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GREELEY, Colo. — Down 1-0 with less than five minutes remaining in regulation, freshman forward Mackenzie Bean scored a late goal to lead the Portland State women's soccer team to an important 1-1 road draw with Northern Colorado Friday at Jackson Stadium.
 
Bean scored with just 4 minutes, 45 seconds remaining on the clock, giving the Vikings (6-5-4, 3-2-2 Big Sky) new life in the match after they had gone down on a 56th-minute goal from the Bears (8-6-2, 3-2-1 Big Sky).
 
Friday's draw helps the Vikings stay in position for a spot in the Big Sky Tournament on a day that included a pair of upsets of potential playoff teams within the Big Sky Conference. Idaho and Southern Utah both lost to teams lower down in the conference standings Friday, allowing Portland State to move into a tie for third in the Big Sky with the draw against the Bears, who stay one point behind the Vikings with the result.
 
"Our road schedule this year is as tough as it gets so getting the tie after we went down was big for us," Schott said. "We had chances to win, but we can take away some momentum with the comeback late to tie it up."
 
Portland State had been just 0-5-2 when giving up the first goal entering the match, and fell into that situation again Friday when the Bears' Jacqui Pulley put her team up 1-0 with a goal in the 56th minute.
 
The goal forced the Vikings into catch-up mode, and the team created plenty of chances in the effort for an equalizer. The Vikings took nine shots after Pulley's goal before finding an equalizer, with five of those nine shots going on frame and one hitting the crossbar.
 
Bean finally converted for the Vikings on the team's 11th shot of the second half after another flurry in the box. Bean fielded the ball after it bounced back to her at the top of the box following a couple attempts from the Vikings, and placed it just under the crossbar.
 
The Vikings kept pressing after Bean's goal, too, with freshman midfielder Katie Forsee giving the Vikings a look at a potential game winner just a little bit after Bean's score with a shot in the the 89th minute that UNC goalkeeper Kaitlin Ruff had to save. The Vikings added three shots in the first overtime period as well, including two on goal from Bean and freshman defender Maddie Prehoda.
 
The Vikings couldn't find the net again against the Bears, however, and held on for the draw.
 
Bean's score Friday breaks the freshman forward out of a scoring slump, as she had gone 11 matches without a goal after she scored two goals in the team's first three matches of the season.
 
Additionally, Bean moves back into the team lead in points with the goal, as she now has seven points on three goals and an assist this season. Bean also moves into a tie for the team lead in goals with senior defender Kayla Henningsen at three.
 
The Vikings return to action Sunday, Oct. 19, with their final road match of the season at North Dakota at 10:30 a.m. (CT) in Grand Forks, N.D. North Dakota lost 5-0 to Sacramento State earlier in the day Friday, their seventh straight loss.
 
Match Notes: Friday's draw marks the first draw in the all-time series between Portland State and Northern Colorado…Portland State moves to 7-3-1 in the series with the draw, and has now not lost to the Bears in its past three matches against them…With seven points on three goals and an assist this season, Bean matched teammate Cori Bianchini's totals from her 2012 freshman season, which were the most goals and points by a freshman since Eryn Brown recorded 12 points on six goals as a freshman in 2010.

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