As the Idaho women’s soccer team boarded the bus following its win against Northern Arizona in Flagstaff, the team received the news that it was the first school this season to clinch a Big Sky Conference Tournament berth.
Idaho coach Derek Pittman and the team celebrated the announcement on the journey back to Moscow, but Pittman also made sure that the team remained focused on this week’s upcoming Big Sky matchups.
“We know we have a really tough road trip coming up,” Pittman said. “Our team is going to have to be really focused heading into the games this week.”
Following last week’s results, the Vandals (11-4-1 overall, 7-0-0 Big Sky) vaulted into the National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) rankings, claiming the No. 10 spot in the Pacific Region. This ranking represents the first time the Vandals have been included in a list with elite programs of the Pacific Region, which include the Pac-12 and Mountain West conferences.
In addition to the team ranking, two Vandal standouts earned Big Sky Player of the Week honors after last week’s games. Freshman defender Kelly Dopke earned Defensive Player of the Week, while sophomore forward Olivia Baggerly shared Offensive Player of the Week honors with Northern Colorado’s Mariel Gutierrez.
Following the success on the pitch in last week’s victories, Idaho will be putting its undefeated conference record on the line when it visits North Dakota Friday afternoon in Grand Forks, North Dakota.
On Sunday, the Vandals will face Northern Colorado in Greeley, Colorado. The Bears sit in second place at 6-1 in conference play.
“We know in the back of our minds that Sunday’s game is going to be huge, but we don’t even get to think about Northern Colorado until after we face North Dakota,” Pittman said. “Our attention right now has purely been on studying North Dakota.”
The Fighting Sioux (4-9-2, 2-4-1) are in the midst of a three-game losing streak, but Pittman warned that the Vandals should be wary of Friday’s opponent.
“Their two conference wins have come at home, so we know it’s going to be a very difficult place to play,” Pittman said.
Northern Colorado (11-6-0, 6-1-0) will be looking to gain ground on the Vandals in the Big Sky standings as it trails Idaho by only three points with three games remaining on the season.
If the Vandals are able to earn a victory in Sunday’s game, they will likely secure the right to host the Big Sky Tournament in November.
The Vandals offense the past two games impressed Pittman, who credits the success to the selfless play of his team. He said junior midfielder Clara Gomez, who tied the Idaho single-season record of 10 assists last week, is a model of team dedication.
“Clara is just one example of how our players are willing to share the ball,” Pittman said. “It has a lot to do with trusting that everybody is going to put themselves in the best position to make their teammates successful, which ultimately allows our entire team to succeed.”
Pittman said he hopes the selfless offensive approach and the dominating defensive performance in recent games will carry over to the Vandals’ games this week.
“We know this road trip is important in a number of different ways,” Pittman said. “We hope to come back home with a few more points and some wins on the road and to make our Vandal fans very proud.”
Josh Grissom can be reached at [email protected]
Jorge
The Lady Vandals are having a magical season. The team continues to bond and improve. Keep it going, the sky is the limit. #GoVandals