MISSOULA, Mont. – The sixth-seeded Portland State women's soccer team was on the brink of their third-ever Big Sky Championship appearance, but a late surge from second-seeded Idaho shifted the momentum, handing the Vikings a 2-1 loss in Friday's semifinal at South Campus Stadium.
It was the second consecutive season the Vandals ended the Vikings' tournament run, with Portland State wrapping up their 2024 campaign with a 4-9-5 overall record after a 0-1-1 week at the Big Sky Tournament. Meanwhile, Idaho improved to 12-5-2 overall, securing a spot in their second straight Big Sky Championship match.
All three goals on Friday came in the second half, with the Vikings taking the lead just five minutes after the break.
Abi Hoffman gave Portland State the lead in the 51
st minute, collecting a throw-in from
Lucy Quinn near the top of the penalty box and lifting a brilliant lob over Idaho's Paula Flores and into the net.
The Vikings' lead held for over 20 minutes as their title match hopes inched closer. However, Idaho wasn't finished. In the 73rd minute, after an excellent save from
Eden Millan bounced back into play, Idaho's Jadyn Hanks was in the right place to head in the rebound and equalize. Five minutes later, the Vandals capitalized on the momentum shift when Sara Rodgers sent a deep ball over Millan's head to give her team the lead at the 78th-minute mark.
The Vikings battled in the final minutes, recording two shots and earning two corner kicks down the stretch, but it wasn't enough to find the equalizer as time expired.
For the second time this week, the Vikings out-shot their opponent, recording a 16-11 advantage over the Vandals and putting five of those attempts on target. Hoffman led the way with five shots, including three on goal, while
Aliayha Saldana contributed four. Millan made five saves in the loss.
Hoffman's goal was the 18th of her career, moving her into second place all-time for goals scored at Portland State. With her career coming to a close on Friday, she finished with 171 total shots, just one shy of the all-time record, and also climbed to second place in shots on goal (75).
