Portland State University Athletics

HILLSBORO, Ore. — The Portland State women's soccer team will take three points and a lesson out of a 3-2 victory Sunday over Western Oregon.
 
The Vikings (1-5-0) led 3-0 at halftime after first-half goals from Camilla Contreras Bran, Aliayha Saldana and Yammile Picon. But a lackadaisical final 10 minutes saw the Wolves (1-1-1) pull two goals back at Hillsboro Stadium. The Wolves' second goal came with just 38 seconds left on the clock, making for some nervy final moments for the Vikings.
 
The Vikings will look to finish games better, then, as they enter their final three matches of non-conference play starting next week.
 
They don't have to look far for a stretch of play that worked. The first half of Sunday's match was the Vikings at their best this season. They possessed the ball 58 percent of the time while producing three goals and outshooting the Wolves 6-to-2.
 
Contreras Bran opened the scoring for the Vikings in the ninth minute. The Vikings took advantage of a misplayed cross from Western Oregon's goalkeeper as the ball fell to Grace Sarabia with the goalkeeper way off her line. Sarabia was faced away from goal, so passed it short to Contreras Bran who hammered it in from 15 yards out.
 
The Vikings doubled their lead in the 14th minute. Amelia Sitton sent a cross from deep up the right side all the way across goal to Saldana, who beat an WOU defender to it and spun it in for her second goal of the season.
 
The two goals in the first 14 minutes of the match reversed what had been a negative trend for the Vikings. Opponents came into the match outscoring the Vikings 6-0 in the first 25 minutes of matches this season. But the Vikings had the upper hand early against the Wolves.
 
Picon scored the eventual game-winner for the Vikings off a penalty kick in the 43rd minute. She earned the penalty kick herself and slotted it past the goalkeeper for her first goal of the season.
 
To Western Oregon's credit, the Wolves didn't pack it in with the Vikings up by three goals. They outshot the Vikings 9-to-2 in the second half, giving them an 11-to-8 advantage for the game.
 
Angela Saldana scored the opening goal for the Wolves in the 82nd minute, putting a header past Portland State's Finley Crabtree off a long cross into the box from teammate Bailey Boyd.
 
Things really got interesting in the final minute. Alaina Gates followed a shot from Maisie McVeigh that Crabtree couldn't corral, firing it into the net to bring the Wolves within one. They didn't get any serious chance at an equalizer in the final 38 seconds, however.
 
The Vikings' three goals represented an offensive breakout. They were scoreless through their first four matches before Saldana broke through with a late goal against Nevada.
 
The Vikings hadn't played with a lead at any point this season before going up 3-0 on the Wolves. In that sense, the lessons the Vikings learned Sunday were much-needed for the rest of the season.
 
They'll look to apply those lessons starting with a rivalry match against University of Portland Thursday at 6 p.m.
 
MATCH NOTES:

• The Vikings improved to 7-2-0 all-time against the Wolves with Sunday's win. The Vikings have won seven in a row over the Wolves.
• Contreras Bran's goal was the first of her four-year Portland State career.
• Picon also scored against Western Oregon last season, meaning her two career goals have both come against the Wolves.
• Saldana has scored seven goals in her career, ranking her third on the active roster in career goals scored. Ocean Rideout leads the team with 10 career goals, while Elle Frazier ranks second with eight.
• Gianelly Gargurevich made her first-ever appearance for the Vikings in the match.

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