Vikings Finalize 2014 Soccer Schedule
2014 PSU WOMEN'S SOCCER SCHEDULE
PORTLAND, Ore. — The Portland State women's soccer team has finalized its 2014 fall schedule, head coach Laura Schottannounced Thursday.
With the addition of Idaho to the Big Sky Conference over the summer, the Vikings will play 10 conference matches for the first time in 2014, and will add eight non-conference matches against fellow Division I opponents.
Of the Vikings' eight non-conference opponents, four finished among the top half of their respective conferences, including 2013 NCAA National Tournament participants Texas Tech of the Big 12 and California of the Pac-12.
"I am looking forward to working with our 2014 team and taking on this schedule," Schott said. "We are playing a number of very talented teams and we will face some new opponents, which should be a fun challenge for the team."
Portland State, the three-time defending Big Sky regular-season champions, will enter the 2014 season with a 13-match overall unbeaten streak, as well as an 11-match Big Sky unbeaten streak that dates back to 2012 and during which the Vikings have gone 10-0-1.
The Vikings open the 2014 season at Hillsboro Stadium, where they'll play all nine of the home matches, as they host their first home tournament since 2012. The Vikings will welcome Utah Valley, Drake and Boise State to Hillsboro Stadium for the tournament on Friday, Aug. 22, and Sunday, Aug. 24. The Vikings open the tournament against Utah Valley, third-place finishers in the Western Athletic Conference last season, that Friday, then face Boise State, third-place finishers in the Mountain West Conference in 2013, that Sunday.
Portland State will then travel to a tournament at the University of San Francisco the next week, where they'll face host San Francisco on Aug. 29, and California on Aug. 31.
The Vikings continue on the road for matches at Colorado State on Sept. 5 and Texas Tech on Sept. 7, before returning home for their final two non-conference matches against Oregon on Sept. 12 and San Jose State on Sept. 21.
The Vikings will then open Big Sky play on the road, as they travel to Northern Arizona and Southern Utah for matches on Sept. 26 and 28, respectively.
The Vikings host Eastern Washington on Oct. 3 and Montana on Oct. 5 after that, before heading back out on the road to face Idaho State on Oct. 10.
The Vikings' next match will then set up a rematch of the 2013 Big Sky Tournament final, as Weber State comes to Hillsboro Stadium on Oct. 12, where they beat Portland State in penalty kicks for the Big Sky Tournament title last season.
The Vikings head back out on the road after that, as they travel to Northern Colorado and North Dakota on Oct. 17 and 19, respectively, before returning home for their final two home matches of the regular season against Idaho on Oct. 26 and Sacramento State on Oct. 31.
The Big Sky Tournament would then follow from Nov. 6-9 if the Vikings qualify, with the Big Sky regular-season champion again serving as host for the tournament. The top six teams will qualify for the tournament for the first time this season, with the bottom four seeds opening the tournament with quarterfinal matches on Nov. 6. The winners of the quarterfinal matches will then face the top two seeds in the conference in the semifinals on Nov. 7, while the winners of the semifinal matches will then face each other for the Big Sky Tournament title on Nov. 9.
The Vikings will also host Concordia (Ore.), the 2013 NAIA national champions, in an exhibition match at Hillsboro Stadium on Aug. 9. The match will start at 10 a.m. (PT).
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