Idaho to battle for first place in Utah
After a successful opening weekend in the Big Sky, the Vandals (2-9, 2-0 Big Sky) now prepare for the biggest game of the this season thus far.
Nathan Romans | Argonaut
Sophomore forward Alyssa Pease dribbles the ball during practice Wednesday. Pease and the Vandals are on a two-game winning streak and are currently undefeated in Big Sky competition. Idaho plays 3 P.M. Friday in Cedar City, Utah against Southern Utah.
The Vandals will travel Friday to Cedar City, Utah, to take on Southern Utah (5-3-1, 2-0) in a battle for Big Sky supremacy.
The Thunderbirds, like the Vandals, got off to a fast start in conference play as they prevailed over Sacramento State and Portland State last weekend. Both Idaho and Southern Utah are tied for the conference lead, with a 2-0 record.
Should the Vandals come away victorious, it could potentially set up another huge game on Oct. 10 when they travel to Missoula, Montana, to take on the Grizzlies, who also sit at 2-0 in the Big Sky.
But the Vandals don’t want to get ahead of themselves, said sophomore midfielder Elexis Schlossarek.
“We are just looking at Friday, looking at what we are going to do for that game and nothing else,” she said. “That game is the most important … We are going to play it like it is the last game of the season.”
Southern Utah comes into the game on the heels of winning four straight games, including two wins in double overtime prior to conference play.
“We know that each and every time that we step out, if we do the things that we are good at, we give ourselves a good chance to win,” Idaho coach Derek Pittman said.
The two wins last weekend did nothing but good things for the confidence of the Vandals, who hadn’t been affected negatively by the trials and tribulations of the nonconference schedule, Pittman said. Although the morale had always been high, the wins helped boost the confidence, he said.
Schlossarek said the growing pains the team went through early on have helped the team become what it is now.
“We have learned a lot over the preseason,” she said. “We were kind of individualistic, but now we have become such a team.”
Nathan Romans | Argonaut
Sophomore forward Kavita Battan passes the ball behind her during Wednesday’s practice at Guy Wicks Field.
A welcome change for the Vandals this past weekend came,as they finally came out of the offensive funk they were in and netted three goals against Northern Colorado and one against North Dakota. The goals were the team’s first offensive goals since the season opener against Seattle U.
“Each player that scored this weekend felt like it was coming from the whole team not just one player,” Schlossarek said. “After the game we were talking about how the team scored rather than the individual … It was a team effort.”
The start is encouraging, but it doesn’t mean the Vandals will get complacent. As a matter of fact, they have embraced the newfound target on their backs, Schlossarek said.
“I think people were very surprised — so that gives us an advantage,” Schlossarek said. “So now we need to keep pushing and be those fighters that show we are meant to be here. We are really excited to keep plugging away and keep making a splash in the Big Sky and keep improving so we can get to the conference tournament.”
Joshua Gamez can be reached at [email protected]