PORTLAND – After a scoreless first half, the Portland State women's soccer team and the University of New Mexico found some offense as the Lobos edged out the Vikings 2-1 at Hillsboro Stadium on Sunday afternoon.
 
The win snaps a three-match losing streak for New Mexico who sits at 2-3-0, defeating 22-ranked Texas Tech to begin the season. Portland State still awaits its first win of the season at 0-5-0, losing two of its last three by one goal.
 
Neither team could find the back of the net in the opening period. The Lobos tallied 12 shots in the first half with only three landing on target which all ended in saves by PSU keeper Enya Hernandez.
 
Rilee Castilla made a great effort for the Vikings in the 26^th minute, nearly scoring as she controlled the ball at the top of the box before turning and firing a shot into the chest of the New Mexico keeper. Moments later, Castilla passed off to Diamond Quinn who couldn't quite connect, sending the ball just high over the crossbar.
 
"Tough match, but we made a lot of progress offensively. We are starting to see who has chemistry and who works well together between the midfield and front line," said Head Coach Katie Burton. "Rilee and Diamond were a very dangerous combo today in addition to our wide forwards and their ability to get in behind."
 
In the opening minutes of the second half, New Mexico finally got on the board, striking first as Alesia Garcia collected a pass in the box and snuck the ball past the PSU defense in the 46^th minute.
 
It wasn't long before the Vikings evened the match as Castilla made a run up the middle, fighting off two Lobo defenders before finding the right corner of the net from 20-yards out.
 
New Mexico continued to press forward, tallying nine more shots in the second half to finish with 21 total shots on the day. In the 57^th minute, the Lobos found the winning goal as Jessie Hix hit a shot to the top right of the net. Hernandez was able to get a piece of the ball, but not enough to stop it from going in.
 
Hernandez finished with four saves in the match, bringing her season total to 22.
 
The Vikings kept up the fight throughout the second half, tallying eight shots to finish with 10 total, five shots on goal. PSU nearly tied the match in the 80^th minute as Chloe Huling got the ball just inside the box, sending a shot just wide of the post.
 
"We were much more connected through the lines with our combination play from front to back and I thought we were solid defensively," continued Burton. "We'll take a look at the film and the goals to find the breakdown and solve the issue in training. The team did very well at weathering the storm against a team that pushes so many numbers forward. Obviously, we are still looking for that elusive win, but we are proud of how they played today."
 
The Vikings will begin a six-match road trip on Friday, Sept. 13 as they travel to Boise, Idaho for two matches against Fresno State and Boise State.