When the Portland State Vikings (8-7-2 overall, 4-1-2 Big Sky) needed to win, they did exactly that. In two of the most important games of the season, the Vikings defeated the Weber State Wildcats (6-10-1, 4-2-1) and the Idaho State Bengals (5-11-1, 2-5-0) to clinch a share of the Big Sky regular season championship.
Portland State came into the game needing to win both games to have a chance to host a Big Sky tournament game. The Vikings knew the stakes coming into this weekend, but they didn’t let that bother them.
“Pressure’s good,” senior Melissa Trammell said. “We do well under pressure.”
The undefeated weekend started off against Weber State, who came into the game tied for first in the conference. The game was physically tough on both teams, but due to an early goal from junior Megan Dutra, the Vikings were able to gain the upper-hand and keep it. Dutra scored in the 12th minute, and Portland State was able to outshoot the Wildcats 8-7 to finish with a 1-0 victory.
The weekend continued against Idaho State, who the Vikings played in Pocatello on Sunday. The game remained tied all 90 minutes and through the first overtime. In the second overtime with four minutes remaining, Trammell scored the golden goal, giving the Vikings not only the victory, but a share of the Big Sky championship.
The goal came after a strategic change by Vikings’ head coach Laura Schott, as she pushed senior defender Esty Geiger up the field into more of an offensive position. Soon afterward, Geiger won a ball that quickly found its way to Trammell. The senior captain took her time and placed a shot in the back of the net—a goal that secured the number two spot in the tournament for the Vikings.
“We played really well,” Schott said. “A lot of things didn’t go our way, but we managed to push it into overtime through a lot of hard work and players refusing to settle for a tie.”
Portland State finishes the season tied with the Northern Colorado Bears (7-7-4, 4-1-2) on top of the conference. Northern Colorado will host the tournament due to the better head to head record the Bears hold against the Vikings. PSU will play Weber State in the opening round of the tournament, a rematch of last weekend’s game, Nov. 4.
“[Weber State] has a pretty good attack and we do as well,” Schott said. “There will be some good opportunities for both teams.”
If the Vikings win the Big Sky tournament, they gain an automatic bid to the NCAA tournament. Making the tournament has been a goal of the team all season, and they are now only two games away.
“We are going to take positives from the season into the upcoming weekends,” Schott said. “We need to take it one game at a time and try to make it into the NCAA tournament.”
The Vikings have qualified for the Big Sky tournament five straight seasons, and this is the second time in three years Portland State has won the conference tournament. The Vikings have been very successful under Schott. With 30 Viking victories, Schott is the all-time career leader in wins for Portland State coaches.
Before the tournament, Portland State has their annual alumni game 1 p.m. on Sunday at the Hillsboro Stadium. The two winning teams will advance to the conference championship match to be played Nov. 6.