Portland State on a Big Sky slide

It’s been a very difficult road for the Vikings soccer team this past year. Despite the historic moment when the Vikings overcame their bad run of luck by breaking their no-score record in Flagstaff Ariz., they could not best the undefeated Northern Arizona University Lumberjacks.

The Vikings had a tremendous game as they went up against the undefeated Lumberjacks and fought hard. The Vikings and the Lumberjacks both scored in the first half of the game. With much thanks to Karly Larsen, the Viks tied the game and eradicated their no-score record in Flagstaff. It was Larsen’s first goal of the season, and she scored within 18 seconds of the first half.

Both teams fought hard to score in the second half of the game but could not and they went into overtime, where the Lumberjacks came out victorious. The Viks hustled around the field and came up short as NAU’s Tschana Breslin scored the game-winning goal against the Vikings for the win during overtime.

The Viks have been at a standstill in their quest for a Big Sky championship, with no wins in their two conference games. The Vikings now have to run a little bit harder if they wish to remain one of the top seeds in Big Sky. Although they finally scored in Flagstaff after never scoring once in any game held in that city, they have been jumping over many a hurdle to reach their goal of winning a championship. Their game against the Lumberjacks was unfortunate but not unexpected considering NAU’s no loss record for this year.

The Lumberjacks’ undefeated streak sets up an intimidation factor that lets other teams know that they are not to be taken lightly. Not to say that the Vikings take their games lightly, but against a team like NAU.

Vikings are facing a goodly amount of opposition while trying to gain a big sky championship. It seems that the Soccer Gods have plotted against them with losses and player injuries.

Just this past game, defender Jessie Corr suffered a concussion and stayed in Flagstaff for observation for the night. It seems that any possibility of the Vikings getting a Big Sky championship is looking slim. However these obstacles should not hamper the Viks’ desire to do their best and win big.

The Viks will have a chance to overcome the odds as they host three Big Sky games at PGE Park this weekend. They will take on Idaho State on Friday, Oct. 24, at 7 p.m., and Weber State on Sunday at noon. Their match with the Bengals should be an exciting rematch of last year’s finals, in which the Bengals won in overtime (1-0).

The Viks have a great game to look forward to this Tuesday as they are taking on local rivals the University of Portland’s Pilots. The Pilots hold an impressive win-loss record of (13-2) and defeated the Vikings earlier on this season (8-0).

The Vikings have the opportunity for payback against the Pilots, and a win against them could possibly lift spirits and team morale, and help the Vikings out in their upcoming games. Perhaps a win against U of P is just what they need to come back around and win a Big Sky championship for Portland State.