Scoring goals — it just might be the simplest accomplishment in sports, yet it can also be one of the most difficult.
That is the case for the University of Idaho soccer program, which has lost five of its last six matches. During that span the Vandals have only put away three goals and have failed to score multiple goals in a match.
“We need to get the ball in the net, it’s the bottom line,” junior midfielder Jill Flockhart said.
With the Hawaii Warriors coming to Guy Wicks Field at 4 p.m. Friday for Idaho’s home Western Athletic Conference opener, the mood in practice has shifted to finding solutions to the Vandals’ drought of goals.
“It’s rebuilding confidence in front of the goal,” coach Pete Showler said. “We’ve got to have a positive mental attitude in front of the goal and know that we have to do whatever it takes to score.”
More specifically, Showler said, it’s about working on finishing chances.
“No matter how pretty or ugly, as long as it goes in … it counts,” he said. “Finishing is about an attitude and the mentality to say, ‘This ball is going in the back of the net.'”
Goal-scoring opportunities have been far from scarce for Idaho, and in their six-game stretch the Vandals have put 36 shots on goal.
“In games we’re getting there, we’re getting the ball in but we’re missing chances and not scoring,” junior Chelsea Small said. “We’re just working on getting confidence to put chances away when we get there in the games because it’s so important.”
The Vandals sit at 0-2 in conference play with only five more WAC matches to play, three of which will be at home. If the Vandals want to make a repeat trip to the WAC Championships, Showler said the team needs to win at least three conference matches.
Hawaii is coming to Moscow from a nearly opposite circumstance. The Warriors opened up 2-0 in conference play, scoring seven goals in the process.
“They’re very fast, very athletic, very quick. They know how to score and how to pressure. We have to be mindful of what to expect,” Showler said .
He believes protecting their home field against a conference opponent is important for the win-hungry Vandals. In order to win, Showler said the Vandals need to find the confidence to “rattle the back of the net.”
“What we need right now is goals,” he said. “From anywhere and everywhere.”