The Vandals traveled 3,000 miles from home to earn a 4-0 victory over the University of Massachusetts, Lowell.
Being far from home on the banks of the Merrimack River couldn’t slow down the Idaho soccer team’s offensive machine. The Vandals embarked from the Pacific Northwest and traveled to Lowell, Massachusetts.
Four different goal scorers found the back of the net for the Vandals while redshirt sophomore goalkeeper Paula Flores earned her second shutout of the season, powering Idaho to a dominant 4-0 victory over UMass Lowell and moving them to 2-1 on the season.
In the Vandals’ first-ever trip to Lowell and first matchup with the Riverhawks, Idaho looked to rebound from Sunday’s loss to the University of Washington. From the first whistle, the Vandals were on the attack and within ten minutes they had the opening goal.
The Vandals’ high press was troubling the Riverhawks, who turned the ball over in the middle of the field. Junior forward Georgia Whitehead received the ball and played a pass to senior forward Karli Yoshida-Williams, who played a beautiful switch to redshirt junior Naomi Alvarez for a shot at goal.
Freshman goalkeeper Lucie Chumanova made the first of her nine saves. The shot found the feet of a couple more Vandals, and after a deflection, the ball fell to sophomore midfielder Hallie Prinos-Grumbach, who made no mistake and fired it into the back of the net for her first goal in a Vandal uniform.
With much of the Vandals’ midfield departing a year ago, Idaho had questions coming into the season about who would step into that void.
Those questions have been answered over the last three games, as Prinos-Grumbach, a Redmond, Washington native, has arguably been the Vandals’ best player this season and looks to be a key piece going forward.
The Vandals’ suffocating pressure and fluid passing dominated the first half, outshooting the Riverhawks 9-1, though they only had a 1-0 lead to show for it.
In the second half, the Vandals turned it on and within ten minutes had their second goal. Alvarez, whose speed and relentless pressure was giving the Riverhawks’ backline fits, capitalized on another costly turnover in UMass Lowell’s own half.
The Vandals pressed toward the goal and graduate midfielder Annika Farley passed to Alvarez just inside the box, where the Riverhawks fouled her. The referee signaled for a penalty kick and in the 55th minute, Farley stepped up and converted to double their lead.
The Vandals added two more goals, both headers from corners. In the 65th minute, junior midfielder Sara Rodgers got her head on a corner kick cross from junior midfielder Tori Peters. In the 88th minute, sophomore midfielder KV Miller did the same from a cross by freshman defender Mia Boltz for her first career assist in a Vandal uniform.
The Vandals played their best game of the season and showcased their depth as multiple players earned valuable minutes while looking to close out their Massachusetts road trip with another victory.
The Vandals will take on Stonehill College in North Easton, Massachusetts, on Saturday, Aug. 24, at 3 p.m.
Jayden Barfuss can be reached at [email protected].