After a long season, Portland State lost 3-2 to the University of Montana in their opening match at the Big Sky Conference Championship in Pocatello, Idaho. The Vikings were playing for a chance to advance to the final round of the tournament, but came up short despite goals from sophomore Daniela Solis and senior Amanda Howie.
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End of the Road: The Vikings fought hard against Montana at the conference championships in Pocatello, Idaho, but were knocked out of the tournament by a score of 3-2.
Montana started the game off hot, scoring two goals in the first 13 minutes. The Vikings trailed 2-0 for most of the first half until Solis gave the Vikings some hope, scoring off an assist from Howie. But Montana struck again early in the second half, stretching the lead to two. Howie answered with a goal in the 72nd minute, but it wasn’t enough.
“The team fought hard versus Montana, but we were playing catch-up for the final 80 minutes after a slow start,” head coach Laura Schott said. “Unfortunately, we weren’t able to make up the lost ground.”
Montana outshot the Vikings 19-11 and had twice as many shots on goal, 10-5. The loss was a tough one for the team, but their early exit doesn’t take away from a season full of broken records and impressive efforts.
“It’s safe to say the group is disappointed and feels it wasn’t their best game, not to mention it wasn’t the result we were striving for,” Schott said. “However, I personally am proud of our season. We ended with another winning overall record, had nine players named to the Big Sky all-conference teams and earned a 6-2-1 conference record with a share of the regular season title. We had big contributions from our senior class and our underclassmen, making the season a true team effort.”
Those seniors have now played in their last game as Vikings, and a lot can be said about the years they’ve spent at PSU.
“We are graduating some impactful seniors who we will miss,” Schott said. “Amanda Howie in particular ended her season with five goals in her final five games, including one on Friday versus Montana. Amanda Dutra broke the all-time assists record this year. The group overall has had a tremendous four years.”
Howie’s consecutive goal-scoring streak to end the season was a particularly significant feat, considering she plays as a midfielder.
“Very, very impressive,” Schott said. “That is rarely seen in college soccer [even] from a forward. Howie is a holding mid and was performing at a high level defensively and offensively. We are very proud of her.”
Schott’s team also has the third-best record in PSU history, and it was only the fourth time that the Vikings finished with an overall winning record as Division I participants. Despite the loss, they can look back on the season as a tremendous success by any measure.