Mya Lopez provided a spark of magic right before the half and the Portland State soccer team put forth an impressive defensive effort, but it wasn't enough to pull of the upset against the Missouri Tigers on Sunday morning, losing 2-1.

"Very proud of the team and the fight and bite they had, especially in the second half," head coach Katie Burton said. "We specifically added this to our schedule to test ourselves on the progress we've made during the preseason. We were very dangerous on the offensive side of the ball and had some great opportunities."

The goal came on the first shot attempt for the day for the Vikings, who had spent much of the opening half on the defensive against a talented Tigers team. Lopez picked up the ball near midfield and had some space. She looked up to find the Mizzou keeper off her line and scored from 45 yards out.

It leveled the match before halftime and provided hope to a Portland State (2-5-0) team that had conceded five straight goals without a score of their own. But Lopez wasn't the only player that got into dangerous spaces. The Vikings did well in possession and while the stat sheet doesn't show it, Krystal de Ramos and the fellow attackers caused stress for the Missouri defense.

"Krystal was fantastic today," Burton said. "She was dynamic with her runs and gritty to get on the end of everything and give us a chance. The only way to stop her was to foul her."

The Missouri (4-4-1) offense came out of halftime aggressively, firing double-digit shots in second 45 minutes of play. Still, Portland State held their own defensively. Abbie Faingold made a season-high seven saves in the match and the defense withstood eight total corners, five of which came in the second half.

"Defensively Abbie and our back line kept us in the game. Every save could be on a highlight reel," Burton said. "We fed off her energy and built momentum throughout the second half."

Portland State managed what they could, getting a couple more shot attempts off in the second half. Lopez had another shot on goal in the 57th minute that would have put the Vikings ahead, but it was saved by Mizzou goalkeeper Kelsey Dossey.

Jacky Huchler, who has a goal and an assist to her name as a substitute already this year, also got a shot off but it was deflected before it could get to the goal.

The stat sheet shows a game controlled by Missouri. They attempted 20 shots, the first team to do that against the Vikings this year. They put nine of them on frame, keeping Faingold on her toes all game long while also generating the eight corners. Still, the Vikings created enough dangerous chances of their own and stood tall defensively, revealing a lot about the potential this team has entering Big Sky play.

"I couldn't have asked for a better performance from the group before conference," Burton said. "This game helped them understand how good they are and that they have no ceiling for their potential. Great strides were made today and that's all we ask each game regardless of the results in the preseason."

The Vikings now return home for a week of practice before beginning Big Sky Conference play. They will travel to Moscow, Idaho for a match against the Vandals on Friday night before finishing the weekend in Cheney against defending champs Eastern Washington.


MATCH NOTES: The Vikings are now 0-1 all-time against Missouri … Abbie Faingold recorded a season-high seven saves in the match … Mya Lopez scored her first career goal in the 44th minute … The Tigers are on a three-match winning streak, including a 1-0 win against Kentucky in the SEC opener on Friday.