Vikings Return Home Searching for Momentum

A return trip home to Hillsboro Stadium on Sunday might be just what the Portland State Vikings need to get some momentum rolling as the non-conference schedule comes to a close. The Vikings will take on Pacific (Calif.) at 1 p.m. in Hillsboro before hitting the road for a couple more matches in the final week before Big Sky play.

The Vikings have dropped their last two results, allowing five combined goals and being outshot in both. The team, with just one match this week, spent plenty of time on the training pitch and had a team bonding day as well to make spirits and energy high heading into this weekend's match.

Last Sunday, the Vikings entered as underdogs against Seattle, a team that had dismantled defending Big Sky champions Eastern Washington 3-0 already this season. After giving up an early goal to fall behind, the Vikings fought hard for much of the game and held their own. A couple of late goals made the result feel worse than it was, but a tough schedule was always going to test this year's team.

The difficult matches don't end with Seattle either. The Vikings still have an SEC opponent (Missouri) and a tough Grand Canyon team waiting on a very long road trip in the week leading into Big Sky play. There will be plenty of learning chances and opportunities to grow in the final three non-conference matches, getting the Vikings tuned up for the oh-so important conference slate.

Pacific, like Seattle, has already played a match against a Big Sky opponent, which should help shed at least a little light on where the Vikings stand in week four. The Tigers played against Sacramento State, the team predicted to finish one spot ahead of Portland State in the preseason coaches poll. Pacific won the match, played last friday, by a score of 3-1.

It was the second consecutive win for the Tigers, but the momentum came to a screeching halt in their match on Sunday. Pacific lost 5-0 to Hawai'i at home in their last match, surely giving them a chip on the shoulder heading into this weekend's matches.

Portland State, meanwhile, is looking to find some consistency on offense. The Vikings were shutout in their last match and managed just four shots. In the past two games combined, they have been outshot 35-10. They have also attempted just two corners in the last two games after taking 11 in the first two games of the season.

The team spent good time on the training pitch working on how to find playmakers in space and what types of balls to play in certain situations. After two consecutive weeks with only one match, they are looking for the lessons from the training pitch to translate to success during matches.

The potential for the team was evident in the 2-0 win against Texas Southern in the opening weekend. The Vikings took 17 shots in that game, seven of them on goal, and had a couple of different goalscorers.

Pacific is yet to record a shutout this season and have allowed over two goals per game, allowing the Vikings offense the perfect chance to get some momentum back before the difficult road trip.

PACIFIC (2-4-0)

•The Tigers enter the match coming off a 5-0 loss at home to Hawai'i on Sunday. The Rainbow Wahine had scored just three goals total entering the match, but torched the Tigers defense for four first half goals before adding the fifth and final score in the second half.
•Pacific will have a home-and-away weekend. They have a match at home on Friday against CSUN, a team that Portland State also played earlier this season. The Matadors beat the Vikings 2-1 in overtime at Hillsboro Stadium. Pacific will then have a 600-plus mile journey to Portland for the afternoon match on Sunday.
•Pacific have already played one Big Sky team this season. The Tigers beat Sacramento State, the alma mater of all three of Portland State's coaches, 3-1. The Hornets opened up the scoring in the 12th minute, but Pacific answered twice in the first half and added another goal in the 80th minute to seal the win.
•With the win against Sacramento State, the Tigers won back-to-back games for the first time since the 2013. They had four wins that season and have not matched that win total in any season since.
•Senior Kendall Bietsch has led the Tigers offense this season. She has three goals on 10 shots, which are both lead the team. They are the first three goals of her career after entering her senior season scoreless.
•Senior Regan Heslop has played every minute between the posts this season for the Tigers. She has allowed 13 goals in six matches and has a save percentage of .711.
•Pacific has been shutout three times this season, including in their last match out. But they have scored multiple goals in the other three games they have played.

ALL-TIME SERIES VS. PACIFIC

The Vikings trail in the all-time series 2-5-0. The two sides last met in 2017, a match that Pacific won 3-1 on three first half goals. Portland State took an early lead on the road by way of an Ellie Vasey goal in the 25th minute, but Pacific answered with three goals in a span of seven minutes for the win.

GAMEDAY COVERAGE

The game will be available for streaming through the Pluto TV app on channel 232 and on WatchBigSky.com. Matt Marquette will call the match. Live stats will also be available for the game through ViksLive.com.

HISTORY ON THE SIDE OF THE CAPTAINS

Senior Abbie Faingold and sophomore Ellie Vasey share the captain duties for this year's Portland State team but they also share something else, a successful history against Pacific.

In last year's match, Vasey scored her first career goal. She fielded a cross inside the box from Liv Jillings and placed it top shelf to give the Vikings an early lead. Faingold, meanwhile, matched her career high in saves in the match with eight, a total she has not matched since.

MILESTONES REACHED (AND ONE NEARING)

A couple of Vikings players reached significant career milestones during last Sunday's loss to Seattle.

Morgan Matthews, a senior midfielder, went over 3,000 career minutes played. She started the match and recorded one shot. She has six career goals and, if she plays this weekend, will appear in her 60th career match against Pacific.

Sophomore Tea Poore also reached a milestone, playing 1,000 minutes in her career. She has started every match for the Vikings this season and has one goal and one assist in her career.

The match against Seattle was the 50th game of senior Krystal de Ramos' career and her 35th career start. After missing the first two games of the season because of injury, de Ramos has slowly returned to the lineup. She played 19 minutes against CSUN on Aug. 26 before starting and playing 57 minutes against Seattle.

Sophomore forward Diamond Quinn also made her season debut against Seattle, playing 16 minutes off the bench in the loss.

Kasey Isobe is nearing in on playing 2,000 minutes in her career. The junior is 43 minutes away from the milestone. She has started all four games this season for the Vikings.

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 41 career goalkeeper starts. She trails Niki Brooks (2002-05) by five starts. She is also fourth all-time in goalkeeper minutes played.

She is in third with 176 saves in her career, trailing Kim Street (1996-98) by 138 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 (1.58) and save percentage (.733).

SEEING YELLOW

The Vikings picked up two yellow cards on Sunday, keeping pace with their average on the season. Portland State now have eight yellow cards through four matches, putting them in a tie for fifth for the most yellow cards in the nation. Rilee Castilla has two cautions while six other players have been shown a single yellow card.

Portland State doesn't have the most yellow cards in the state of Oregon, however. The Oregon State Beavers lead the country with 11 cautions, although they have played six matches.

FOUL PLAY

Portland State is also near the top of the country in another category: fouls per game. The Vikings have committed 14.5 fouls per game through the opening four matches, putting them in a tie for fourth in the country. They are second in the Big Sky behind Eastern Washington, who lead the nation with 15.6 fouls per game.

OFFENSIVE DRY SPELL

In the last two matches, Portland State has struggled to generate much offense. The Vikings have attempted just 10 shots total over the two games. In that time, they have been a significantly better team in the second half.

Against CSUN, the Vikings attempted zero first half shots before recording five in the second half of play. In the Seattle match, they managed just one first half shot. In the second, they upped that number to three.

STARTING FAST

In Portland State's win against Texas Southern on Aug. 19 they jumped out to the best start offensively this season. It was the only match in which they attempted more shots in the first half than the second, and it is also the only win on the year for the Vikings.

In that match, they attempted 10 shots and scored twice in the opening 45 minutes. After a couple of slow starts in the last two matches, getting out of the gates and creating opportunities early will be crucial for success against Pacific.

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

#34 Rilee Castilla: F; 5' 6"; Sophomore; 1L

#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

#13 Liv Jillings: M; 5' 7"; Junior; 2L

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

#5 Diamond Quinn: F; 5' 9"; Sophomore; 1L

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

Players Mentioned

#34 Rilee Castilla
: 5' 6"; Sophomore; 1L
: F

#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

#13 Liv Jillings
: 5' 7"; Junior; 2L
: M

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

#5 Diamond Quinn
: 5' 9"; Sophomore; 1L
: F

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