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HILLSBORO, Ore. — UC Davis forward Rachel Smith netted a great bending shot in the 53rd minute and that proved the difference as the Aggies beat the Portland State women's soccer team 1-0 in the Vikings' home opener at Hillsboro Stadium Friday.
 
The loss drops the Vikings to 0-3-0 for the season, while the Aggies improve to 2-1-0, having beaten two Big Sky schools back-to-back in Sacramento State and Portland State.
 
"We played a solid first half and fell into bad habits in the second," PSU head coach Laura Schott said after the match. "There was a lot to like, but we didn't see the game plan through to completion. There is a lot to build on and I look forward to doing so every day."
 
The Vikings made several big defensive plays to stay in the match, especially at the start as the Aggies came out firing early, forcing redshirt senior goalkeeper Angela Haluska to make three saves in the first eight minutes of the match.
 
Haluska's best play in the early going came in the eighth minute, when UC Davis' Haley Hughes got free in the Vikings' box and fired a shot on the Vikings' goal. Haluska had come out to meet Hughes, however, and blocked her shot with her body.
 
Haluska came up big for the Vikings again just before halftime, when the Aggies' Crystal Crump made several great individual plays to get free in the Vikings' box and send a shot on goal. Haluska again was able to punch the ball out, and the match remained scoreless until Smith's goal early on in the second half.
 
Smith took a throw-in from teammate Nicole Bouvia on her goal, and took one touch with PSU freshman defender Dallin Esmond on her back before firing a shot that curled past Esmond and Haluska and bounced off the right post and in.
 
Smith gave the Vikings problems again in the 60th minute, when she picked a ball off the Vikings' back line on the left flank and crossed a ball towards the center that Haluska made a dive to stop but couldn't corral. The Aggies' Celina Minissian collected the rebound off Haluska and fired a shot with Haluska out of position. However, Minissian's shot went right to the Vikings' Esmond, who cleared the ball of the line.
 
Overall, Haluska ended the match with six saves, the third straight match to the start the season in which Haluska has finished with five or more saves.
 
Offensively, the Vikings created a number of scoring chances after settling in, but couldn't make the final connection or final play to put the ball in the back of the net. The Vikings played a bunch of dangerous balls up for other players to run onto, but the Aggie defense constricted quickly each time to negate the threat.
 
The Vikings had a good chance at a goal on a nice combination in the 11th minute, when junior midfielder Bianca Munoz, sophomore midfielder Katie Forsee and senior midfielder/forward Cori Bianchini connected in the midfield to send a long ball up top to freshman midfielder/forward Krystal de Ramos. De Ramos appeared to have an opening early, but the Aggie defense again constricted quickly and forced de Ramos' shot wide right.
 
The Vikings also nearly got an equalizer in the final minute of regulation when Bianchini played a long cross into senior forward Tamia Hasan on the back post. UC Davis defender Sienna Drizin just beat Hasan to the ball, however, and the Vikings couldn't make anything of the ensuing corner.
 
Portland State now has a week off before the team's next match, which comes next Friday, when the Vikings host Hawai'i. Kickoff for the match against Hawai'i will be 1 p.m. (PT) at Hillsboro Stadium.
 
Match notes: Friday's win for the Aggies marks their program's first-ever win over Portland State…The Vikings had been 2-0-0 against UC Davis before Friday…Portland State also falls to 0-2-0 against Big West Conference opponents this season, which they'll play four of in 2015…PSU also lost to Cal State Northridge of the Big West and is now 7-12-2 all-time against Big West opponents.

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