Even though it may have been April on the calendar, the P1FCU Kibbie Dome turf had the feeling of a fall matchup between the Idaho Vandals and the Washington State Cougars soccer teams.
The Vandals and Cougars battled to a 1-1 draw, improving Idaho’s record to 3-0-1 on the spring season.
“When you play Washington State, it’s always going to be a tough-fought and physical game,” head coach Jeremy Clevenger said. “It’s more like a fall game than a spring game. And I thought, give our players credit, we dominated. I told the team moments like that are going to help us prepare for the fall.”
Idaho came with intensity and were on the front foot to start the game. Their effective passing and movement created havoc for the Cougars’ stingy defense.
The Cougars responded by pressing the Vandals and forcing them to play more direct. However, Idaho looked the most dangerous, and after the first of the three 30-minute periods the teams remained deadlocked at 0-0. In the second period both teams made substitutions, and the game went back and forth until two set pieces provided the electricity.
In the 41st minute, the Cougars struck first off a corner kick. A well-worked corner led to a recycled ball that found a wide-open player, who sliced it into the net to give Washington State the lead.
The lead lasted less than a minute. Off the kickoff, the Vandals immediately looked to equalize. Redshirt sophomore forward Cali Chiarelli drove at the defense, showed off her electric pace and dynamic moves, and won a corner kick.
The Vandals sent the ball in and it found the head of freshman center back Caitlyn Riggs, who placed a precision header into the top corner past the Cougars’ goalkeeper to tie the game, securing Riggs’ third goal of the spring.
The Vandals continued to look like the better team, causing problems with their connectivity, dynamic movement and passing, but they couldn’t produce the final product to get the win.
Throughout the spring, the Vandals have experimented with personnel in different positions, trying to find the right combination. One of those experiments has been giving freshman outside back Miranda Goldner more freedom going forward.
Goldner came to Idaho and made her mark with her elite one-on-one defending, but most importantly her willingness and skill going forward. When the Vandals are defending, she fills the outside back role and slots into a back four.
But when Idaho is on the attack, her speed and creativity give the Vandals another attacker who is harder to defend, and she was one of the only players to remain on the field for the full 90 minutes.
“Miranda is a highlight,” Clevenger said. “She’s a great player. When she goes forward, she can make things happen. She’s an impressive player. We want to get her involved in the attack so she can help us.”
Along with Goldner, other freshmen like Riggs, midfielder Alyssa Hamilton and Makenna Stuart have stood out this spring and figured out how to play a significant role when the Vandals take the field in the fall.
The test against Washington State was a valuable one, coming against a physical, tough and hard team to break down. The Vandals found ways to break them down, open the game up and control the pace and flow for the most part, even while rotating a lot of different players and combinations.
Idaho matched the Cougars in toughness, physicality and talent, and as they close out the spring they will carry confidence in their depth going into the fall.
Idaho will conclude their spring season with a match against Central Washington University on Saturday, April 25, at 1:30 p.m.