Idaho opens spring exhibition season with familiar face
With approximately 90 minutes separating the University of Idaho campus in Moscow and the Gonzaga campus in Spokane, the two teams face each other on a regular basis.
But there is more than just close proximity linking the two programs. Before becoming the head coach for the Vandals last January, Derek Pittman spent four years with the Gonzaga program. Since Pittman arrived on campus, the Idaho and Gonzaga programs have developed a little bit of a regional rivalry.
Nathan Romans | Argonaut
Forward Josilyn Daggs dribbles down the fieldl during Idaho’s 1-1 tie with Gonzaga Saturday on the SprinTurf.
“Amy (Edwards) has done a great job over the last six years building that program to a positive situation,” Pittman said. “They are always going to be a little bit more amped and a little bit more excited.”
The two teams battled back and forth Saturday afternoon on the SprinTurf to a 1-1 draw to open Idaho’s spring season.
Pittman said Gonzaga has become a model for what the Vandals can become one day. He said they are ahead of the Vandals in the process of fielding a winning program, but the team still looks at the Bulldogs as a measuring stick.
This was the first of seven games for the Vandals this spring. Saturday, the Vandals travel to Portland for a pair of exhibition games against a pair of NAIA opponents in Concordia and Corban.
Nathan Romans | Argonaut
Defender/forward Olivia Baggerly fights a Gonzaga opponent for the ball during Idaho’s 1-1 tie with the Bulldogs Saturday on the SprinTurf.
“Today was an opportunity for us to come out and showcase that as a team,” Pittman said. “I thought we did a good job of that and it’s always nice to get out and compete with somebody else other than yourself.”
Pittman’s coaching tie to Gonzaga isn’t the only connection between the two teams. Idaho sophomore Olivia Baggerly played against her sister, Gonzaga’s Karley Baggerly.
The two sisters didn’t let the competition get in the way of their relationship off the field though. After the game was over, the two Canby, Oregon, natives embraced like most sisters would after not seeing each other for months.
Nathan Romans | Argonaut
Midfielder Chloe Bell chases down a pass during Idaho’s 1-1 tie with Gonzaga Saturday on the SprinTurf.
Despite the ties that make the rivalry intense, Pittman said the Vandals try to not let the rivalries affect the way they compete and prepare.
“We talk about it as much as we can,” Pittman said. “To come out, no matter who we are playing and come out with that same intensity and that enthusiasm to represent the Vandals in a positive way.”
Joshua Gamez can be reached at [email protected]