The game was tied 0-0 between the Idaho Vandals and Sacramento State, a script oh-so-familiar to the Vandals. This time, though, they flipped it.
In the 52nd minute, redshirt sophomore forward Calli Chiarelli, who had been a weapon going forward all game, brought the pressure and picked the pocket of the Hornets’ defender. She quickly passed into the path of junior forward Georgia Whitehead, who smoothly placed the ball into the bottom right corner to give Idaho the lead.
Whitehead followed up with another goal eight minutes later to seal her brace and the Vandals’ 2-0 victory over the Hornets, their first Big Sky Conference win and first victory since Sept. 4.
Last November, the Idaho women’s soccer team walked off the field heartbroken as the Hornets lifted the Big Sky championship trophy and ruined their chance at back-to-back championships.
In the days leading up to the game, the Vandals hit the practice field hard and were looking forward to playing Sacramento State, with one goal on their minds.
“For some of these players, they will definitely want to have a little bit of revenge,” head coach Jeremy Clevenger said leading up to the game. “But it’s also a conference game. They all matter, and we’ll be prepared for it.”
Idaho has struggled this season putting the ball in the back of the net, and Clevenger emphasized throughout the week that they were focused on turning their chances into goals.
“The main thing that we talked about was being a little more aggressive going forward,” Clevenger said. “Sometimes, when we have opportunities to attack and go forward, we’ll play negative to recycle it. We’re going to have that aggressive mindset to create goal-scoring opportunities.”
As the game began, Idaho was on the front foot. With relentless pressure and crisp combinations, they were knocking on the door. The Hornets, however, had the best chance of the half when junior midfielder Tea Reyes got behind the defense in the 42nd minute with an open shot on goal.
Her attempt was heading toward the top corner until redshirt sophomore goalkeeper Paula Flores saved it over the bar, and the teams went into the locker room tied 0-0.
Idaho had dominated the play but hadn’t made a shot on target yet. That changed early in the second half with the goal by Whitehead, her second of the season.
Eight minutes later, the Vandals had become more aggressive in the final third and earned a corner. Sophomore defender Bella Gissendanner sent in a cross to the front post, and Whitehead outjumped everyone and put a looping header over the Hornets’ defense and into the net to give Idaho the 2-0 lead.
The Vandals were in control from then on, with their midfield commanding the tempo and their defenders winning their individual battles. They held the Hornets scoreless and walked out of California with a win and some much-needed confidence.
Despite Sacramento State outshooting Idaho 16-8, the Hornets only managed three shots on target and rarely troubled Flores.
The Vandals will look to keep their momentum going as they welcome the Montana Grizzlies to the P1FCU Kibbie Dome on Sunday, Oct. 5, at 1 p.m.
Jayden Barfuss can be reached at arg-s[email protected].