En route to the tourney

After a 3-0 loss Friday at Northern Arizona, the Vikings broke out of their mini-scoring slump in the second half at PGE Park Sunday, posting a 1-0 victory over Northern Colorado. With the victory, Portland State clinched its first post-season birth under third-year head coach Tim Bennett.

The Vikings fell to fifth place after the loss to the Lumberjacks, and returned to Portland to honor senior defender Juli Edwards in her final regular season match at PGE Park Sunday.

Emotions were running high after a touching pre-game ceremony that consisted of audio recordings of Viking players and coaches sharing their thoughts on Edwards’ outstanding career.

“It was very emotional,” Bennett said. “They really wanted to reward Juli for her work.”

Northern Colorado (6-8-3, 2-2-2) showed swagger Sunday, proving eager to continue their ascent to the top of the Big Sky. The Vikings out-shot the Bears six to four in the first half, but neither team was able to capitalize, resulting in a frenetic back-and-forth pace.

The second half belonged to the home team. Portland State came out firing with focused aggression, dumping 14 more shots on the Bears and finishing with a season-high 20 shot attempts.

In the 62nd minute, junior forward Sarah Smart shook the goalkeeper, hesitated for a split second, and flipped a pass to sophomore forward Dolly Ennecking in front of the net. Ennecking showed great touch as she deflected the ball with the outside of her left foot for the game-winning goal that extends the Vikings’ season to at least the first round of the Big Sky Tournament.

“That’s the sign of a team that’s come of age,” Bennett said of his team’s persistence. “We kept getting opportunities. It was just a matter of time before we got one.”

The Vikings are currently in third place in the Big Sky. A victory over conference leader Sacramento State this coming Friday combined with a loss for second-place Weber State would give Portland State the regular season Big Sky title and the right to host the Big Sky Tournament.