FOOTBALL
The Vikings had a successful homecoming game as they beat the Idaho State Bengals 31-10. Fans showed up and showed out this homecoming game with a green out and attendance of 2,209 fans. The Viks needed to score early, instead of attempting to comeback, after giving up points. Scoring early was exactly what they did.
Only one minute and 37 seconds into the game, quarterback Alexander Davis threw 44 yards to Nate Bennett for the first of many touchdowns this game. Malik Walker ran for a touchdown to give the team a 14-0 lead and a field goal later in the quarter to give the Vikings a 17-point lead over the Bengals in just the first. Two touchdowns from wide receiver Beau Kelly in the second and third quarter closed the game to make sure the Bengals wouldn’t come back.
Davis Alexander went 17/29 that game and 179 yards with three touchdowns under his belt. Senior running back Malik Walker led the team in rushing with 16 carries and 95 yards with a touchdown to put on his highlight reel. Senior linebacker Nicholas Ah Sam led the team with eight tackles, and teammate Harrell Broderick had eight tackles as well.
Mercy points were given to the Bengals when the Vikings held them to only 10 points—a surprise when Idaho State managed to upset #7 UC Davis 27-24. Defense was booming this game as the Viks forced five turnovers, including a strip sack from VJ Malo. The team looked dominant all four quarters, ready to take on the Cal Poly Mustangs at home after their bye week this Saturday.
Cal Poly is coming in this season with a record of 1-5 and 0-3 in conference play. Offense for the Mustangs isn’t that hot, as they have only scored 21 points in their last three games this season. If the Vikings offense can capitalize on scoring early and scoring a lot, and the defense capitalizes on sacks and interceptions like they did against the Bengals, there should be no problem. Portland State is currently sitting at sixth in the Big Sky with a 3-4 record and 2-2 in conference play. With only four games left, their next game is at Hillsboro Stadium Oct. 30 against Cal Poly, kick off at 2:05 p.m.
VOLLEYBALL
The Viks stayed hot and steady in their second place spot in the Big Sky standings over a hard fought, 3-2 win over Montana in a Missoula road trip. The Viks lost the first set 25-23, but had nothing to worry about, for they are known to come back after dropping the first set, just as they did with Northern Arizona. The Viks were down 2-1 after their third set, having made Montana score 26 to win that set.
Montana wasn’t playing around, but the Vikings switched gears in time to win the next set 25-18, forcing a fifth set which only went to 15 instead of 25. A simple 15-4 win was the result of the last set. Zoe McBride and Ashleigh Barto both had a day with 14 kills this match and three aces. Barto led the team with 7 blocks. Ellie Snook had 26 digs which helped keep the momentum going and helped the win.
The Vikings then travelled 202 miles from Missoula to Bozeman to play the Bobcats of Montana State on Saturday. The Viks won that match 3-1—and are now on a seven-game win streak. The Bobcats only took the second set after winning the first set in a 34-32 brawl. The Cats were up 22-18 in the first, looking for only three more to win that set.
After kills by Parker Webb and Makalya Lewis, alongside attack errors by Montana State, the Viks came back to make it 24-22, with hopes of winning. Both teams made it to 25, and the match was back and forth until Webb got a kill, making the score 33-32. After all that build up, Montana State had an attack error which cost them the set, giving the Vikings a 34-32 win.
Montana State is now 5-3 in conference play which gives the Viks more separation between them in the standings. Makayla Lewis led the team that match with 18 kills and three blocks. Gabby Hollins also had 18 kills to help win the game. Webb had 16 kills, two aces and five blocks. The Viks showed out this Montana road trip, and head to Sacramento State on Tuesday at 7 p.m. on ESPN+, looking to make it eight wins in a row. Portland State is now 13-6 this season and 7-1 in conference play, still tied with Northern Colorado and behind Weber State, who is in first and has yet to experience a conference play loss, sitting at 8-0.
SOCCER
PSU dropped both games on their road trip against Idaho State and Weber State. Their first match was a 2-0 shutout against the Bengals. The Viks outsaved their opponent 11-7, but could not manage to hold a win. The Bengals had 13 shots on goal while the Viks only had eight.
Raniyah Burton had five shots that match with three shots on goal. Chloe Huling had four shots with two on goal. On their trip to Utah, the Viks made it close, but fell 3-2 to Weber State. The match started with an early goal by Weber State in just the third minute. Ani Jensen responded with a goal in minute 15, assisted by Sofi Papastamos. It didn’t take long for the Wildcats to regain the lead after a penalty kick goal two minutes later.
After leading the team with the most shots in the last match, Burton scored in the minute 49 to give the team a 2-2 game with 40 minutes left. In the last five minutes of the match, Weber State gained a goal to secure the win. The Viks play again on Friday, Oct. 22 at home against the Thunderbirds of Southern Utah. The Viks are now 2-4-1 in conference play and 4-9-1 overall. Weber State continues to stay on top of the standings, advancing to 6-1 and 9-6 overall.
CROSS COUNTRY
The men’s team won the 8k by 37 points on Saturday at the Santa Clara Bronco Invite, rising above schools like Cal Poly and UC Santa Barbara. Josh Snyder came in second in the 8k with a time of 23:40.9 and Jordan MacIntosh right behind with a time of 23:43.9. Kenyan Abdi ran for a time of 23:47.1 coming in fifth. Katie Camarena came in third in the 6k at the Bronco Invite with an almost even time of 20:00.4. Maya Irving came in seventh out of the top ten, with 20:37.8.
The men’s team ended in first place with 67 points and the women’s team finished second with 59 points. The Viks split in Estacada, Oregon for the Lewis and Clark Invite. With a time of 21:58.9, senior Phoebe Brown came in 11th in the 6k. The next Viking was senior Monica Salazar coming in 28th with a time of 22:41.7. The 6k Vikings made it to third place in the invite with 99 points, making it close to Seattle University, who made 98 points.
The 8k Vikings made it to eighth with 256 points. PSU’s rival, the Portland Pilots, won the 8k with only 15 points and five finishers in the top 10. Junior Brandon Hippe made 40th with a 25:05.2 time. Kelly Shedd had a 25:27.1 time, finishing at 56th. Next up is the Big Sky Championship on Oct. 29 with the women’s 5k and the men’s 8k. After the Big Sky, the NCAA West Regional takes place on Nov. 12.
