PORTLAND, Ore. – With only four matches remaining in their 2025 regular season and the Big Sky title race still wide open, the Portland State women's soccer team returns to Hillsboro Stadium this week for two crucial matchups: Eastern Washington on Thursday, Oct. 16 and Idaho on Sunday, Oct. 18, both at 1:00 p.m.

Both matches will air on ESPN+, with live stats also available (links below). Sunday's match against the Vandals will be Portland State's Kick for a Cure "pink out" game in support of breast cancer awareness. This event will include special giveaways for fans in attendance. 

• Eastern Washington: Picked to finish second in the Big Sky Preseason Coaches Poll, Eastern Washington enters Thursday's match with a 5-6-4 overall record and a 1-3-1 mark in conference play. The Eagles come into the week on a two-game skid, most recently falling 3-2 to Idaho. Their lone Big Sky win came in a 2-0 shutout over Idaho State in Cheney on Sept. 28. Offensively, the Eagles rank third in the conference in both shots (14.20 per game) and goals (1.47 per game). Standouts Delani Walker and Chloe Pattison — the latter tabbed as the Big Sky Preseason MVP — both rank among the top five in the conference in total points, combining for 28 across 15 matches.
• Idaho: Idaho enters the home stretch of the season with a 5-4-6 overall record and a 2-1-2 mark in Big Sky play. After earning 12 wins and reaching the Big Sky championship match in 2024, Idaho currently sits third in the 2025 conference standings with eight points—one ahead of the Vikings. Following a five-match winless streak, Idaho has bounced back recently, winning two of their last three games against Eastern Washington and Sacramento State, along with a scoreless draw against preseason favorite Montana. Led by redshirt sophomore goalkeeper Paula Flores, the Vandals have allowed just 13 goals in 15 matches—the second fewest in the Big Sky—and have eight shutouts, also ranking second in the conference.

• The Vikings hold a slight edge in the all-time series, 15-13-5, including a 9-3-1 record at home against the Eagles.
• The teams met twice last season, with both matches ending in 1-1 draws. The second contest came in the opening round of the Big Sky Tournament, where the Vikings advanced to the semifinals with a 7-6 win in a penalty kick shootout.
• After recording only two draws in the series between 1997 and 2001, the teams have been evenly matched in recent years, tying in three of their last four meetings. PSU won the other matchup, a 5-2 victory at Hillsboro Stadium.

• The Vikings trail the all-time series against Idaho, 7-15-0, but hold a 5-6-0 record when playing the Vandals in Hillsboro.
• Over the past two years, the Vikings and Vandals have met four times, including back-to-back Big Sky Tournament matchups as well as regular-season games. Since 2023, Idaho has won three of those four contests, including a 3-0 and a 2-1 victory last season, the latter coming in the Big Sky semifinals.
• The Vikings have won their last two home matches against Idaho, defeating them 2-1 in 2023 and 3-2 in an overtime match in 2021. 

LAST TIME OUT – VS. NAU / UNC

• The Vikings boosted their Big Sky point total last week, moving up to fourth in the standings following a 1-0 home victory over Northern Arizona (10/9) and a 1-1 draw at Northern Colorado (10/12).
• Thursday's 1-0 win over NAU came in dramatic fashion, with both teams scoreless through 86 minutes until a near miss from Ocean Rideout led to an own goal by NAU in the 87th minute 
• At Northern Colorado on Sunday, the Vikings took an early lead with a goal from Grace Sarabia in the 19th minute, but the Bears equalized in the 49th minute, resulting in a 1-1 draw
• Across the two matches, the Vikings recorded 34 shot attempts—their second and third highest totals this season—putting 11 shots on target.

• Forwards Ocean Rideout and Aliayha Saldana lead the Vikings with five points each (2 goals, 1 assist) and are the only players with game-winning goals this season.
• Saldana leads the team with 28 shots, including 12 on target, and ranks third in the Big Sky in shots per game during conference play, averaging 3.25 (13 shots in four matches).
• Rideout and Saldana have combined for 24 shots in four Big Sky games, with 14 of those coming last week against Northern Arizona and Northern Colorado.
• Midfielders Bianca Potesta and Grace Sarabia are tied for second on the team with four points each.
• Potesta is the only Viking with multiple assists this season, recording the first of her career against Western Oregon (Aug. 24) and her second at Southern Utah (Sept. 21).

• Redshirt junior goalkeeper Natalie Cunningham has been stellar in Big Sky play, recording two shutouts in her last four matches (at Weber State on Oct. 2 and vs. Northern Arizona on Oct. 9).
• She leads the conference in save percentage during league play (.900), ranks third in saves per game (4.50), and owns a Big Sky-best goals against average of 0.50 — allowing just two goals while making 18 saves.
• Cunningham delivered a season-best performance against CSUN on Sept. 4, matching her career high with 10 saves.
• She currently ranks third all-time in program history for career saves per game, averaging 3.76 across 25 appearances and 24 starts.
• Her career totals include a 9-12-4 record, four shutouts, a 1.42 goals against average, and a .778 save percentage.

ANCHORING THE BACK LINE

• Senior defenders Liv Frazier and Kalo Iongi have been a consistent presence on the Vikings' back line throughout their four-year careers at Portland State.
• Frazier, a First Team All-Big Sky selection in 2024, has appeared in 58 career matches with 44 starts, totaling 4,342 minutes. She has played the full 90 (or 110) minutes in 40 of her last 43 matches, a stretch that includes 38 consecutive starts.
• Iongi has played in 64 career matches, starting 45, and has logged 4,737 total minutes — the most among all active Vikings.
• A Second Team All-Big Sky honoree in 2024, Iongi also contributed offensively with two goals, one assist, and 77 total shots.

• Senior forward Ocean Rideout has established herself as one of the most clutch players in program history, with 6-of-8 career goals (75%) scored in the final 12 minutes of play.
• Her last 5 goals, from sophomore year to present, have all occured in the final 10 minutes, including two game-winning goals in the 89th minute.
• Rideout has scored in each of her four seasons at PSU, totaling 18 career points (8 goals, 2 assists). All 8 of her goals have been scored at Hillsboro Stadium.
• 6 of her 8 career goals (75%) have come when PSU was tied or trailing, leading to four game-winners and two late equalizers.
• She nearly added to this stat last week in the Vikings' 1-0 win over NAU, delivering a strike that deflected off the crossbar before ricocheting off a Lumberjack defender for the game-winning "own goal"

• Aside from Rideout's late-match heroics, the Vikings have consistently been a second-half team—scoring 31 of their 40 goals (78%) in the second half across the 2023 and 2024 seasons, including 11 of 13 goals (85%) in 2024.
• They've been especially dangerous late in games, with the game-winning goal scored in the final 30 minutes in 10 of their last 15 victories.
• The second-half scoring trend carried into 2025, as four of PSU's first five goals of the year came after halftime (80%).
• However, the Vikings have flipped the script recently, scoring their last five goals (excluding the own goal) in the first half.

• Viking Head Coach Maureen Whitney is in her ninth season with the Vikings, but 2025 marks her first year as the program's solo head coach.
• She joined the Portland State program in 2017 as an assistant coach under former Head Coach Katie Burton. After just one season, Whitney was promoted to Associate Head Coach prior to the 2018 campaign — a role she held for six seasons.
• Ahead of the 2024 season, she was elevated to co-head coach, sharing leadership duties with Burton.
• In January 2025, she assumed full leadership of the program, becoming the ninth head coach in Portland State history.
• During her time at PSU, Whitney has helped guide the Vikings to five Big Sky Conference Tournament appearances, including three semifinal finishes (2017, 2023, 2024).
• Thursday's match against Weber State will be her first Big Sky match as solo head coach 

• Despite graduating five key seniors last season, Portland State returns 22 players from its 2024 roster.
• Four of the Vikings' five 2024 all-conference selections are back: Liv Frazier, Elle Frazier, Aliayha Saldana, and Kalo Iongi.
• The Vikings boast a strong veteran presence, with nine players entering the season with three or more years of collegiate experience.
• The 2025 roster includes five newcomers: three true freshmen — Claire Masters, Bianca Potesta, and Wynn Farrell — and two transfers, Josie DeLine and Addi Sebren.

HOMEGROWN

• 14 members of the Vikings' 2025 roster are from the state of Oregon. Of those, 11 hail from the Portland metro area.
• Three Vikings — McKenna Eggleston, Gianlley Gargurevich, and Claire Masters — are from Tigard, Oregon, where they played together at Tigard High School under head coach Scott Eggleston (McKenna's father).

• Aliayha Saldana and Liv Frazier were both named to the 2025 Big Sky Preseason All-Conference team
• Saldana had a standout freshman season for the Vikings in 2024, becoming the first player in program history to be named Big Sky Freshman of the Year. She also earned Second Team All-Conference honors as a forward, tallying three goals, two assists, and a Big Sky-best 3.28 shots per game.
• Frazier was a First Team All-Big Sky selection in 2024 and helped power the Vikings to four shutouts and only 19 goals allowed — the program's fewest in a season since 2014.
• 2024 Second Team All-Big Sky defender, Kalo Iongi is back for her senior season. In 2024 she tallied 32 shots with 13 on-goal and played a crucial role in the Vikings' defensive success.
• Elle Frazier, a three-year starter for the Vikings and a 2024 Second Team All-Big Sky midfielder, will utilize her medical redshirt this season.

• Bianca Potesta (Fr., MF): Seattle, Wash. » Two-time First Team Metro League selection at Ballard High School...is the only true freshman on the roster to start all four matches for the Vikings this season.
• Josie DeLine (Jr., D): Corbett, Ore. » Transfer from Weber State (two seasons)...All-Conference selection and conference champion at Sam Barlow High School...has started every game for the Vikings to begin the 2025 season.
• Addi Sebren (RS-Fr., D): Gig Harbor, Wash. »Transfer from UT Rio Grande Valley..did not appear in any matches as a freshman at UTRGV...attended Peninsula High School in Washington.
• Claire Masters (Fr., F): Tigard, Ore. » Two-time all-league forward at Tigard High School...second Team All-State in 2024...also a member of the Portland State softball team...has started two of four matches for the Vikings this season.
• Wynn Farrell (Fr., MF): Laguna Niguel, Calif. » Attended San Clemente High School...second Team All-League...2022–23 Crestview League champion.

2025 BIG SKY PRESEASON POLL

• The Vikings were picked eighth out of nine teams in the 2025 Big Sky preseason coaches' poll released on Monday, Aug. 11. They earned 22 points — well ahead of last-place Idaho State (10 points) and just behind Northern Colorado (26 points) and Weber State (27 points). Reigning regular-season champion Montana topped the poll with six first-place votes and a league-high 60 points.

2024 SEASON HIGHLIGHTS

• The Vikings finished the 2024 season with a 4-9-5 overall record, including a 2-3-3 mark in Big Sky play to place sixth and earn a third consecutive Big Sky Tournament berth.
• Reached the Big Sky semifinals for the second straight year, advancing past Eastern Washington in a dramatic opening-round shootout by converting all 7 penalty kicks, before falling 2-1 to Idaho.
• Five Vikings earned All-Big Sky honors, the program's most in a single season since 2014.
• Posted four shutouts and held opponents to just 19 goals during the regular season, the program's lowest number since 2014.
• The Vikings graduated five seniors in 2024, all of which were starters during the 2024 season.