PORTLAND, Ore. – Boasting its winningest record since 2017, a first place standing in the Big Sky and an unbeaten conference mark, Portland State women's soccer is set for a pivotal weekend on the road this Friday and Sunday. The Vikings will play at Idaho State on Friday, Oct. 13 (6:00 p.m. PT) before heading to Weber State on Sunday, Oct. 15 (11 a.m. PT).
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MATCH 1: PORTLAND STATE Â (7-5-1, 4-0-1 BSC) at IDAHO STATE (3-11-1, 1-3-1 BSC)
Friday, Oct. 13 Â | 6:00 pm PT/7 pm MT | Pocatello, Idaho (Davis Field)
All-Time Series: Portland State leads, 14-10-1Â
Last Meeting: W, 2-1 (Oct. 7, 2022)
Bengals' Â 2022 Record: 3-11-2, 2-6-0 BSC (8th place)
GAME LINKS: Watch | Live Stats
Idaho State heads into the weekend with a 1-3-1 mark in conference action, tied for sixth place with four points. The Bengals are looking to bounce back from two straight road losses to Northern Arizona and Montana. Following non-conference victories over Wyoming and Southern Utah, the Bengals defeated Eastern Washington 3-2 in their only conference win so far. Their defense has struggled against Big Sky opponents, allowing a conference-high 12 goals against Big Sky opponents. Junior forward Kaylyn Buchanan has played a key role for ISU offensively, leading the team with six goals which ranks third in the Big Sky. Junior goalkeeper Kelsey Jargstorf leads the conference in saves against Big Sky opponents (35), averaging 7 saves per game. The Bengals enter Friday's match with a 1-5 record at Davis Field.  Â
MATCH 2: PORTLAND STATE Â (7-5-1, 4-0-1 BSC) at WEBER STATE (0-9-3, 0-3-2 BSC)
Sunday, Oct. 15 | 11:00 am PT/Noon MT | Ogden, Utah  (Wildcat Soccer Field)
All-Time Series: Weber State leads, 13-11-4
Last Meeting: W, 3-2 (Oct. 9, 2022)
Wildcats' 2022 Record: 5-11-2, 4-4-0 BSC (5th place)
GAME LINKS: Watch | Live Stats
Weber State is winless heading into the final two weekends of the regular season, sitting 0-9-3 on the year. They'll host Sacramento State on Friday, Oct. 13 before taking on the Vikings on Sunday. Despite a winless record, the Wildcats have managed to earn two points in conference action thanks to ties against Northern Colorado and Idaho. They've scored just four goals over five conference matches and are fresh off a 2-1 road loss at Montana. Sophomore forward Sayler Schlosser leads the team with eight points (3 goals, 2 assists). The Wildcats still lack an established starter between the posts as three different goalkeepers have made at least three starts this season.
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The Vikings will head to Ogden in search of its first road victory over the Wildcats since 2013, having lost four straight at Wildcat Soccer Field.
LAST TIME OUT – VS. IDAHO/EASTERN WASHINGTON – The Vikings closed out their home schedule with a bang, scoring seven goals en route to two wins last weekend. They opened the weekend with a 2-1 win over Idaho on Friday, scoring goals in the 56th and 71st minutes. On Sunday, the Vikings offense caught fire, scoring a season-high five goals on their way to a 5-2 victory over Eastern Washington.Â
DÉJÀ VU – For the second consecutive season, the Vikings are off to a 4-0-1 start in Big Sky action, the program's best start since 2013. Despite a promising start In 2022, the Vikings lost two of their last three matches and tied the other, finishing with a 4-2-2 conference record.
TITLE CHASING – With 13 points, the Vikings are in first place heading into the final three matches of the regular season this weekend. They're chasing the program's sixth regular season title and first since 2013. With a 7-5-1 record, the Vikings have already secured the program's most wins since 2017. They haven't finished with a record above .500 since 2014.Â
Also in contention for the title are Montana and Northern Arizona, who both sit one spot behind the Vikings with 10 points. Even if the Vikings continue to win, the Griz (3-0-1 BSC) will have a chance to catch them as they have four matches remaining on their schedule, compared to PSU's three. Following this weekend's action, the Vikings will close out their regular season schedule at Montana on Sunday, Oct. 22.Â
2023 BIG SKY CONFERENCE STANDINGS
BIG SKY OFFENSIVE PLAYERS OF THE WEEK – The Vikings have had two Big Sky Offensive Players of the Week this season. Most recently, fifth-year midfielder Sienna Higinbotham earned the honor, following a three-goal weekend that included two game-winners against Idaho and Eastern Washington. Earlier this season (Sept. 19), senior forward Raniyah Burton earned the weekly honor after a seven-point weekend (3 goals, 1 assist) against UC Riverside and CSUN.Â
THE GREEN STREAK -Â Fifth-year defender Hailey Green holds one of the longest complete-game streaks in the NCAA, playing 33 consecutive matches without leaving the field. Green's streak spans across three seasons, dating back to Oct. 17, 2021. She enters Friday's match having played 2,990 consecutive minutes on the Vikings' back line and is likely to break the 3,000-minute mark against Idaho State.Â
SECOND-HALF MAGIC -Â Second-half goals have been crucial for Portland State this season, scoring 14 of its 21 goals in the final 45 minutes, eight of which have been scored with less than 10 minutes remaining in the contest. The Vikings have won six of their last seven matches. Out of those six wins, five have been clinched with game-winning goals in the final 30 minutes. In back-to-back games this season, Sienna Higinbotham (at CSUN) and Ocean Rideout (vs. UNC) both scored game-winning goals in the 89th minute.
CORNER KICK THREAT – The Vikings have made the most of their corner kick opportunities as of late. Out of 16 corner kicks over the last three games, four of those have turned into goals (25%). The Vikings have scored 8 goals over their past three outings, meaning 50% of them were set up by corner kicks. Junior midfielder Abi Hoffman delivered all four of those kicks, while Audrey Williams and Sienna Higinbotham each scored two of the four goals.
DYNAMIC DUO – Midfielders Sienna Higinbotham and Abi Hoffman have been putting on a show during conference competition. The pair has combined for five goals and three assists during Big Sky play, totaling 13 points over five games. Hoffman leads the conference with 7 points (2 goals, 3 assists), while also ranking first in assists. Higinbotham is one of four players to have three goals against Big Sky opponents, tied for second in the conference with six points. In all four of the Vikings' conference wins, either Hoffman or Higinbotham have recorded at least one point.Â
BETWEEN THE POSTS -Â Sophomore Natalie Cunningham and graduate transfer Eden Millan have both seen action in goal for the Vikings this season. Making her first career start in the season opener against New Mexico State on Aug. 17, Cunningham was impressive in the net, recording a career-best 10 saves in the contest. Both have seen action during Big Sky Play. Millan (2-2) earned her first career win over Northern Colorado in the Big Sky opener on Sept. 22, followed by another victory at Sacramento State on Oct. 1. Cunningham (5-3) secured the first two conference wins of her career this past weekend playing the full 90 minutes against Idaho and EWU.
KATIE BURTON'S 30TH WIN -Â The Vikings' win over CSUN earlier this season marked Portland State Head Coach Katie Burton's 30th career win. Burton joined Laura Scott as just the second coach in program history to reach the milestone. Burton and the Vikings have added to that win total since the win on Sept. 17, moving her record to 34-66-10. 21 of those wins have come against Big Sky opponents.Â
BY THE NUMBERS
- The Vikings have 21 goals this year, already surpassing their total from 2022 (18)
- The Vikings scored a season-high 5 goals against EWU while also tallying 17 shots on goal (4th most in program history), senior Raniyah Burton led the effort with a career-high seven shots in the win
- 12 Vikings have scored at least one point this season
- The Vikings attempted 31 shots in their win against Pacific, the second-most in a single match in program history
- The Vikings recorded a double-digit shot count in nine consecutive matches to open the seasonÂ
- Out-scoring conference opponents 10-4, the Vikings rank second in the Big Sky with 10 conference goals
- Sienna Higinbotham (x2), Raniyah Burton and Abi Hoffman have all scored braces this seasonÂ
KEYS TO VICTORY
The Vikings are…
- 7-0-0 when scoring the first goal of the match, 0-5-0 when surrendering the first goal
- 3-0-0 when leading at half, 4-1-1 when tied at half
- 3-1-0 when scoring a goal before the half
- 6-0-0 when scoring 2 or more goals
- 5-0-0 when outshooting opponents
- 7-1-0 when earning more than or the same amount of corner kicks as opponents
2022 SEASON HIGHLIGHTS
- Made their 14th appearance in the Big Sky Tournament
- Secured the program's highest Big Sky Tournament seed since 2014 (3-seed)
- Notched the first five-win season since 2018
- Posted three consecutive shutouts to open Big Sky competition for the first time in program history
- Opened Big Sky play 4-0-1 which marked their best start to conference action since 2013
- Claimed their first wins over Northern Colorado, Montana, and Weber State since 2016
UP NEXT: The Vikings will close out the regular season at Montana on Sunday, Oct. 22. The Big Sky Conference Tournament will take place Nov. 1-5 in Flagstaff, Ariz.
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