MISSOULA, Montana – After surviving the first 65 minutes, the (2) Idaho women's soccer team shifted into advance mode over the final 25 to snatch a dramatic come-from-behind 2-1 victory over (6) Portland State in the Big Sky semifinals on Friday. The Vandals advance to the Big Sky Championship game Sunday at 12 PM Pacific where they will look to defend their title and earn their second-consecutive bid to the NCAA tournament.
Idaho (12-5-2) looked shaky as the game began, and playing on a frosty and unpredictable field, struggled to find a rhythm. As the game progressed, that gave the upstart Vikings, who advanced after upsetting No. 3 seed Eastern Washington in penalty kicks on Wednesday, hope.
The Vikings (4-9-5) took a 9-6 advantage in shots into the break after a scoreless first half, but Idaho had arguably the best opportunity of the first 45 minutes in the waning seconds when
Sienna Gonzales fired a shot from distance that beat PSU goalkeeper Eden Millan but ricocheted harmlessly off the crossbar, ensuring the game remained scoreless at the break.
Portland State broke the scoreless tie in the 51st minute when Abi Hoffman floated a chip shot from about 12 yards out over Vandal goalkeeper
Paula Flores. Lucy Quinn earned credit for the assist on the Viking goal.
With the lead, Portland State continued to control the game as the Vandals struggled to maintain possession in their scoring half over the first 20 minutes of the second half. Portland State kept the pressure on with a smattering of crosses, corner kicks and shots while the clocked slowly but surely melted away.
However, the momentum shifted with about 25 minutes left when Gonzalez and
Jadyn Hanks checked in, and suddenly the Vandals rattled off a two corner kicks applied sustained pressure over the next 13 minutes.
Portland State packed bodies in the box defensively to thwart the Idaho offense as the clock continued to tick until Idaho finally broke through in the 73rd minute when
Karli Yoshida-Williams ripped a shot through traffic from outside the box. Millan got enough of her fingertips on it to deflect it off the crossbar, but Hanks left nothing to chance as she charged the rebound and buried it in the back of the net to even the score.
The goal energized the Vandals and it wasn't long before Idaho took the lead.
Izzy Thoma launched a flip throw into the box and even though Idaho couldn't turn it into a shot, PSU was unable to clear.
Annika Farley eventually poked the loose ball to
Sara Rodgers, who unleashed a cannon from long distance that beat Millan to the upper right corner and put the Vandals ahead 2-1 with 12 minutes to play.
Idaho withstood a spattering of Viking pressure over the final 12 minutes and worked the clock at every opportunity to book its second consecutive trip to the Big Sky championship game.
Portland State held a 16-11 advantage in shots and a 7-4 edge in corner kicks for the game. Idaho, however, created more scoring opportunities with a 7-5 lead in shots on goal.
UP NEXT
The Vandals will face the winner of Friday's second semifinal between (5) Sacramento State and (1) Montana in the Big Sky Championship game on Sunday at 12 PM Pacific in Missoula. Idaho upset the home team to win the Big Sky Tournament title a year ago, earning a 2-1 title game win over host Northern Arizona. During the regular season, Idaho lost to Montana 2-1 in Missoula and beat Sacramento State 2-0 in the Kibbie Dome.
