On the pitch, the Idaho soccer program laid claim to its most successful season to date. A second consecutive conference tournament appearance and an appearance in the WAC semi-finals are unprecedented achievements for the Vandals.
Still, the team returned to Moscow having not reached its ultimate goal.
“It’s never satisfactory unless you win (the WAC),” coach Pete Showler said. “The girls aren’t happy and we as a staff aren’t happy. We wanted to go there and win it all, that was our goal for the season. We fell short.”
With a taste of success comes the hunger for even more.
Last season the Vandals qualified for the conference tournament for the first time ever, which was a landmark achievement. Idaho was ousted in the first match by Fresno State. It was a trip home that then sophomore Chelsea Small said was not fun.
“Last year we were really excited but really nervous and didn’t know what to think coming out for it,” she said. “We didn’t really understand how important each game was.”
It was Idaho’s first qualification for the conference tournament in program history. So in year two, expectations were a little higher with a veteran team.
The change of mentality paid off. The Vandals overcame an early goal deficit in their opening round match against San Jose State and pulled off a 2-1 victory.
Only to be cut down the next day. One step closer to playing in the NCAA tournament, but a goal that will have to wait until next season to be fulfilled.
“We lost to the eventual conference champions (in Utah State), and they’re in the big dance. We wish them the best of luck, but we want that to be us,” Showler said.
Adverse situations
At one point this season the team was 1-5, and the Vandals had scored just three goals. Their opponents, on the other hand, put away 13 on Idaho. To make matters worse, two of those losses put Idaho in a 0-2 hole in conference play.
The mentality during practice for a crucial home match against Hawaii had the players echoing one key sentiment: Goals needed to be scored by any means necessary.
The response was a 4-2 drubbing of Hawaii at Guy Wicks Field.
“We got more consistency. We had the same starting lineup for a while. That breeds a lot of confidence. That breeds
a lot of competition,” Showler said. “It all blended together very well. We finished strong. Not as strongly as we would have hoped.”
The Vandals lost twice more to conference opponents the rest of the season, both times to eventual WAC champions Utah State.
When asked what the most adverse situation his team dealt with this season, it took Showler a fraction of a second to bring up goalkeepers.
“Losing the two goalkeepers so early with such injuries. You don’t expect to lose two keepers in a season,” he said. “That certainly brings different challenges.”
The Vandals did not even make it through 10 matches before they were down to their third-string goalkeeper.
Liz Boyden, the lauded senior from Spokane suffered a season-ending leg injury in a home match against Seattle University during the home opener. Freshman Marissa Fehrman filled in, and lasted seven games before a knee injury derailed her season. Junior Caroline Towles finished the rest the season for Idaho, the first action of her career.
One of the more bizarre scenarios for Idaho occurred later in the season when Towles was shown a red card against La. Tech. The ejection from the match left the Vandals with no keepers on roster, forcing forward Morgan Porter into action as, essentially, a fourth-string keeper.
Porter had seen no action at the position since high school, but days earlier joked with coaches about attending camps where she received instruction from Hope Solo earlier in her soccer career.
Showler said that left him with no doubts about making the decision to put her in. Porter preserved the shut out against La. Tech, but surrendered three goals to Utah State during her only start of the season.
Getting back on the pitch in 2012
When the Vandals get back into action next fall, they will do so with every player who logged minutes during the conference tournament. They will also have a full compliment of goalkeepers, including Boyden off of a medical redshirt.
So where does Showler believe the strength of his team lies?
“Strength is going to be depth of quality,” he said. “This program each year has gone from strength to strength. We’ve bettered ourselves every year.”
The Vandals will have an experience-laden team.
Up to eight Seniors will vie for starting positions next fall. Among them are leading goal scorer Chelsea Small, captain defender Lauren Layton and midfielder Jill Flockhart. The second leading goal scorer, Bailey Hewitt, also returns as a junior.
Impact freshmen from 2011 Lilly Archer and Katie Baran will be in the mix, along with forward Nikki Adams and defender Emily Ngan who saw increased action during the conference tournament run.
As for the goals for the program on the pitch, that also remains constant. Representing the school and conference in the NCAA tournament is one that Showler said the program holds dearly. So while taking steps in the right direction is something to be proud of, they aren’t quite there yet.
“We don’t look at what happened yesterday,” he said. “We look at how we can be better tomorrow.”