Viks host Wildcats, Bengals

Fresh from last weekend’s successful road trip in Eastern Washington and Montana, the Portland State soccer team looks to end its final two home games in Big Sky play with a flourish. The Vikings are in a two-way tie for third place and play Idaho State tonight before taking on Weber State Sunday.

Last year’s meetings: In last season’s encounter with Idaho State, junior Frankie Ross scored the lone goal of the game to give the Vikings a 1-0 win on their journey to a semi-finals appearance.
However, the Viks’ first conference loss last season came against Weber State, when the Wildcats stopped them 2-0. The loss ended Portland State’s four-match unbeaten streak and propelled Weber State, who would go on to win the regular season and host the postseason tournament.

Scouting the Bengals: Idaho State (8-5, 3-1 Big Sky) currently stands second in line at the conference table, and walks onto the pitch today with the confidence of having scored six goals in their last two games. Ashley Jones is their leading goal scorer of the season with four goals.
Portland State’s head coach, Laura Schott, is not taking this match for granted.
“Our match with them is extremely important because it’s No. 2 versus No. 3 in the conference. The result of both games this weekend have huge implications on the final conference standing,” Schott said.

Scouting the Wildcats: Weber State (5-9, 1-3 Big Sky) began the 2009 campaign as the favorites in the coach’s poll, but has not lived up to expectations and has lost three of four conference games. Defense appears to be a weakness for the Wildcats, as they have conceded six goals in their last three matches.
Despite this, Schott maintains there is no room for complacency in Sunday’s match.
“[The Wildcats] have historically done very well in our conference. And although they sit in seventh right now, they are by no means out of the picture,” Schott said.

Scouting the Vikings: Portland State (8-6-2, 2-1-1 Big Sky) fought its way back into contention among the Big Sky Conference by earning four valuable points from the two away games last weekend. The Viking forward line finds itself in the thick of the action by accounting for four of the squad’s five conference goals so far.
Sunday’s home match with Weber State could be the last home game of the season for the senior players, and they will be looking to sign off in front of the home crowd in style.
“Our seniors have been—and continue to be—an outstanding group of women. We’ve had very strong senior leadership this year, with all players from our senior class contributing to our successes. I hope to keep them in a PSU uniform as long as possible,” Schott said.