After traveling to San Diego State and suffering a 7-2 loss, the Vandals returned to the Kibbie Dome on Sunday to take on the Nevada Wolfpack.
The Vandals and the Wolfpack were able to take shots in the first half, but both team’s defenses were stifling. It wasn’t until four minutes were left on the clock that the ball hit the back of a net.
“We knew it was going to be a tough game,” head coach Jeremy Clevenger said.
Junior forward Ariel Loften scored off an assist from junior forward Maddy Lasher. The goal was Loften’s third goal of her career and first game winner.
The 1-0 win gave freshman goalkeeper Kira Witte her second shutout of the year. She had six saves, stopping all of Nevada’s shots on goal. The Wolfpack stopped 4/5 of the Vandals’ shots on goal. Overall, Idaho outshot Nevada 9-6. The Vandals also led in corner kicks 4-2.
Lasher led the team in shots on goal with three. Graduate student midfielder Savannah Foster and Lasher both had three regular shots and one assist, leading the team in both categories.
Although the defensive effort from both teams made for an exciting game, the whistle was blown often for fouls. When the Vandals and Wolfpack faced off last season, there were 10 fouls total. This time around, each team acquired 11. Both teams also had a player penalized with a yellow card.
With the win, the Vandals now stand at 2-1 on the season, making them one of two teams in the Big Sky Conference with multiple wins. They also now lead the all-time series against Nevada 7-3.
The Vandals will take a trip to St. Thomas on Thursday and Chicago State on Sunday before returning home to take on Louisiana on Sept. 9 at 6 p.m.
James Taurman-Aldrich can be reached at [email protected] or on Twitter @jamesaldrich25