The last three times sophomore goalkeeper Cris Lewis has taken the pitch for Portland State, the Vikings have left undefeated.
In fact, the Vikings have not given up a goal in over 318 minutes, and that last goal was scored nearly three weeks ago. Lewis and the Vikings will be looking to extend their unbeaten streak this weekend on the road, traveling north to visit Eastern Washington and Montana.
After barely sliding past Idaho State 1-0 and ending against Weber State in a 0-0 stalemate within the friendly confines of PGE Park, the Vikings are 5-6-2 overall and tied for second in the Big Sky with a conference record of 1-0-1.
Portland State faces Eastern Washington Friday and Montana on Sunday. The Eagles (5-6-0, 0-2-0) dropped both their matches last weekend, while Montana (3-9-0, 1-1-0) split their two.
The Vikings have been getting strong, consistent play from Lewis and the four defenders-senior Juli Edwards, sophomore Suzanne Hinton, junior Laura Ellison and sophomore Alissa Russell. Indicative of this foursome’s defensive prowess, the Vikings are the only team remaining in the conference that has yet to allow a goal in Big Sky competition.
“Our back four have been playing very organized and are starting to get more aggressive,” Bennett said. “The more we can possess the ball the more they can come up and contribute.”
While the Vikings’ defense was solid through the first weekend of conference play, the offense is in dire need of a spark. In the Big Sky, Portland State is tied with Montana for last in shots with 10.5 per game, and ranks sixth in total points, averaging two per game. Disciplined play is also vital for the Vikings, as the team leads the conference by a wide margin in committed fouls. Portland State at Eastern Washington3:30 p.m., Friday, Oct. 19
Portland State at Montana 1 p.m., Sunday, Oct. 21