Idaho’s Big Sky Conference opener got off to a rocky start Friday with the Vandals struggling to find the back of the net once again.
The Vandals dropped the Big Sky home-opener to the Montan Grizzlies 0-1.
“It was kind of expected,” Idaho Head Coach Jeremy Clevenger said after the game. “Once you get to conference, things tighten up.”
The Vandals were riding a momentum wave from last weekend but it did not end with the loss to the Grizzlies. The Vandals continuously played good offense and had control at the beginning of the game.
Montana was able to find a way to get the ball into the net early on — not to mention, that would be the only time. There were a lot of opportunities and chances taken for both teams but Montana’s lone goal would do the trick for that night.
“I think we got shocked with that goal,” Clevenger said. “I think we were in control early on.”
After the early goal, the Vandals seemed unsettled for the rest of the half.
Once the second half went underway, you could see the change in dynamics for the Vandals.
The Vandals found themselves in various opportunities with on-target shots to the net.
“It took us to halftime to kind of regroup and I think we settled down and came out the second half and came out strong,” Clevenger said.
There was one moment in the second half that was nearly close for UI. What started from a corner kick, then made its way towards the goal but eventually hit the crossbar, a moment Idaho wishes they had back.
Idaho kept its defense strong in the second half, giving plenty of opportunities for the offenseto get a goal unfortunately, they were never able to tie the game.
Before Friday’s game, the Vandals held a 3-7-0 record. This loss now makes it 3-8-0 (0-1-0 for conference) but that doesn’t mean they aren’t playing well.
Montana is a great team and the Vandals just weren’t able to make it inside the goal but still played a tough game.
“We gotta rebound,” coach Clevenger said when asked about the mindset going into Sunday’s game. “We gotta put it behind us and you know sometimes these can be a good wake-up call.”
Idaho will play Northern Colorado 1 p.m. Sunday in the Kibbie Dome.
Elizabeth Carbajal can be reached at [email protected]