The P1FCU Kibbie Dome crackled with the electricity of soccer magic.
The Battle of the Palouse had arrived, and the scene was set for a thrilling night of soccer. The Vandals entered the night riding a nine-game home unbeaten streak and by the final whistle, the 1-1 draw would extend that run to 10 games while perfectly capturing the fierce rivalry between these neighbors. Every black horn and rumble stick in the hands of over 2000 fans felt like weapons of defense.
This wasn’t just Idaho versus Washington State, this was neighbor against neighbor. Separated by eight miles of country road, this is a rivalry that runs deeper than state lines. Five minutes before kickoff, the Vandals poured out onto the field, emerging behind a wall of cheerleaders whose silver and gold pom-poms caught the lights like scattered stars.
The Cougars had crossed enemy territory to get here, but Idaho’s faithful were ready to make sure their neighbors knew exactly whose house they were visiting.
UI Head Coach Jeremy Clevenger was proud of the performance of the team on the field and the crowd in the stands.
“Fun match, thanks to the fans for coming out,” Clevenger said. “Both teams had different waves. We had some strong waves, got the first goal. They had some strong waves at the end of the half and then the second half was back and forth, so I’m happy with the overall performance.”
Rivalries are more than just a kick of the ball, and for junior forward Georgia Whitehead, this game was personal to her.
Whitehead, a Coeur d’Alene native, spent her first two seasons at Washington State and came into this era of the Battle of the Palouse with a different name across her chest and a chip on her shoulder.
“This was a very personal game, but at the end of the day, I’m at Idaho, and this is my school now,” Whitehead said. “Playing Washington State should just be like any other game, but I felt like I had something to prove coming into this game. At the end of the day, I’m a Vandal, and I always will be.”
The intensity was felt throughout the Dome and when the referee blew the whistle, the talk was over and the battle began. The Vandals came out with the crowd behind them and after five minutes had the opening goal.
Whitehead received the ball on the wing. She cut in towards the middle of the field with three Cougar defenders around her and played the ball to sophomore midfielder Hallie Prinos-Grumbach.
Prinos-Grumbach showcased a skill of brilliance and played a picture-perfect slip ball behind the defense and into the path of redshirt sophomore Calli Chiarelli.
Chiarelli used her electric speed to beat the Cougar defenders and fired the ball into the bottom corner, beating the Cougars’ keeper and netting her first goal in a Vandal uniform.
“When I was on the field, I was standing at the top, right in the middle of those defenders and I just saw the opportunity. I was like, ‘I’m going to take this shot,’” Chiarelli said. “I’m scoring right here. And I did, and it was a rush of emotions. It felt great to score my first Vandal goal. So happy to have my teammates supporting me and all these fans in the stands supporting me. It was amazing.”
Ever since Chiarelli came over in the spring from Southern Illinois University, Edwardsville, she has shown her speed and caused the Cougars’ backline a lot of problems. Throughout the first four games, she was a common threat in the Vandals’ attack in a deep forward group.
“Calli’s a weapon up there,” Clevenger said. “She’s athletic, strong and when she’s dribbling at you, watch out.”
The Vandals maintained control and their sharp passing and defensive shape stayed in line and frustrated the Cougars.
The Cougars began to gain some momentum towards the middle of the first half and in the 37th minute clawed back into the game.
Off a Cougar throw-in, the ball found the feet of sophomore midfielder Audrey Shackelford, who glided past two Vandal defenders and unleashed a beautiful strike into the top right corner and sent the teams into the locker rooms tied at one.
The already physical game took its toll on the teams in the second half, and the teams, behind two strong defensive performances, were kept to the 1-1 draw, moving the Vandals to 2-1-2 on the season.
The Vandals battled for 90 minutes and played like they belonged against the Cougars, which shows that, even with the roster turnover, the Vandals are a Big Sky championship contender.
“To me, this means that we have a chance at winning the conference this year,” Chiarelli said. “If we go out like this in every game, and we play our game … then we are able to win the conference. I’m very confident in this team and the coaching staff, and I feel like we have what it takes to win Big Sky.”
The Vandals will be back in the Kibbie Dome on Sunday, Sept. 1, as they host the University of South Dakota at 1 p.m. and look to get back in the win column against a quality opponent.
“The main thing is finishing up with a good game on Sunday,” Clevenger said. “We had obviously a great crowd — it’s not hard to get up for Washington State, so we can’t let that energy drop. We’ve got to be ready to go for Sunday.”
Jayden Barfuss at [email protected].