Complete week four match notes (PDF)

PORTLAND, Ore. — The Portland State women's soccer team returns home after a four-match road trip for a match against in-state rival Oregon Friday, Sept. 12, at Hillsboro Stadium. The match will kick off at 1 p.m. (PT).
 
TICKETS:
Tickets for the match against Oregon will be available here. Adult tickets will be sold for $10, while youth tickets (ages 3-17) will be sold for $7. Portland State students will be admitted free of charge with their PSU ID.
 
LIVE STATS:
Live stats will be available for the match against Oregon this Friday on vikslive.com, as well as viksmobile.com for mobile devices. The link to live stats for the Oregon match can also be found on the women's soccer schedule page on GoViks.com.
 
LIVE VIDEO:
A free live stream will also be available for the match against Oregon this Friday at WatchBigSky.com. Fans will have to create an account and download some plug-ins beforehand, however. Matt Marquette will provide play-by-play for the stream.
 
SCOUTING OREGON:
The Oregon Ducks (4-1-1) enter Friday's match against the Vikings with a five-match unbeaten streak, the Ducks' longest unbeaten streak since 2011. The Ducks have won four of the five matches over their current unbeaten streak, including a dramatic, 2-1 win over Cal State Fullerton in their last match. Junior forward Brooke Strawn scored a golden goal in the 109th minute to give the Ducks the win over Cal State Fullerton. The Ducks have won or tied matches on late goals in other matches this season as well, as the Ducks beat Loyola Marymount 1-0 on an 84th-minute goal on Aug. 31, and came back to tie Eastern Michigan 1-1 on a 75th-minute goal on Sept. 5. All told, the Ducks have scored seven of their eight goals this season in the second half or overtime, and have scored four goals in the 75th minute or later. Meanwhile, the Ducks have also started the season well defensively, having only allowed three goals in their first six matches. The Ducks rank fifth in the Pac-12 with a 0.47 goals-against average as a result, while senior goalkeeper Abby Steele ranks fifth in the Pac-12 with a .875 save percentage. Senior forward Bri Pugh, who was invited to the U.S. U-23 Women's National Team camps in May and July, also leads the Ducks and ranks third in the Pac-12 in shots. Senior midfielder Lilly Archer, meanwhile, leads the Ducks and ranked tied for third in the Pac-12 with three assists this season, with Pugh second on the team behind her with two assists. Archer also leads the Ducks with two goals this season, and ranks tied for 10th in the Pac-12 in points with seven (2g, 3a). Besides Archer, six players rank tied for second on the team with one goal each. Among those is sophomore midfielder Marlo Sweatman, who captained the Jamaica U-20 Women's National Team in 2012, and transferred to the Ducks from Florida State during the offseason.
 
ALL-TIME SERIES AGAINST OREGON:
The Vikings have lost seven straight to Oregon, and haven't beaten the Ducks since 2004. Additionally, the Vikings have not scored in their past four matches against Oregon, giving the Ducks a shutout streak of 371:43 against the Vikings. PSU head coach Laura Schott also stands 0-4-0 against Oregon in her coaching career, while Oregon head coach Kat Mertz stands 1-0-0 against the Vikings, having won her first match against them with a 3-0 season-opening win in Eugene last season.
 
VIKINGS VERSUS PAC-12 OPPONENTS:
The match against Oregon will be the Vikings' second versus a Pac-12 opponent this season, after the Vikings lost 5-0 to then-No. 21 California on Aug. 31. That loss dropped the Vikings' record against current Pac-12 schools to 7-33-2. The Vikings last beat a Pac-12 opponent in 2009, when they opened the season with a 1-0 road win at Oregon State. Overall, the Vikings have lost their last eight to Pac-12 opponents, including this season's loss to California.
 
LAST TIME OUT:
The Vikings came within 90 seconds of earning a road draw with then-No. 10 Texas Tech Sunday, only to see the Red Raiders snatch away a narrow, 1-0 victory with a goal off a late corner in the 109th minute. Junior goalkeeper Caitlin Plesemade nine saves to keep the Vikings in the match despite a 28-10 shot advantage for Texas Tech. The Vikings had more success in their match Friday, however, as the PSU offense broke out in a 3-0 win over Colorado State. The Vikings scored their first two goals against the Rams from distance, as freshman defender Maddie Prehoda and senior defender Kayla Henningsen each scored from 40 yards out. Prehoda scored her goal in the fourth minute to put the Vikings up early in the match, before Henningsen and junior midfielder Emma Cooney sealed the win with a pair of second-half goals. Plese, meanwhile, earned her first shutout of the season in the match against the Rams, giving her her 12th career shutout at Portland State and moving her into a tie with Kim Street for second all-time at the school.
 
PLESE NAMED BIG SKY DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK:
Junior goalkeeper Caitlin Plese was named the Big Sky Defensive Player of the Week Tuesday after her performances against Colorado State and then-No. 10 Texas Tech last weekend. Tuesday's honor marks the second time Plese has been named Big Sky Defensive Player of the Week in her career, as she was also named Big Sky Defensive Player of the Week on Sept. 17 last season, after she saved 10 shots in a 2-0 road win over Hawai'i. Plese was also named College Sports Madness' Big Sky Player of the Week for the second time in her career Tuesday. Plese earned her first honor from College Sports Madness on Oct. 29 last season, following the Vikings' regular-season-ending shutout win over Sacramento State.
 
LOOKING AHEAD:
The Vikings close their 2014 non-conference schedule with a home match against San Jose State Sunday, Sept. 21, at Hillsboro Stadium. The match will kick off at 1 p.m. (PT).
 
FANTASTIC FRESHMEN:
The Vikings' 10-member freshmen class has already made a significant impact on the 2014 season with only six matches under their belt. Freshman forward Mackenzie Bean has quickly become the Vikings' top offensive threat, as she leads the team with two goals scored so far this season. Bean and fellow freshman Maddie Prehoda have also tallied the Vikings' two game-winning goals this season, as Bean scored the game winner in the Vikings' season-opening 1-0 win over Utah Valley on Aug. 22, while Prehoda scored the game winner in the Vikings' 3-0 win over Colorado State on Sept. 5. Additionally, freshman midfielder Katie Forsee has played a significant role for the Vikings so far this season, as she has started five of the team's six matches at the holding center midfielder position.
 
EARLY BIRD GETS THE GOAL:
The Vikings have scored two goals in the first 10 minutes of matches this season, including one from freshman defenderMaddie Prehoda in the fourth minute of last weekend's 3-0 win over Colorado State. Besides that goal, freshman forwardMackenzie Bean also scored in the ninth minute of the Vikings' 1-1 draw with San Francisco on Aug. 29.
 
REWRITING THE HISTORY BOOKS:
With a shutout against Colorado State Friday, junior goalkeeper Caitlin Plese earned her 12th career shutout at Portland State, moving her into a tie with Kim Street for second all-time at Portland State. Plese now ranks just five shutouts behind all-time leader Cris Lewis, who set the record with 17 shutouts from 2006-09. Plese is not the only player on the verge of rewriting the Portland State record books, however, as junior midfielder/forward Cori Bianchini currently ranks tied for eighth all-time in goals per game (0.19), and also ranks 10th all-time in points per game (0.50). Additionally, Bianchini has eight career goals, leaving her one short of moving into a tie with Juli Edwards (2004-07), Megan Plinski (2002-05) and Kala Renard (2008-11) for eighth all-time at Portland State. Senior defender Kayla Henningsen also has seven career goals at Portland State, leaving her just two goals short of moving into the all-time top 10 at Portland State.
 
RECORD BREAKERS;:
The Vikings broke the Big Sky record for longest unbeaten streak earlier this season, and extended the record to 16 matches before their 5-0 loss to then-No. 21 California snapped it. The Vikings originally broke the record in their season opener against Utah Valley, beating the Mountaineers 1-0 for their 14th straight match without a loss. That moved the Vikings past Weber State, which set the Big Sky record after going unbeaten over 13 straight matches during the 1998 season. The Vikings then extended the streak with draws against Boise State and San Francisco after that, before their loss to California.
 
BIG SKY STATISTICAL LEADERS:
Freshman forward Mackenzie Bean has quickly inserted herself among the Big Sky leaders offensively, as she ranks tied for fifth in the conference in goals scored (2), and tied for ninth in the Big Sky in points (4). Additionally, junior forward Tamia Hasan ranks third in the league in shots with 17 so far this season, while junior defender Torie Morris, senior defender Kelsey Henningsen and sophomore midfielder Whitney Hilde all rank tied for eighth in the conference in assists with one each. Meanwhile, defensively, junior goalkeeper Caitlin Plese ranks fifth in the conference in goals-against average (1.11), fourth in the conference in save percentage (.792) and tied for fourth, along with teammate Angela Haluska, in shutouts (one each). The Vikings as a team, also rank among the league leaders in several categories, as they rank tied for the league lead in shutouts (2), third in the league in shots per match (12.33) and corners per match (4.00), fourth in goals-against average (1.20) and tied for fifth in saves per match (4.00).
 
SPREADING THE WEALTH:
The Vikings have had five different players score their six goals so far this season, as only freshman forward Mackenzie Beanhas scored more than once. Besides Bean, senior midfielder Ariana Cooley, freshman defender Maddire Prehoda, senior defender Kayla Henningsen and junior midfielder Emma Cooney have all scored for the Vikings. Additionally, the Vikings have had three different players record an assist this season in junior defender Torie Morris, senior defender Kelsey Henningsen and sophomore midfielder Whitney Hilde.
 
DEFENSIVE DOMINANCE:
The Viking defense's performances against Colorado State and No. 10 Texas Tech helped the unit bounce back from its worst game in nearly a year in their 5-0 loss against No. 21 California. That loss snapped a streak of defensive dominance for the Vikings, as it marked the first time the Vikings had given up more than one goal in a match in their past 20 matches. The Vikings returned to form with the shutout of Colorado State on Friday, however, and then followed that up with the near shutout against the highly ranked Red Raiders. The shutout against the Rams helped the Vikings move into a tie for the Big Sky lead in shutouts with two this season, while the defense also moved up to fourth in the Big Sky in goals-against average (1.20) after last weekend. The Viking defense is coming off a record-breaking season last year, when the Vikings set program records for shutouts (12) and goals-against average (0.76). The Vikings were also particularly dominant defensively against Big Sky opponents last season, as they only gave up three goals to Big Sky opponents, two of which came on penalty kicks. Additionally, the Vikings led the Big Sky with a 0.32 goals-against average in conference matches last season, more than half a point lower than the next-best team, Northern Colorado at 0.84. The Vikings also led the Big Sky with 12 shutouts overall last season, four more than any other team.
 
END-OF-SEASON GOAL:
The Portland State women's soccer team has a clear agenda for its 2014 season: get to the NCAA Tournament. A tournament berth would be the Vikings' first-ever in program history, and would likely come via a Big Sky Tournament title, which would end to a series of frustrating results for the Vikings in the conference tournament. The Vikings have never won the Big Sky Tournament despite winning four of the past five Big Sky regular-season titles, and six regular-season titles overall. The Vikings made the tournament final for just the second time in program history last season, but fell 3-0 in penalty kicks after finishing tied with Weber State after regulation and two overtime periods. Overall, the Vikings are 2-7-3 in Big Sky Tournament matches.
 
DEFENDING THE TITLE:
The Vikings enter the 2014 season as the three-time defending Big Sky champions after winning regular-season titles in 2011, 2012 and 2013. The Vikings won their most recent title in their most convincing fashion yet, as they went unbeaten in the Big Sky Conference for the first time in program history. The Vikings won the Big Sky regular-season title in 2009 as well, giving them titles in four of the last five seasons. The Vikings should be well positioned to defend their title in 2014, too, as they return 10 starters from last season, as well as 17 letterwinners.
 
VIKINGS TABBED AS NARROW FAVORITES IN BIG SKY PRESEASON POLL:
Big Sky coaches picked the Vikings as slight favorites over Weber State in the Big Sky Preseason Coaches' poll, released earlier this month. Both teams received five first-place votes in the poll, but the Vikings finished with one more point at 93 to Weber State's 92. Besides the Vikings and Wildcats, Northern Arizona picked up the remaining first-place vote to finish third in the poll with 86 points, while Northern Colorado (69), Montana (62), Idaho State (52), Sacramento State (51), Southern Utah (32), Idaho (29), Eastern Washington (27) and North Dakota (12) rounded out the poll.
 
HENNINGSON TWINS' SWAN SONG:
Senior defenders and twin sisters Kayla and Kelsey Henningsen enter their fourth and final year within the Portland State women's soccer program this season. The Henningsen twins, prized recruits when they came into the program, have seen unprecedented success since joining the Vikings, as neither has been on a team that didn't win at least a share of the Big Sky regular-season title, while both have also earned numerous individual honors during their PSU careers. Kayla was named the Big Sky Defensive MVP last season, while both Kayla and Kelsey were named All-Big Sky honorees (Kayla: 1st team; Kelsey: 2nd team). Additionally, both Kayla and Kelsey earned CoSIDA Academic All-District VIII second-team honors last season.
 
NON-CONFERENCE TESTS:
The Vikings have been battling through a tough non-conference schedule so far in 2014, as four of the Vikings' eight non-conference opponents finished in the top half of their respective conferences last season. The Vikings have also faced two 2013 NCAA Tournament participants in Texas Tech of the Big 12 and California of the Pac-12 so far, leaving them well-tested for the upcoming Big Sky Conference schedule. Additionally, the Vikings have faced several individual stars during the non-conference schedule, as four of their opponents have members playing some level of international youth soccer.
           
Opposing players with national team camp or playing experience:

• Madalyn Schiffel, junior goalkeeper for San Francisco – U.S. U-20 Women's National Team
• Leticia Torres, junior defender for San Francisco – Chile U-20 Women's National Team
• Jaelene Hinkle, senior defender for Texas Tech – U.S. U-23 Women's National Team
• Janine Beckie, junior forward for Texas Tech – U.S. U-20 Women's National Team
• Bri Pugh, senior defender for Oregon – U.S. U-23 Women's National Team
• Marlo Sweatman, sophomore midfielder for Oregon – Jamaica U-20 Women's National Team

 
IT'S ALL ABOUT ALTITUDE:
The Vikings' matches against Colorado State and Texas Tech were both played above 3,000 feet of elevation last weekend. Those matches were the first of six matches the Vikings will play above 3,000 feet this season, including four in Big Sky play. The Vikings played Colorado State at 5,004 feet of elevation, and played Texas Tech at about 3,200 feet of elevation. The Vikings will also play at elevation against Northern Arizona on Sept. 26 (6,903 feet), Southern Utah on Sept. 28 (5,800 feet), Idaho State on Oct. 10 (4,462 feet) and Northern Colorado on Oct. 17 (4,658 feet).
             
NEWCOMERS:
The Vikings added 10 incoming freshmen during the 2014 signing period, giving the team extra depth going into the season. Of the 10 incoming freshmen, the Vikings signed two goalkeepers, one defender, five midfielders and two forwards. The 10 freshmen also come from six different states between Oregon (3), California (2), Washington (2), Colorado (1), Arizona (1) and Illinois (1).
 
THORNS FC GOALKEEPER CRIS LEWIS RETURNS TO ALMA MATER AS VOLUNTEER ASSISTANT:
Cris Lewis, the all-time leader at Portland State in shutouts, saves and goalkeeper wins, will return this season as a volunteer assistant coach. Lewis, the 2009 Big Sky Defensive MVP, will work closely with this year's crop of goalkeepers, which includes 2013 Big Sky Co-Goalkeeper of the Year Caitlin Plese. Plese ranks just six shutouts behind Lewis on the all-time list at PSU, and could pass Lewis as Lewis coaches her this season. Since leaving PSU, Lewis has played off and on with Portland Thorns FC as an amateur. Lewis started the Thorns' match against the Chicago Red Stars on June 1, 2013.
 
2013 SEASON REVIEW:
The 2013 season was easily one of the best in program history, as the Vikings completed their first unbeaten run through the Big Sky Conference at 8-0-1, and advanced to the Big Sky Tournament final for just the second time in program history. The Vikings also set program records for shutouts (12) and goals-against average (0.76) during the season, and only gave up three goals to Big Sky opponents during the season, two of which were penalty kicks.

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