Idaho looking like legitimate Big Sky threat
Eastern Washington shutout Idaho 4-0 on Aug. 29 at Guy Wicks field. On Sunday the tide was turned, as sophomore defender Gabby Leong scored the first goal early in the second half to lift the now surging Vandals (4-10-1 overall, 4-1-1 Big Sky) over the Eagles (5-6, 2-3) 1-0.
Nathan Romans | Argonaut
Sophomore forward Kavita Battan chases down a pass during Idaho’s 2-1 victory over Northern Arizona University
Sunday at Guy Wicks Field. The Vandals beat EAstern Washington 1-0 Sunday at Cheney, Washington.
The Leong game-winning goal was the third of the season for the sophomore from Upland, California. Idaho coach Derek Pittman said it was a direct response to some of the halftime adjustments.
“It was a great goal for Gabby,” Pittman said. “At half, we changed a few things around and we were able to come back out and get a goal early in the second half.”
The win helped Idaho maintain its position at second in the Big Sky soccer standings after a heartbreaking 1-0 loss to conference leading Montana on Friday in Missoula, Montana.
The Vandals look to improve their current position in the standings at 3 p.m Friday when they host the eighth-place Weber State Wildcats (4-11, 1-5) at Guy Wicks Field as a part of Idaho’s Homecoming Weekend. The Vandals then host in-state rival Idaho State (6-7, 3-3) Sunday for Senior Day.
In the win against Eastern Washington, good defense played a major role in the low scoring game.
“We take a lot of pride in our defensive organization and the way we defend together as a team,” Pittman said. “I believe that today we defended really well, which helped us limit the number of shots Eastern Washington was able to take.”
This was evident in the box score as the Vandals outshot the Eagles 15-10 overall, including a 10-5 differential at the half and seven of the 15 total shots being on the EWU goal.
Sophomore forward Alyssa Pease led Idaho in shots with four. Sophomore defender Madison Moore, sophomore midfielder Elexis Schlossarek, freshman midfielder Chloe Bell, sophomore forward Kavita Battan, freshman defender Olivia Baggerly, freshman forward Josilyn Daggs and Leong also recorded shots for the Vandals.
Despite the Vandals’ proficiency on the defensive end, EWU continued pushing on the attack until the final seconds ticked off the clock, but thanks to the phenomenal play by goalkeeper Torell Stewart, the Vandals were able to seal their fourth victory and second shutout of the season.
The sophomore goalkeeper had another phenomenal outing in Cheney, Washington, as she recorded seven saves on the day, which brings her season total to 81 saves. She has only given up 23 goals on the season. Stewart is currently third in the Big Sky in saves, behind Kaitlin Ruff of Northern Colorado and Kristi Hestdalen of North Dakota. As a team, Idaho is second in the Big Sky, with 88 saves.