PORTLAND – After clinching the sixth and final spot in the Big Sky Conference Soccer Championship, the Portland State women's soccer team will make one final trip to Greeley, Colo., as the Vikings face off against third-seeded Eastern Washington in the quarterfinal round on Wednesday, Nov. 6.
The Vikings and Eagles clashed only a couple weeks ago in the final weekend of the regular season, a match that saw Eastern Washington take a 4-1 victory over PSU. Eastern Washington enters the tournament as the third seed after falling to Montana in its final match, giving the Grizzlies the top spot.
Portland State will attempt to snap a five-match losing skid after opening conference play with a 3-1 record. Against the Eagles on Oct. 25, the Vikings gave up an early score which set the tone for the remainder of the match. Down 3-1 at halftime, PSU controlled the match better in the second half but struggled to find the back of the net.
HISTORY IN THE TOURNAMENT:
This season marks the second time in three years the Vikings have advanced to the postseason, and the 13
th time overall in program history. Portland State has an overall record of 3-9-3 in the postseason with their last win coming in 2017 against Northern Arizona in the opening round (1-0) before losing to then top-ranked Eastern Washington in the semifinals. That was the first meeting between the Vikings and the Eagles in the postseason tournament.
BIG SKY RECOGNITION:
The Big Sky Conference released the 2019 All-BSC teams last week and featured two Portland State athletes in
Sofi Papastamos and Teá Poore. Papastamos was named Second-Team All-Conference after finishing second in the league in assists while Poore played a pivotal role in the midfield all season, earning All-Conference Honorable Mention.
SEASON LEADERS:
Sienna Higinbotham had an exceptional freshman season for the Vikings, leading the team in points with 11 while recording five goals with one assist. Behind her was
Rilee Castilla with four goals and six other players tallied one goal.
Enya Hernandez also played well in her first collegiate season, tallying three wins with 92 total saves on the year.
SCOUTING EASTERN WASHINGTON:
-The Eagles had the chance at a regular-season conference title but fell to Montana in the final game of the year, 1-0, to earn the third seed in the Big Sky tournament.
-Eastern Washington finished the season with an overall record of 9-7-2, going 6-2-1 in the BSC.
-EWU defeated the Vikings 4-1 in the regular season, scoring three first half goals in the process.
-The Eagles won six games in a row before dropping their final two contests of the year against Sacramento State and Montana.
-Eastern Washington earned six players on the Big Sky All-Conference teams while their head coach Chad Bodnar was named the coach of the year.
-EWU finished the regular season ranking second in shots (248) and points (72) while ranking first in goals with 28.
ALL-TIME SERIES VS. EASTERN WASHINGTON
Portland State holds a lead all-time over the Eagles with a record of 14-9-2 all-time. Eastern Washington has had the advantage over the last few years, winning four in a row including this year's matchup. The last win the Vikings had came during the 2014 campaign, a 3-1 victory at home. This will be the second time the Vikings and Eagles meet in the playoffs with Eastern Washington winning in the 2017 semifinals 2-1.
