PORTLAND – In the first action of the season, the Portland State University women's soccer team gave a strong defensive effort in their exhibition match against the University of British Columbia, playing to a 0-0 tie at Hillsboro Stadium on Thursday afternoon.
 
"It was a great first match for us," said Vikings Coach Katie Burton. "UBC played us tough. They were organized and worked hard. They caused us problems in the first half and it took some time to get in our rhythm defensively, but we absorbed the pressure and our backline handled it well."
 
British Columbia recorded two early shots in the first half with both attempts landing off course. The Thunderbirds found another chance with two minutes left in the period, hitting a shot to the bottom right corner before a diving Teri Walters kept the score even for PSU.
 
"We made some adjustments at half time and the team did a fantastic job of implementing them," said Burton. "We've been working on a team defensive style that can take time to learn, but they showed they have the soccer IQ, ability, and fitness to play it.
 
The Vikings opened up the second half with an aggressive attack as Sienna Higinbotham recorded a shot on goal before back to back shot attempts by Rilee Castilla ended in saves. Higinbotham and Castilla each recorded two shots on goal in two attempts while Natalia Blanco added two shots with one on target off the bench.
 
British Columbia edged out the Vikings with 15 shots, seven landing on target, while PSU recorded nine shots with five on goal.
 
In the 81^st minute, PSU's Olivia Stone collected the ball at the top of the box for a chance that landed just above the top right of the crossbar. Emilee Greve added another attempt moments later that ended with the same result.
 
UBC kept the pressure up throughout the match, recording three quick shots, two of which were saved by freshman keeper Enya Hernandez. The Thunderbirds added two more shots attempts in the final three minutes, but were still unable to find the back of the net.
 
Sharing time in between the posts for the Vikings, Walters had two saves off of four attempts while Hernandez collected five saves and faced 11 shots.
 
"Both goalies played very well," added Burton. "Teri has experience and showed that today. She was organized, especially on corners and set pieces, while Enya made some hard saves and held onto the ball on those saves. She was also fearless in 1v1s and coming off her line. Having only two keepers on the roster can be nerve wracking as a coach, but we are lucky two have a pair with the skill level that they both have."
 
The Vikings will be back on the field on Saturday, Aug. 24 as they officially begin the 2019 season against Oregon State University at Hillsboro Stadium with kickoff set for 1 p.m.