It was a rambunctious, groovy, nail-biting evening Friday at Guy Wicks Field. The Idaho women’s soccer team faced Gonzaga in a tight game that ended in a 2-2 tie after two overtime periods and plenty of shot attempts.
“I think the first half, I think we controlled the game pretty well in the first 25-30 minutes,” Idaho head coach Derek Pittman said. “Then I thought we made some errors that Gonzaga ultimately capitalized on. We had some good chances, we just didn’t do a good job finishing them. But we bounced back. I’m really happy with the way the players responded and bounced back to equalize.”
Friday’s game also saw record attendance, with over 1,100 spectators, including the Sound of Idaho Vandal Marching Band.
Gonzaga was the first to score in the 32nd minute of play.
“I think we came out a little on our heels,” junior forward Olivia Baggerly said. “These girls were really physical and playing through them was going to be a bit more difficult, so I thought we did well.”
Senior midfielder Clara Gomez leveled the score with Idaho’s first goal two minutes into the second half. Sophomore midfielder Megan Goo gave Gomez the assist.
Gonzaga’s second goal came from senior forward Karley Baggerly at the 77th minute.
With three minutes remaining, the Vandals were down by one and in dire need of a goal.
Tension was mounting, amid cheers from the audience and chants from the band. Several close shots from the Vandals seemed to edge away from the goal at the last possible second.
A throw-in from junior defender Josilyn Daggs gave freshman midfielder Sophia French the ball. French sent the ball to sophomore forward Kayla Watanabe, who guided the ball into the net.
“It was really hectic, because we were down one,” Watanabe said. “I think we were focused and we set up the play correctly. I was just in the right place at the right time.”
The crowd went wild and the game went into overtime.
After two ten-minute overtime periods filled with tension and close shots, the game was called a tie.
Idaho outshot the Bulldogs 25-17.
The Vandals play Hawaii 10 p.m. Thursday in Honolulu.
Tess Fox can be reached at [email protected] or on Twitter @tesstakesphotos