PORTLAND – The Portland State women's soccer team dropped their season opener on Saturday as Oregon State collected three first-half goals to defeat the Vikings 3-0 at Hillsboro Stadium.
 
The Beavers struck early in the first half, sending a free kick into the box as Abby Schwartz tipped the ball to slide it past the keeper.
 
"It was a tough match today in the first half, OSU worked hard in numbers on offense and defense and they were very good on set pieces," said Vikings Coach Katie Burton.
 
OSU scored back-to-back goals in the 20^th and the 22^nd minutes to extend their lead heading into the break.
 
Portland State came out strong in the second half, creating multiple opportunities as Rilee Castilla and Molly Joyce made a few great runs into the box, but the ball was put just out of reach.
 
"Second half we were better at keeping the ball and giving our defense a rest," said Burton. "We saw some patterns we'd been working on and we kept the ball out of the back of the net."
 
Teri Walters and Enya Hernandez split time in goal for PSU. Walters collected one save on the day while Hernandez helped keep Oregon State scoreless in the second half of play.
 
Oregon State collected 23 shots in the match, nine in the first half and 14 in the second, and finished with 11 corner attempts.
 
"We didn't get the result we wanted, but there was definitely progress from our exhibition against British Columbia," added Burton. "We anticipate seeing a similar style of play from Oregon, so it was good preparation for us."
 
The Vikings return to action next Friday as they travel for the first road match of the season, taking on the University of Oregon.
 
Scoring Summary:
04:31 – OSU Goal by Abby Schwartz (Assisted by Ashleigh Fonson)
20:06 – OSU Goal by Sydney Studer (Assisted by Laura Galceran)
22:13 – OSU Goal by Mckenzie Weinert (Assisted by Brianna McReynolds)