For nearly 86 minutes Thursday night, the University of Idaho women’s soccer team looked like a group that knew exactly what it wanted from the opening night of Big Sky Conference play.
Then, with the finish line in sight, Weber State found a way to take it away.
The Vandals settled for a 1-1 draw against the Wildcats on Oct. 1 at our P1FCU Kibbie Dome, a result that leaves Idaho unbeaten in its last three matches but also offers a reminder that dominance on the statsheet doesn’t always translate to free points.
Idaho controlled the first-half almost completely. The Vandals outshot Weber State 14-1 before halftime and put nine of those attempts on target. The pressure finally created a breakthrough in the 44th minute, when Payton Oelkers found Caitlyn Riggs, who scored at 43:05 to give Idaho a 1-0 lead heading into the break.
It was precisely the kind of start Idaho would have wanted in its conference opener. The Vandals had entered the match 6-2-2 after a strong nonconference schedule, and there high hopes that this could be the beginning of a promising conference run. Idaho had been selected second in the Big Sky preseason coaches’ poll, just four points behind Weber State, which received the top spot. The match was an opportunity to fight for the top spot, and both teams showed up to win.
Weber State came out of halftime with considerably more urgency. The Wildcats generated nine second-half shots and six corner kicks, reversing much of the attacking pressure Idaho had established during the opening 45 minutes. Idaho managed only three shots after halftime.
The Vandals with a one-goal lead survived deep into the second half, and with the clock winding down, Idaho was within minutes of opening conference play with a victory.
But in the 86th minute, Weber State’s Bonnie Buswell rose for a header off a pass from Lily Blum, scoring at 85:25 and leveling the match. With four minutes of regulation remaining, neither side could find another goal.
Idaho finished with a 17-10 advantage in shots and a commanding 9-2 edge in shots on goal. The teams were even at six corner kicks apiece and seven fouls each.
This was not a match in which Idaho was simply outplayed from start to finish. The Vandals created the majority of the game’s opportunities and spent much of the night dictating where the match was played.
The bigger question coming out of Thursday is whether Idaho can turn stretches of control into a more complete 90-minute performance.
That question may become especially important as the conference schedule moves forward. Before the Weber State match, Idaho’s defense had been one of its defining strengths. The Vandals had allowed only five goals through their first 10 matches and recorded six shutouts. Senior goalkeeper Paula Flores had played every minute of the season to that point and had established herself as the program’s all-time shutout leader only a couple games prior.
Against Weber State, though, Idaho faced a different kind of challenge: protecting a narrow lead while the opponent evolved its attacking rhythm.
The Vandals did not collapse. They did not surrender a flurry of goals. They held Weber State to just two shots on target for the entire match.
But one well-timed attack was enough to balance the scale.
For the Vandals as a whole, the 1-1 result extends the recent pattern: Idaho’s last two matches have both ended in draws by the same score.
Idaho returns to the Kibbie Dome Sunday, Oct. 4, for an in-state rivalry matchup with Idaho State. The Bengals entered the week at 2-5-2, while Idaho began the conference portion of its schedule at 6-2-2.
The matchup gives the Vandals an immediate chance to turn Thursday’s loss into forward momentum.
The Vandals controlled the shots. They controlled the first half. They found the opening goal. They had the lead late. And as Big Sky play unfolds, those final few minutes may be where the difference between a promising season and a special one is ultimately decided.
The Idaho Vandals’ next game will be home against another Big Sky matchup taking place this Sunday, October 4 at 1 p.m.