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SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. — Facing their toughest challenge of the 2014 season to date, the Portland State women's soccer suffered a tough second half against No. 21 California Sunday, giving up four second-half goals in a 5-0 loss to the Bears at the USF Tournament at Negoesco Stadium.
 
The loss snaps the Vikings' Big Sky-record unbeaten streak at 16 matches, and also snaps the Vikings' 19-match streak of not allowing more than one goal in a match. The Vikings had not given up multiple goals in a match since a 5-0 loss to UNLV on Aug. 30, 2013, one day over a full year ago.
 
"Our mentality should've been better entering this game. Lesson learned, though, I hope," PSU head coach Laura Schott said. "Good teams take strong mentality into every game and we had a little slip up here today. It's a bummer to end our unbeaten streak with a game like this."
 
For Cal (4-0-0), the five-goal performance against the Vikings (1-1-2) comes amidst a dominant start to the season. The Bears have scored three or more goals against three of their four opponents so far this season, and scored two goals in their other match, a 2-1 upset of then-No. 10 Santa Clara last weekend.
 
Cal broke open the match against the Vikings with two goals in a two-minute span in the second half. Junior forward Samantha Witteman scored the first of Cal's eventual four second-half goals in the 62nd minute, while senior forward Grace Leer followed with a goal less than two minutes later off an assist from freshman midfielder Guro Bergsvand.
 
Witteman and Ley's goals essentially put the match out of stretch, and the Bears added their fourth goal less than 10 minutes later. Sophomore midfielder Kelly Fitzgerald scored the Bears' fourth goal in the 73rd minute of the match off an assist from freshman forward Heather Walleigh.
 
Sophomore defender Hannah Koski, meanwhile, added the Bears' fifth goal on a penalty kick in the 82nd minute.
 
Cal's four second-half goals broke open what had been a close game, as the Vikings remained within a goal of the 21st-ranked Bears for the first 60 minutes of the match. The Bears originally went up 1-0 on a 24th-minute goal from senior forward Taylor Comeau, but then couldn't find a second goal against the PSU defense as PSU junior goalkeeper Caitlin Plese made three saves to keep the Vikings within a goal.
 
The Viking offense could not muster much of a counter attack against the Bears, however, as Cal held a 10-1 advantage in shots before scoring their second goal in the 62nd minute.
 
The Viking offense found a spark after Cal's third goal, though, as freshman defenders Maddie Prehoda and Dallas Malonefound room for a pair of shots on goal in the 66th and 69th minutes, respectively. Junior forward Tamia Hasan followed with shots on goal in the 74th and 77th minutes, while Prehoda came back with her second shot on goal in the 88th minute.
 
None of the Vikings' players could find the net against the Bears, however, and the team was shut out for the first time this season.
 
Cal finished the match with an 18-7 advantage in shots, including a 10-5 advantage in shots on goal and a 5-2 advantage in corners.
 
The Vikings remain on the road for their next match, as they travel to Fort Collins, Colo., to face Colorado State Friday, Sept. 5, at 12 p.m. (MT). The Vikings will then travel to Lubbock Texas, for a match against Texas Tech Sunday, Sept. 7, before returning home for a match against Oregon at Hillsboro Stadium on Friday, Sept. 12.
 
Match Notes: The Vikings fall to 0-3-0 all-time against Cal with Sunday's loss…The Vikings also fall to 0-9-0 all-time against ranked opponents, and 7-33-2 all-time against current Pac-12 teams…Schott was facing her alma mater in Cal for the second time in her coaching career in Sunday's match…Schott and the Vikings also played Cal in 2009, when they lost 1-0 on the road to the then-No. 9-ranked Bears…Schott played for Cal from 2001-04, and graduated as the Bears' all-time leading scorer with 56 goals in her career.

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