After another disappointing home loss, Idaho women’s soccer needed a bounce back weekend. However, the Vandals were only able to split the weekend road trip. The Vandals traveled to the league-leading Portland State Vikings on Friday and looked to get back on track.
Portland State
The Vandals began the game on the front foot and pestered the Portland State goalkeeper, pushing towards getting the ball in the net. That chance got bigger when senior forward Maddy Lasher returned after missing all but one game this season.
After 45 minutes, however, neither team could strike the back of the net, and they headed into the locker room tied 0-0. The Vandals and the Vikings kept the opposing goalkeepers busy with shots as Portland State had eight and Idaho had seven.
Eleven minutes into the second half, Portland State broke the deadlock. In the 56th minute, Portland State was awarded a corner kick. Junior midfielder Abi Hoffman sent in an in-swinging ball that found junior defender Audrey Williams, who beat sophomore goalkeeper Kira Witte to put the Vikings up 1-0.
The Vandals would respond in the 67th minute when senior midfielder Margo Schoesler sent in a cross to the box that got deflected out to senior outside back Alyssa Peters. Peters took the play on a volley and rocketed it into the bottom right corner for her first career goal.
However, three minutes later the Vikings took the lead back. In the 70th minute, Hoffman delivered another corner, and this time found the head of graduate midfielder Sienna Higinbotham, who powered it past Witte to regain the lead.
The Vandals were not able to respond as they suffered their second conference loss of the season.
Sacramento State
After the loss, the Vandals traveled to Sacramento, California, to take on Sacramento State and try to end their two-game losing streak. A goal by Jadyn Hanks did that and defeated Sac State 1-0.
The game began slowly with both teams feeling each other out. After 33 minutes, the Vandals got a chance to get on the scoreboard early as redshirt junior Cassandra Herrman was called for a penalty kick.
Junior midfielder Annika Farley stepped up to the penalty spot. She rifled the ball near the crossbar, but redshirt freshman goalkeeper Izzy Palmatier saved the shot to keep the game tied 0-0.
After the PK, the momentum flipped, and Sacramento State began their attack. Although the action picked up, neither team was able to score before the end of the first half.
After the 15-minute intermission, the Vandals picked up the pace, and in the 53rd minute, the Vandals broke through. Peters intercepted the ball at midfield and found sophomore forward Karli Yoshida-Williams. She played a ball through the defense to senior forward Jadyn Hanks, who beat the defender and sliced the ball into the bottom right corner to give the Vandals a 1-0 lead.
After the goal, Idaho kept pushing, but Sacramento State finally gained some ground and tested Witte. However, after over 35 minutes of defending, Idaho got the result they wanted, defeating Sacramento State 1-0, ending their two-game losing streak.
The game was full of shots and saves. Idaho posted 16 shots, six of them on goal, forcing Palmatier into five saves. Sacramento State posted 14 shots and five shots on goal. Witte saving all five shots propelled the Vandals to their second conference victory of the season.
With the win, the Vandals improved to 7-4-2 and 2-2-1 in conference play. Idaho will look to increase its win streak against Eastern Washington at 1 p.m. on Oct. 15.
Jayden Barfuss can be reached at [email protected] or on X @JaydenBarfuss10