PORTLAND – The Portland State women's soccer team will play its first match at Hillsboro Stadium in nearly a month as the Vikings host their Big Sky Conference home opener against Southern Utah and Friday, Oct. 4 before facing off against Northern Arizona on the following Sunday.
The Vikings (2-9-0) ended their six-match road trip with some highs, winning two of their final three matches, including a 3-2 overtime win over Idaho State to open conference play.
Sofi Papastamos recorded three assists in the match while
Rilee Castilla put away the golden goal in overtime to seal the win.
Portland State currently sits in fourth place in the Big Sky standings after the opening weekend of conference play going 1-1-0 after a 1-0 loss to Weber State. The Vikings rank seventh in the league in goals with eight and rank third in assists with eight.
SCORING DUO:
Sienna Higinbotham and Castilla have combined to score 75 percent of Portland State's goals so far, with each player recording three goals. Higinbotham ranks sixth in the conference in points with seven while Castilla ranks eighth in BSC in total shots with 22.
ON TOP OF THE CONFERENCE:
After registering three assists in the win over Idaho State, Papastamos now sits in a three-way tie for first in the Big Sky in assists with four. Her other assist came in her first game back against Oregon in the second match of the year
BREAKOUT IN YEAR ONE:
It has been a strong season so far for freshman keeper
Enya Hernandez. She ranks fourth in the Big Sky in goals against average of 1.38, ranks second overall in save percentage at .800 and has collected the third-most saves with 56.
BIG SKY CONFERENCE:
Weber State leads the conference standings after picking up a tie and a win to earn four points. Following the Wildcats is Montana and Northern Arizona, each with a win in conference play.
SCOUTING SOUTHERN UTAH:
-Southern Utah has had a difficult start to the season as the Thunderbirds are still looking for their first win of the season, sitting with an 0-9-0 record, going 0-1-0 in the BSC.
-Against Northern Arizona, Southern Utah scored a season-high two goals but ultimately fell to the Lumberjacks 3-2 to open conference play.
-The Thunderbirds have struggled on offense, ranking last in the league in five offensive categories including shots, points, and goals, recording only three goals in nine matches.
-SUU and PSU share one common opponent so far in Boise State who won against the Vikings 2-0 and Southern Utah 4-0.
-Southern Utah has given up the highest goals per match average in the Big Sky at 2.89, allowing 26 goals total.
-The Thunderbirds rank second in saves with 72 and have two keepers in the top 10 in the league in total saves in Brianna Aldridge who is second with 42 and Ashley Franza who is 10
th with 23.
-Southern Utah's last win came back on Oct. 5 during the 2018 season when the Thunderbirds defeated Sacramento State 3-2 at home for their only conference win of the year.
ALL-TIME SERIES VS. SOUTHERN UTAH
Portland State holds the advantage in the all-time series over the Thunderbirds, going 5-2-1 overall. The Vikings have won the last two matchups, the last being played at Southern Utah with PSU taking a 3-2 win. The last time SUU won was back in 2016 when the Thunderbirds defeated the Vikings 3-2 in overtime.
SCOUTING NORTHERN ARIZONA:
-Northern Arizona enters the weekend with a 5-4-1 overall record while winning their first conference game against Southern Utah 3-2.
-The Lumberjacks will face off against Sacramento State on Friday before making the trip north to Portland.
-The Vikings and the Lumberjacks both played against New Mexico and Pacific (Calif.) this season. The Vikings defeating Pacific 1-0 and fell to New Mexico 2-1 while Northern Arizona fell to the Tigers 2-1 and the Lobos 3-0.
-Northern Arizona leads the Big Sky in shots with 152, averaging 15.20 shots per game.
-The Lumberjacks rank second in the league in goals with 16 and second in points with 43.
-NAU has been in good form as of late. After dropping four matches in a row, the Lumberjacks have now won their last three-straight matches, recording shutouts against New Mexico State and the University of Houston.
ALL-TIME SERIES VS. NORTHERN ARIZONA:
Northern Arizona leads the all-time series against the Vikings, holding an overall record of 7-15-5. Portland State lost the last meeting 2-0 in 2018, but picked up two wins during the 2017 campaign, winning 1-0 in both matches.
MATCH COVERAGE:
Live stats and video will be available for both matches this weekend. The matches will be live streamed through pluto.tv and live stats will be available at vikslive.com. Follow along on Twitter as well @psuvikswsoc.
