PORTLAND, Ore. – The Portland State women's soccer team returns home this week to continue Big Sky action, hosting Weber State on Friday, Oct. 4, followed by Idaho State on Sunday, Oct. 6. Both matches are set for 1:05 p.m. kickoffs at Hillsboro Stadium.

Admission to Hillsboro Stadium is free for all fans and students. The first 100 fans to arrive at Sunday's game against Idaho State will receive free Thundersticks. For those unable to attend, both games will be broadcast live on ESPN+, and live stats will also be available (links below).
 

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2024 PORTLAND STATE SOCCER GAME NOTES -- WEEK 8

WEBER STATE (1-8-4, 0-1-0 BSC) AT PORTLAND STATE (2-6-2, 0-1-1 BSC)
Friday, Oct. 4 | 1:05 PM PT | Hillsboro, Ore. (Hillsboro Stadium)
Watch on ESPN+  |  Live Stats
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All-time Series: WSU leads, 13-11-5
Last Meeting: Oct. 15, 2023 (T, 0-0)
Head Coach: Craig Sanders, 5th season
WILDCAT NOTES: Weber State is off to a 1-8-4 start this season, with their only non-conference victory coming in a 4-2 win at North Dakota State on Sept. 12. Since then, they've gone 0-3-1. The Wildcats opened Big Sky play last week at home against Northern Colorado, suffering a 3-1 defeat to start conference play at 0-1-0. They are 1-6-1 on the road this year as they prepare to face the Vikings on Friday and Sacramento State on Sunday. Junior forward Ali Swensen leads the attack with five goals this season, accounting for over a third of her team's 13 goals. The Wildcats rank ninth in the conference in shots per game (9.38) and fourth in points per game, averaging 2.46 heading into the weekend

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IDAHO STATE (2-4-4, 1-0-0 BSC) AT PORTLAND STATE (2-6-2, 0-1-1 BSC)
Sunday, Oct. 6 | 1:05 PM PT | Hillsboro, Ore. (Hillsboro Stadium)
Watch on ESPN+  |  Live Stats
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All-time Series: PSU leads, 15-11-1
Last Meeting: Nov. 1, 2023 (W, 4-1) - Big Sky Tournament Quarterfinals
Head Coach: Dustin Downey, 3rd season
BENGAL NOTES: Idaho State posted a 1-4-4 record in non-conference play, earning their only win in a 1-0 victory at the University of Denver on Aug. 18. The Bengals opened Big Sky action against Northern Colorado last week, securing a 1-0 win in Pocatello. Idaho State has recorded an impressive five shutouts this season, including three scoreless ties during non-conference play. Despite only scoring seven goals in ten matches, they've had five different goal scorers. Redshirt freshman goalkeeper Trinity Hale has started all ten games, tied for first in the conference with five shutouts, and ranks third in goals-against average (1.16) across 855 minutes. The Bengals will face Sacramento State on Friday before traveling to Portland on Sunday.

VIKINGS' LAST TIME OUT - VS. EASTERN WASHINGTON / IDAHO
The Vikings went 0-1-1 on their opening weekend of Big Sky play, battling Eastern Washington to a 1-1 draw on Friday before falling 3-0 at Idaho on Sunday. On Friday, the Eagles struck first in the 77th minute with a penalty kick, but Elle Frazier quickly responded, netting the equalizer for Portland State less than three minutes later to secure a conference-opening tie. Sunday told a different story, as the Vikings were unable to overcome a first-half deficit, despite outshooting the Vandals 14-10 in the contest. 

SERIES HISTORY VS. WILDCATS / BENGALS

• The Vikings are 8-7-2 all-time at home against Weber State, with all but three of their wins over the Wildcats coming on home turf
• The Vikings earned a 3-2 victory in their last home meeting with Weber State in 2022, marking their only win over the Wildcats under the leadership of Katie Burton and Maureen Whitney
• The Wildcats have won four of the last six meetings, with the Vikings winning in 2022 and playing to a 0-0 tie in their most recent matchup on Oct. 15, 2023.
• Portland State is 7-4-1 at home against Idaho State and hasn't lost to the Bengals at home since Oct. 12, 2012, when they fell 2-1
• Under Burton and Whitney, the Vikings have posted a dominant 5-2-0 record against Idaho State since 2017
• PSU lost 3-2 to the Bengals during the 2023 regular season in Pocatello but rebounded with a 4-3 win in the Big Sky Tournament quarterfinals to send ISU home

OFFENSIVE INSIGHTS

• Junior forward Elle Frazier has scored a team-high three goals this season, contributing to a total of six points across three separate games
• Abi Hoffman has two goals this season, along with two assists, tying her with Frazier at the top of the points list with six points each
• Freshman forward Aliayha Saldana led the Vikings in shots and shots on goal in both games last weekend. She heads into week two of conference play with a team-high 25 shots and 13 shots on goal (.520 SOG %)
• The Vikings rank fourth in the conference in shots per game, averaging 13.00
• The Vikings are 1-2-1 when outshooting their opponent, 2-1-1 when holding the corner kick advantage, and 1-1-0 when scoring the first goal of the game

SECOND-HALF SUCCESS

• The Vikings have scored 27 of their last 35 goals in the second half- 77% of their goals since the 2022 season ( 20-of-27 in 2023; 7-of-8 in 2024)
• The Vikings went 10 matches without a first-half goal from October 13, 2023, to September 8, 2024. Elle Frazier broke this streak with a goal in the fourth minute against Hawai'i on Sept. 12th, marking the Vikings' only first half goal of the season so far
• Over the past two seasons, the Vikings have secured eight of ten wins in the final 30 minutes of action (6-of-8 wins in 2023 and 2-of-2 wins in 2024)
• Junior forward Ocean Rideout leads the team with three game-winning goals during her career, the most among current Vikings. Four of her six career goals have been scored with less than 12 minutes remaining in the game
• In 2023, the Vikings scored nine goals in the final 10 minutes of matches. Similarly, in 2024, they have scored half (4 of 8) of their goals in the final 20 minutes of matches.

LOTS OF LIV

• Junior defender Liv Frazier has played every minute of action this season, totaling 900 minutes on the Vikings' back line
• She has logged a full 90 minutes in 23 consecutive games since Sept. 10, 2022, extending her streak to 1,890 minutes
• Frazier has also started 25 straight games, a streak that began her freshman season on Aug. 27, 2022

STARTING STREAKS
Four veteran Vikings have started over 20 consecutive games for Portland State:

• Lucy Quinn: 34 straight starts
• Elle Frazier: 30 straight starts
• Sydney Watson: 28 straight starts
• Liv Frazier: 25 straight starts

EXPERIENCE IN GOAL 

• Upperclassmen goalkeepers Natalie Cunningham and Eden Millan have split time in goal this season, each earning a win in non-conference action
• Earning the last three starts in goal for the Vikings, Millan had a career performance at Eastern Washington last Friday, tallying a career-best 12 saves in the Vikings' 1-1 draw 
• Cunningham totaled a season-high nine saves against Hawai'i, holding the Rainbow Wahine scoreless for 81 minutes despite facing 25 shots
• Millan (.795) ranks fourth and Cunningham (.788) ranks fifth in the Big Sky in save percentage. Cunningham also ranks sixth in goals against average (1.56), followed closely by Millan in seventh place (1.64).
• In 2023, the duo played a key role in the Vikings' four shutouts, with each contributing to two of them. Cunningham led the Vikings last season with 58 saves, recording a 6-5-1 record and a 1.39 goals-against average

ALL ABOUT ABI 

• Abi Hoffman scored consecutive goals in the second half against South Dakota (9/8), igniting the Vikings' thrilling comeback (51st and 69th minutes)
• She also set a career-high shot count against USD, recording seven in the game and placing four on target
• She notched the third brace of her career at South Dakota, and has now scored a brace or a hat trick in each of her four seasons at PSU
• She currently ranks 8th in the conference in shots per game (2.30) and is the only Viking this season to have multiple goals and assists 
• On Sunday, she recorded her 147th career shot attempt, moving her to third all-time on the career shot list
• Hoffman is just one point away from claiming the sole second spot on the career points list. She is currently tied with Joanna Brown at 42 points.

ABI HOFFMAN'S CAREER RECORD WATCH

• Points: 42 (T-2nd; record is 57)
• Goals: 16 (T-4th; record is 23)
• Assists: 10 (T-9th; record is 16)
• Shots: 147 (T-3rd; record is 172)
• Shots on Goal: 61 (T-5th; record is 88)

YOUNG TALENT 

• Three true freshmen have seen action for the Vikings this season: Aliayha Saldana, Grace Sarabia, and Sydney Spotts
• Both Sarabia and Saldana have started all ten matches and have each recorded an assist and/or goal
• Saldana has been a key part of the Vikings' attack, ranking first in shots on goal (11) and second in points (5) and total shots (20) 

MIGHTY MIDFIELD 

• 2023 Honorable Mention All-Big Sky midfielder, Abi Hoffman, returns to the Vikings' midfield for her senior season. She tallied 18 points (6 goals, 6 assists) in 2023 which ranked second in the Big Sky, while her four assists during BSC play led the conference. She also compiled a team-high 48 shots, putting 20 on target. 
• Fellow senior Lucy Quinn, a 2022 Honorable Mention All-Big Sky midfielder joins Hoffman in the midfield this season. Quinn has started 46 of her last 47 matches and recorded three goals with two assists over the past three seasons.
• Fifth-year senior Sydney Watson rounds out the experienced group after starting all 18 matches last season, logging 1,424 minutes of action in the midfield. So far, Watson has played all but 11 minutes in 2024.

CAREER FIRSTS 

• Grace Sarabia (Fr., MF/D) -  earned her first career assist in the Big Sky opener last Friday, delivering a long ball to Elle Frazier for the Vikings only goal of the day 
• Elle Frazier (Jr., F) -  scored the fourth goal of her career in the 78th minute at South Dakota to secure the win (9/8), marking her first career game-winning goal
• Sydney Watson (Sr., MF) - assisted Abi Hoffman's first goal against South Dakota (9/8), recording her first career assist
• Aliayha Saldana (Fr., F) -  scored the Vikings' first goal of the season in the opener at Boise State (8/16), marking the first goal of her collegiate career. On Sunday at South Dakota (9/8), she assisted Frazier's game-winner, marking her first collegiate assist
• Kainani Jacang (So., D) - earned her first career assist on Saldana's goal in the season opener at Boise State (8/16)

2024 VIKING ROSTER BREAKDOWN 

• The Vikings return 20 players from their 2023 roster
• They welcome 11 newcomers, including eight true freshmen and three transfers
• Among the returners, eight started at least 12 matches last season
• Out of the 31 players on the roster, 17 hail from the state of Oregon

2024 PORTLAND STATE COACHING STAFF 
In a notable shift this off-season, former Associate Head Coach Maureen Whitney was promoted to Co-Head Coach by Katie Burton, who previously held the position alone. Whitney joined Portland State as an assistant coach in 2017, was elevated to Associate Head Coach the following year, and now steps into the co-head coach role alongside Burton. Both coaches are in their eighth season at PSU this fall. Additionally, Lindsay LaMont, a former Oregon State goalkeeper and Viking assistant coach from the 2022 season, returns to the staff as a full-time assistant, working primarily with the goalkeepers.

2023 SEASON HIGHLIGHTS 

• 8-8-2 overall, 4-2-2 BSC
• Third-place finish in final BSC regular season standings
• Most wins since 2017 (8)
• Most All-Conference honorees since 2017 (4)
• Highest win % since 2014 (.500)
• Most goals scored since 2013 (27)
• Advanced to the Big Sky tournament semifinals becoming one of only four teams in program history to win a BSC tournament match