Started from the bottom

Vandals roaring toward Big Sky Tournament

Through nine nonconference games, the Idaho soccer team had been outscored 24-2 and appeared to be in for another long season.

This was before the Vandals finally got their first win of the season on Sept. 26 by way of a thrilling 3-2 victory over Northern Colorado.

The victory was the first of Derek Pittman’s career at Idaho.

Little did they know, that win would lead to three more in the first six games of Big Sky play. The Vandals currently sit at 4-1-1 in the Big Sky (4-10-1 overall), and find themselves right in the thick of the race for the regular season conference title.

The difficult schedule and “feeling out” process by the players and coaching staff in regard to who works well in what roll may have played a small role in the early struggles, Pittman said. Yet, the team was able to get it all figured out right in time for Big Sky play, he said.

The Vandals never got discouraged during the rough start and they always had each other’s backs, sophomore midfielder Elexis Schlossarek said. She said they were going to play for each other and love the game — nothing else mattered.

The recent success has not only lifted the team’s spirit on the field but off as well. The team hangs out on a daily basis and they are closer now that they ever have been, Schlossarek said.

“We never really thought that this would happen and I think that makes us even more confident,” she said. “We are very lighthearted now and for as much as we are competitive in practice, outside of practice we have become so much closer.”

Rough patches like the Vandals endured are very common in sports, although not everyone endures a nine-game losing streak to open a season, Pittman said.

“Every team goes through their ups and downs, whether you start off struggling or whether you have a lull in the middle of the season,” he said. “The important thing is to stick to what we do well, that is something that is a testament to our players and staff — we never really waivered from who we wanted to be.”

Much like many women’s basketball games over the last few years, the atmosphere at Guy Wicks Field has become dynamic, which makes for a fun atmosphere to play in, Schlossarek said.

With the continued improvement and success of the soccer team going forward, that could become an even bigger part of the Vandals’ home field advantage.

But even with the recent success, the team hasn’t begun planning its travel plans for the Big Sky Tournament just yet. They are still just looking at one game at a time starting with Weber State on Friday afternoon, Schlossarek said.

This quick turnaround wasn’t the first one Schlossarek has been involved in either.

During her time at Burnsview Secondary in Delta, British Colombia, she helped rebuild the varsity soccer program. It helped build support and spirit, just like she helped do with this Idaho team, she said.

The recent success has made Idaho look like a much more attractive landing spot for potential recruits than it did a few short weeks ago.

“From what I have heard, a lot of recruits want to come here which is good,” Schlossarek said. “I think it helps build the program to get even better over the next few years while we are all still here.”

The added recognition from not only potential recruits and fans is nice, but the team is just focused on what they can control, Pittman said. If they do that then the rest will figure itself out, he said. The program is already well known throughout the Northwest and Pittman and his staff hope to continue that moving forward.

“That is one of the things we talked about in the beginning was leaving a legacy and I think we are helping create that this season which is amazing,” Schlossarek said. “I know I definitely want to leave a legacy for the players coming in and that creates such a better program for the University of Idaho.”

Joshua Gamez can be reached at [email protected]