Idaho soccer split their matchups over the weekend at the Montana Invite and now sit with a record of 2-3 at the halfway point of the regular season.
The Vandals faced off against University of North Dakota Fighting Hawks and the University of Vermont Catamounts.
“We ran into a team that was well organized and that made it hard on us to break them down,” Idaho Head Coach Jeremy Clevenger said in a news release. “In the box score we dominated. Outshot them two-to-one, same on corners, we just weren’t able to put it in the back of the net. In a game like this it falls on us. We didn’t get the job done. I think we beat ourselves, but it’s a good lesson for us moving forward. We have to show up and understand how to beat teams.”
Idaho first met with a former conference opponent, North Dakota.
Idaho came into the game undefeated against North Dakota with a 4-0-0 record, but this was the last matchup between these two schools for some time, as North Dakota moved to the Summit Conference and out of the Big Sky.
Senior defender Claire Johnson provided the motor on offense, with four shots on the day and senior goalkeeper Makayla Presgrave finished with a solid four-save game.
The Fighting Hawks were able to score the only goal though in the 55th minute to take the win by a score of 1-0.
Next Idaho faced the University of Vermont.
This was the first meeting between the two schools and the first time Idaho faced a team from the America East Conference.
Idaho’s strong defense helped Presgrave get her first shutout of the season. Along with a goal from senior midfield Anna Rose Wiencek, the Vandals picked up the 1-0 win, splitting the weekend’s matchups.
“Our second unit came on and kept the level and that’s all you can ask. Credit to them, they did an amazing job to get that goal. AR, just an amazing header.” Clevenger said. “When we play two games in a weekend we have to have that depth and rely on the second wave. If we can continue that type of performance from that second group I think we’ll win a lot of games.”
Zack Kellogg can be reached at [email protected]