No. 5 Portland battles through PSU defense for win

Portland's Keelin Winters gets tangled up with PSU defender Emily Rohde Friday.

Cliff Pfenning/oregonsports.com

Portland State goalkeeper Rachel Jarvis stops another shot during Friday's game with the University of Portland.

Cliff Pfenning/oregonsports.com

The University of Portland seniors moved into their roles as team leaders Friday at Merlo Field and staved off a historic draw with a 1-0 win over the feisty Portland State Vikings in the women’s soccer season opener for both teams.

Senior Sophie Schmidt scored in the 74th minute by pushing a rebound off of PSU goaltender Rachel Jarvis into the net to avoid the team’s first shutout in more than a year.

Portland, ranked No. 5 in the nation, scored in all of their games last season and hadn’t lost to, or been tied by, the Vikings in five previous meetings. They outshot the Vikings, who they’d outscored 24-0 in their five previous games, 27-2.

“We had all those chances, so it was a little frustrating to get to the 60th, 70th minute and not have goal,” said senior Keelin Winters, whose llined shot directly at Jarvis set up the rebound and earned her an assist.

“I knew we were going to score, at least end up with one goal. It wasn’t a pretty goal, but it was a goal.”

Portland State, which finished atop the Big Sky Conference last season, got outstanding goaltending from Jarvis, a senior from Oregon City, outside the goal play. She finished with 13 saves.

Portland, aiming for its third national title, plays at Cal-State Northridge Sunday, while PSU plays host to Boise State Sunday on the Nike Campus.