Vikings bit by Bulldogs

Despite a stellar performance in front of the net from senior goalkeeper Rachel Jarvis, Portland State women’s soccer fell to Gonzaga by a lone goal on Sunday in Spokane, Wash. After missing last week’s game against San Diego, Jarvis marked her return to action with seven saves in a losing effort.

Gonzaga (4-6-1) consistently outshot the Vikings (4-5-0), 13-4 in the first half and 22-9 overall. The Bulldogs’ offense kept Jarvis busy with three saves in the first half and four in the second. Gonzaga took the lead in the 23rd minute when freshman Cassie Geerdts headed the ball in the net after a throw-in from the right side of

Portland State’s goal.

For the Vikings, former Big Sky Golden Boot winner and senior Frankie Ross and junior midfielder Kala Renard each had two attempts on goal, with two of them being on target. In last season’s game against Gonzaga the Viks recorded a 2-1 victory over the Bulldogs with goals from seniors Kat Robertson and Dolly Enneking—Portland State’s all-time leading goal scorer.

The reigning Big Sky Conference regular season champion Vikings kicked off the 2010 season on Aug. 20 with a 1-0 loss to the University

of Portland—then ranked No. 5 in the nation—at the Clive Charles Soccer Complex in North Portland. The Vikings were outshot 27-2 by the NCAA favorite Pilots, but Jarvis held her ground for most of the match. In her first start since the 2008 season, Jarvis made 13 saves on the night. It wasn’t until the 74th minute that Portland finally snuck the game-winner by her.

The Vikings then took on Boise State in a close matchup on Aug. 22. Despite a goal from freshman Kimmie Tammen in the 50th minute, Portland State fell 2-1 to the Broncos at the Nike World Campus. In the last meeting between the two squads, the Viks had lost 3-1 to Boise State in 2009.

In the following week, the Viks improved their overall record to 2-2 with wins over University of Louisiana at Monroe, 3-2, and University

of Albany, 3-0, at the Las

Vegas Invitational in Nevada. Junior Esty Geiger scored the  golden goal against Louisiana with the other goals coming from junior midfielder Amanda Howie and junior Melissa Trammell. The three goals against Albany came from the boot of freshman Hannah Kimsey, Trammel and Ross.

On Sept. 10, Portland State was back in action in the state of Oregon, this time playing in Corvallis against Pac-10 Oregon State. Last season, the Viks registered a surprise 1-0 upset over their nationally ranked opponents. This year, however, the Beavers reversed the score line and handed the Viks a 1-0 loss.

The Vikings got back to a .500 record with a 3-0 win against Western Oregon on Sept. 12. The goal scorers

were Trammell, sophomore midfield Amanda Dutra and freshman Eryn Brown.

Portland State then headed south to take on University of California-Riverside and University of San Diego. The Viks easily blanked UC-Riverside 3-0, but crucial defensive lapses saw them go down 5-1 in San Deigo. Renard scored a brace against Riverside, with Ross scoring the third goal. Howie scored the Vikings’ lone goal in the game against San Diego.

Portland State next takes on University of Idaho in Moscow, Idaho at 1 p.m. today. The Vandals are 8-4-0 this season. The Vikings lag behind Idaho 2-4-0 in head-to-head matchups since the two teams first met in 1998. Portland State’s last win over Idaho was a 2-0 victory at Delta Park in 2003.