After 110 minutes of play that included two overtime periods on a wet and windy Friday at Guy Wicks Field, the Idaho soccer team emerged with a 1-1 draw against Eastern Washington in the team’s regular-season finale.
“I was really proud of our players for sticking to our game plan,” Idaho coach Derek Pittman said. “A tie is probably well-deserved at this point in time and a fair result, and we will take it and get ourselves ready for next week.”
The Palouse weather played a key factor in Friday’s game, as the constant wind consistently slowed passes and wreaked havoc on the defensive approach of both teams.
The Eagles were aided in the first half by playing with the wind, but were unable to convert any opportunities. Eastern Washington’s best attempt came in the 10th minute, as a shot outside the box slipped through defenders and picked up velocity, but was blocked by junior goalkeeper Torell Stewart with a diving stop.
“Going against the wind, we knew that our backs were going to be against the wall and that they would have the opportunity to shoot from a little further out than they normally would,” Pittman said.
Meanwhile, the Vandals defense struggled to punch the ball across midfield as the wind slowed any downfield passes for Idaho’s offense.
The two teams entered the half in a scoreless draw, but not without some physical play. Eastern Washington midfielder Tasha Luu received a yellow card in the 35th minute after she appeared to cleat freshman forward Summer Kaneshiro in the face with a high kick.
“We know that it’s always going to get a little chippy and a little intense playing Eastern Washington,” Pittman said. “But our two programs have mutual respect for one another and essentially have the same mindset of success.”
The Vandals opened up the scoring in the 70th minute when junior forward Amanda Pease received a corner kick from junior midfielder Clara Gomez and found the back of the net to put the Vandals up 1-0.
The Eagles countered with a strong offensive attack. The pressure eventually paid off for Eastern Washington when forward Chloe Williams scored the tying goal with just seven minutes left in regulation.
The two teams then entered consecutive overtime periods, engaging in a defensive stalemate in the twenty minutes of extra time.
Neither team could produce any scoring opportunities during the extra time, resulting in a 1-1 draw.
As a result of Friday’s game, the Eagles dropped to third place in the conference standings, losing the chance for an automatic first-round bye in the Big Sky Tournament, which starts Thursday at Guy Wicks Field. Eastern Washington will face Sacramento State Thursday for the right to advance to the Big Sky semifinals.
Idaho will play the winner of the Weber State-Montana game Friday.
Josh Grissom can be reached at [email protected] or on Twitter @GoshJrissom