FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. - Powered by a four-goal second half, the third-seeded Portland State women's soccer team secured a spot in the Big Sky semifinals with a 4-1 victory over sixth-seeded Idaho State at Lumberjack Stadium on Wednesday.

The Vikings had a Big Sky tournament record of 3-11-3 before Wednesday, making their quarterfinal victory over the Bengals all the more special as they improved to 8-7-2 overall. The Bengals were eliminated from the tournament, ending the season with a 4-13-2 record.

Wednesday's success might have only marked the program's fourth win in tournament history, but it was the second victory for head coach Katie Burton since assuming the role seven years ago. "The win was important for many reasons: our seniors, our team and the program," Burton said. "The biggest piece was to get our offensive play and timing back and find the back of the net. As coaches, we hope a win comes with finding all of those pieces again. A comeback was huge, especially in the fashion that we did it."

The win marked the Vikings' first comeback victory of the season after the Bengals took a 1-0 lead in the 20th minute. Portland State remained quiet during the first 45 minutes of play; however, Burton's group made crucial adjustments during halftime.

"We made adjustments in the second half on both sides of the ball," Burton said. "The turnovers we created on defense jump-started our offense. There was a heavy emphasis on increased movement offensively, playing balls to feet with good angular support underneath. We read when their back line was high, so we could play quick balls over the top to our forwards and attacking mids."

PSU starting goalkeeper Natalie Cunningham kept the Vikings within reach in the second half, making three saves in the opening 20 minutes. It wasn't until the 67th minute that the Vikings' offense found its rhythm, and once they did, they never looked back. Abi Hoffman began the scoring spree, tying the match at one with a left-footed goal in the 67th minute. CeCe Jenkins netted the go-ahead score less than five minutes later, receiving a short pass from Lucy Quinn before chipping a long ball over Idaho State's goalkeeper for the lead at the 71-minute mark.

A set-piece opportunity in the 75th minute helped the Vikings extend their lead. Hoffman did what she does best, sending a corner kick into Sienna Higinbotham, who headed it to Quinn for the score. Holding a 3-1 lead, the fun continued when Higinbotham netted her seventh goal of the season to seal the deal in the 79th minute, sending the Vikings to their first Big Sky semifinal match since 2017.

As a team, the Vikings set postseason single-game program records for goals (4), assists (3) and points (11). With four points, Higinbotham set the program's single-game postseason points record. Cunningham earned her sixth win of the season in goal, setting the program's single-game postseason record with eight saves.

Portland State will look to carry momentum from Wednesday's record-breaking performance into Friday's semifinal matchup against No. 2 Idaho. The match is slated for 3:00 p.m. PT at Lumberjack Stadium in Flagstaff. The winner will advance to the Championship on Sunday, Nov. 5.