freshman.

There were also a couple of players who made their season debuts against CSUN. Sophomore Mya Lopez came off the bench to play 20 minutes. She saw sporadic playing time last season, appearing in 11 matches.

Molly Joyce made not only her season debut, but also her Portland State debut on Sunday. Injuries have forced the redshirt-sophomore to an up and down career so far. She played her freshman season at Clark College, scoring 25 goals and recording five assists. She holds school records for goals and points in a season.

At Portland State, she has had injury troubles that have kept her off the pitch. She played just 10 minutes on Sunday, but will look to continue to make strides toward returning in a full capacity as the season continues.

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 is fourth in school history with 40 career starts. She trails Niki Brooks (2002-05) by six starts. She is also fourth all-time in goalkeeper minutes played.

She is in third with 171 saves in her career, trailing Kim Street (1996-98) by 144 saves. She is tied with Street for third in school history with 12 career shutouts. She has 15 career wins, putting her in a four-way tie for fourth in program history.

Faingold also cracks the top 10 in goals against average (1.54) and save percentage (.737).

NO FOUL PLAY

The Vikings have been an extremely physical team this season, and the whistles have come often for them. Portland State is near the top of the charts in fouls committed while sitting in a tie for fourth place in the nation with six yellow cards through the first three matches of the season.

Last Sunday's match added to both of those totals. Sofi Papastamos and Krystal de Ramos each received yellow cards in a match that saw the Vikings commit 19 total fouls.

NOT A POORE SPORT

Tasi Poore didn't start a game as a freshman and played in less than half of Portland State's matches. The back line was composed mostly of veteran players and Poore was biding her time, waiting for her chance.

In the opening weekend at the UTRGV Tournament, she made her first two career starts in emphatic fashion. The sophomore played all 90 minutes of both matches, a 1-0 loss to Oral Roberts and a 2-0 shutout win against Texas Southern. After the final match, Poore was named to the All-Tournament Team.

Poore also played all 99 minutes in the overtime loss against CSUN.

TOURNEY TEAM

Last season, the Vikings were picked to finish ninth in the Big Sky by the conference's coaches. They exceeded all expectations to earn the No. 4 seed going into the postseason. This year, with eight starters returning but the loss of a major part of the offense in Forsee, the Vikings were picked to finish sixth.

Defending champion Eastern Washington earned the top spot in the poll followed by Northern Colorado and Montana, who each received a first-place vote. Northern Arizona, who the Vikings defeated in the Big Sky tournament last season, and Sacramento State, the former home of Burton and her assistant coaches, also come in ahead of the Vikings.

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Players Mentioned

#3 Krystal de Ramos: M/F; 5' 4"; Senior; 3L

#00 Abbie Faingold: GK; 5' 10"; Redshirt Senior; 3L

#6 Kasey Isobe: M; 5' 5"; Junior; 2L

#9 Molly Joyce: F; 5' 8"; Redshirt Sophomore; RS

#10 Morgan Matthews: M; 5' 10"; Senior; 3L

#12 Tasi Poore: D; 5' 4"; Sophomore; 1L

#26 Ellie Vasey: F; 5' 4"; Sophomore; 1L

#16 Sofi Papastamos: D; 5' 9"; Freshman; HS

Players Mentioned

#3 Krystal de Ramos
: 5' 4"; Senior; 3L
: M/F

#00 Abbie Faingold
: 5' 10"; Redshirt Senior; 3L
: GK

#6 Kasey Isobe
: 5' 5"; Junior; 2L
: M

#9 Molly Joyce
: 5' 8"; Redshirt Sophomore; RS
: F

#10 Morgan Matthews
: 5' 10"; Senior; 3L
: M

#12 Tasi Poore
: 5' 4"; Sophomore; 1L
: D

#26 Ellie Vasey
: 5' 4"; Sophomore; 1L
: F

#16 Sofi Papastamos
: 5' 9"; Freshman; HS
: D