Soccer Defeats Portland State 2-0 at Home

POCATELLO, Idaho - Idaho State soccer defeated the Portland State Vikings 2-0 on Friday evening at Davis Field. 

It was a cold night in Pocatello under the lights at Davis Field, however, the Bengals came out victorious, winning for the first time at home since October 13, 2019. 

"It was a marvelous performance from our team," said Head Coach Debs Brereton. "I thought we came out with dominance and really threatened Portland State right from the get go. I thought we were composed and clinical in front of the goal and that allowed us to go up 2-0 at half time. Portland State did a really good job in the first half, I thought they should have scored themselves, but I am very proud of the team and thought that this shutout win was absolutely huge."

Portland State started on the offense, forcing Mckayla Wetsel to make four key saves at the beginning of the game. The Bengals were able to turn the tide in the 30th minute of play after freshman Taylin Butterbaugh found the back of the net on a break-away set up by Kaylyn Buchanan. Butterbaugh's goal put the Bengals up 1-0 with 15:33 left to play in the half. 

The Bengals continued to press in the first half, maintaining possession 52% of the time. In the only corner kick of the half, Karlin Wurlitzer connected with Gabby Warta who finished the play with a header. The Bengals led 2-0 at half time. 

For the remainder of the game ISU stayed in control, defeating the Vikings for the first time since the 2016 season. A solid performance from the Bengal defense and seven impressive saves from Wetsel helped the Bengals earn the shutout. The Bengals cruised to a 2-0 victory, improving to a 2-4 record in Big Sky Conference play. 

The Bengals return to Davis Field for their final home match of the season against Sacramento State on Sunday, October 17. ISU will honor their seniors Kylee Atkins, Genevieve Sauers, Karlin Wurlitzer, and Delaney Uyeshiro before the game. Kickoff is set for 12:00 p.m.