Weeks of frustration have finally come to fruition.
James Clark | Courtesy Erica Hart crosses the ball to Megan Lopez for a diving header goal Saturday at North Idaho College. The Vandals won 5-0.
After being blanked for three consecutive spring matches, Idaho soccer put five goals on the board en route to a 5-0 blowout win in its fifth and final spring match against North Idaho College Saturday in Coeur d’Alene.
The Vandals’ new offensive formations aimed to provide a higher number of goal scoring opportunities and after weeks of tweaks, their work paid off.
The Vandals only scored twice in four games prior to the breakout against NIC.
“It’s so great as a coach when everything comes together,” coach Pete Showler said. “There was just some sublime passing and great runs – it was just some quality finishes today.”
Four scorers and two additional players assisted and led the attack.
Chelsea Small got the scoring going just minutes in to the match when Katie Baran sent a ball into the box where Small finished it in the top left corner.
After Megan Lopez scored the first of her first two goals in the 10th minute, Baran took an Erica Hart cross and sent it home, making it 3-0 in the 19th minute.
The offensive output is exactly what Idaho envisioned when it switched to the 4-3-3 formation, which meant that Idaho’s offensive players would be playing higher lines and opening more attack lanes.
The new strategy makes the most of Idaho’s ability to hold the ball and move it up the field.
When Idaho got the ball toward the opponent’s box, it wanted to make sure the goal scorers would only require a touch or two in order to send it home for the score.
“What our goal is for all of us to move around and use a lot of different moves, so having more people up top will give me a better opportunity to get open,” Small said.
Most of Idaho’s goals in the spring have been one- or two-touch goals on the part of the goal scorers, as exemplified by Hart’s cross to Baran. Both of its goals against Montana were crosses and headers scored in the run of play.
Brianna Wilson scored Idaho’s fourth, tapping in a rebound off a Small miss.
Megan Lopez capped the scoring in the second half nailing a free kick into the top corner of the net.
Defensively the Vandals attained their third shutout of the spring season, and second consecutive.
“The defense was very organized, even when we switched up personnel,” Showler said. “For the defenders and the keepers to keep the clean sheet takes a team effort. There was very good movement forward from the back line, but the mid(fielder)s and forwards got back and helped out quite a bit, too.”
The Vandals, who gave up 1.5 goals per game last season, will go in to the season with two senior goalkeepers, both with starting experience from last season.
Idaho will also return most of its starting back line from last season, including seniors Christine Leathem and Lauren Layton.
The Vandals get back to action next weekend as they head to Gonzaga for a 7 vs. 7 tournament in which Idaho will enter more than one competing team.
Sean Kramer can be reached at [email protected]