With only a couple games remaining in the spring season, Idaho soccer looked to continue to grow its game against Central Washington University.
Saturday’s matchup was a showcase of just how polished the Vandals game is coming, firing on all cylinders and finishing with a 5-0 win.
“The team, we’ve put together some good moments and good halves, but I don’t think we have put together a full game and that was the message,” Idaho Head Coach Jeremy Clevenger said. “Just, ‘Hey, finish it off, complete the game, don’t take the foot off the petal,’ and we went out there and executed well.”
Passing
Compared to the game last week, this looked like a totally revamped squad.
Junior defender Rebecca Buratto kicks the ball while two Central Washington defenders run towards her on Saturday at the Kibbie Dome.
The passing was quick and refined, with a wide variety being on display — quick give and goes, long over the top passes, clean through balls for the forwards to run onto and all the while, limiting the turnovers why getting the ball of their feet within a few seconds.
“We settled in a formation that really suited us,” Clevenger said. “Everyone is a little more comfortable with the system we have put in place.”
Finishing shots
Working the ball towards the goal has been a high point for Idaho during the spring season but finishing on quality looks needed work.
The Vandals certainly did this, scoring five goals in the dominant performance. Sophomore Maddie Haas lead the way with two scores, with senior Juliana Detar, juniors Fiona Dawson and Kaysie Bruce each scoring one apiece.
“That’s what we want to see, people scoring goals,” Clevenger said. “We gave them a couple ideas how we could attack in the final third and I think you saw that come to fruition because we were very dangerous on the attack.”
One-on-one defense
The defense has been banged up recently, with about half either being out, having limited minutes or playing in other positions.
But the back line of Sidney Schmidt, Natalie Fischer, Fiona Dawson and Rebecca Buratto physical defense, keeping the two forwards for Central Washington uncomfortable and not allowing easy shots.
With Kayleigh Frederick and Kathryn Blickenstaff, the two returning starters from last season’s defense, being out or having limited minutes, it will be interesting to see when they return and if the 2019 defense can have a similar historic season like the one last year.
Idaho will host Eastern Oregon at 11:30 a.m. April 27 and will be the final game of the spring season.
Zack Kellogg can be reached at [email protected] and on twitter @kellogg_zack.