No. 3 Vikings Ready For Rematch Against No. 6 Idaho State in Big Sky Quarterfinals

PORTLAND, Ore. – The Portland State women's soccer team is set for its 15th Big Sky tournament appearance this week, entering the postseason as the No. 3 seed for the second consecutive season. The Vikings will look to build on a seven-win regular season as they take on No. 6 Idaho State in the quarterfinals at Lumberjack Stadium in Flagstaff, Ariz on Wednesday, Oct. 31 (3:00 pm PT/MST).

BIG SKY CHAMPIONSHIP INFORMATION
Tickets | Program | Bracket

Quarterfinals - Wednesday, November 1
Match One: #3 Portland State vs. #6 Idaho State – 3:00 PM MST
Match Two: #4 Northern Arizona vs. #5 Sacramento State – 6:00 PM MST

Semifinals - Friday, November 3
Match Three: #2 Idaho vs. Match One Winner – 3:00 PM MST
Match Four: #1 Montana vs. Mach Two Winner – 6:00 PM MST

Championship Match - Sunday, November 5
Match Five: Match Three Winner vs. Match Four Winner - 1:00 PM MST

QUARTERFINALS: NO. 3 PORTLAND STATE (7-7-2, 4-2-2 BSC) vs. NO. 6 IDAHO STATE (4-12-2, 2-4-2 BSC)
Wednesday, Oct. 31 | 3:00 PM PT | Flagstaff, Ariz. (Lumberjack Stadium)
Live Stats | ESPN+

The Vikings will take on the Bengals for just the second time ever in tournament play on Wednesday. The last time the programs met in the postseason was 21 years ago in the 2002 Big Sky Championship when the Bengals secured the title with a 1-0 overtime victory. Portland State leads the all-time series against the Bengals 14-11-1. The Vikings are seeking revenge on after falling to Idaho State 3-2 in Pocatello earlier this season.

VIKINGS' POSTSEASON HISTORY
Appearances: 14 ('97, '02, '04, '07, '08, '09, '10, '11, '12, '13, '14, '17, '19, '22)
Tournament Record: 3-11-3

Despite five regular season championships, the Vikings are still gunning for their first tournament title in program history. The Vikings have appeared in two championship matches, finishing as the runner-up in both 2002 and 2013. They have lost three of their last four quarterfinal matches. This week marks head coach Katie Burton's fourth tournament appearance as she looks to improve a 1-3-0 postseason record. The Vikings will take on the Bengals for just the second time ever in tournament play on Wednesday. The last time the programs met in the postseason was 21 years ago in the 2002 Big Sky Championship when the Bengals secured the title with a 1-0 overtime victory. Portland State leads the all-time series against the Bengals 14-11-1. The Vikings are seeking revenge on after falling to Idaho State 3-2 in Pocatello earlier this season.

ALL-BIG SKY HONORS - Four Vikings earned All-Big Sky honors last week, the program's most since 2017. Fifth-year midfielder Sienna Higinbotham highlighted the honors as the program's first first-team selection since 2016. Fifth-year defender Hailey Green earned was named to the second team, while senior forward Raniyah Burton and junior midfielder Abi Hoffman were honorable mentions.

BIG SKY OFFENSIVE PLAYERS OF THE WEEK – The Vikings had two Big Sky Offensive Players of the Week during the regular season. Sienna Higinbotham earned her first career honor (Oct. 20), following a three-goal weekend that included two game-winners against Idaho and Eastern Washington. On Sept. 19, Raniyah Burton earned the weekly nod after a seven-point weekend (3 goals, 1 assist) against UC Riverside and CSUN.

THE GREEN STREAK - Fifth-year defender Hailey Green holds one of the longest complete-game streaks in the NCAA, playing 36 consecutive matches without leaving the field. Green's streak spans across three seasons, dating back to Oct. 17, 2021. She enters the postseason having played 3,260 consecutive minutes on the Vikings' back line.

SECOND-HALF MAGIC - Second-half goals have been crucial for Portland State this season, scoring 16 of its 23 goals in the final 45 minutes, nine of which have been scored with less than 10 minutes remaining in the contest. Of the Vikings' seven wins, five have been clinched with game-winning goals in the final 30 minutes. In back-to-back games earlier this year, Sienna Higinbotham (at CSUN) and Ocean Rideout (vs. UNC) both scored game-winning goals in the 89th minute.

CORNER KICK THREAT – Out of 25 corner kicks in the last six games, five have turned into goals. The Vikings scored 10 goals over their last six outings, meaning 50% of them were set up by corner kicks. Junior midfielder Abi Hoffman delivered all five of those kicks, while Sienna Higinbotham has put three of the five in the net.

DYNAMIC DUO – Midfielders Sienna Higinbotham and Abi Hoffman combined for six goals and four assists during Big Sky play, totaling 16 points. The two finished tied for third in the conference with 8 points each against Big Sky opponents. Hoffman finished with a conference-best four assists in Big Sky competition while totaling five on the season. Higinbotham was one of three players to finish with four goals in Big Sky play.

BETWEEN THE POSTS - Sophomore Natalie Cunningham and graduate transfer Eden Millan split time in goal for the Vikings. 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. The duo combined for four shutouts and 67 saves on the year. Cunningham led the way with a 5-4-1 record.

KATIE BURTON'S 30TH WIN - 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 added to that win total during the regular season, moving her record to 34-68-11. 21 of those wins have come against Big Sky opponents.

BY THE NUMBERS

The Vikings scored 23 goals during the regular season, 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)
12 Vikings scored at least one point during the regular season
The Vikings attempted 31 shots in their win against Pacific on Aug. 27, 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 season
Out-scoring conference opponents 12-7, the Vikings finished Big Sky action ranked fourth in goals (12)
Sienna Higinbotham (x2), Raniyah Burton and Abi Hoffman all scored braces this season

KEYS TO VICTORY

The Vikings are…

7-0-0 when scoring the first goal of the match, 0-7-0 when surrendering the first goal
3-0-0 when leading at half, 4-2-2 when tied at half
3-1-0 when scoring a goal before the half
6-1-0 when scoring 2 or more goals
5-0-0 when outshooting opponents
7-2-0 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

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Players Mentioned

#8 Raniyah Burton: F; 5' 2"; Senior; Raniyah Burton

#0 Natalie Cunningham: GK; 5' 11"; Sophomore; Natalie Cunningham

#10 Hailey Green: D; 5' 8"; Graduate Student; Hailey Green

#2 Sienna Higinbotham: MF; 5' 5"; Graduate Student; Sienna Higinbotham

#29 Abi Hoffman: MF; 5' 8"; Junior; Abi Hoffman

#6 Ocean Rideout: F; 5' 7"; Sophomore; Ocean Rideout

#1 Eden Millan: GK; 5' 4"; Graduate Student; Eden Millan

Players Mentioned

#8 Raniyah Burton
: 5' 2"; Senior; Raniyah Burton
: F

#0 Natalie Cunningham
: 5' 11"; Sophomore; Natalie Cunningham
: GK

#10 Hailey Green
: 5' 8"; Graduate Student; Hailey Green
: D

#2 Sienna Higinbotham
: 5' 5"; Graduate Student; Sienna Higinbotham
: MF

#29 Abi Hoffman
: 5' 8"; Junior; Abi Hoffman
: MF

#6 Ocean Rideout
: 5' 7"; Sophomore; Ocean Rideout
: F

#1 Eden Millan
: 5' 4"; Graduate Student; Eden Millan
: GK