Still seeking its first win in WAC play, the Idaho women’s soccer team travels to Seattle University to take on the Redhawks Sunday.
Steven Devine | Argonaut
Jill Flockhart tees up a shot Wednesday afternoon at Guy Wicks Field. The Vandals play Seattle University in Seattle at 12 p.m. Sunday.
Idaho coach Pete Showler said it is very important for the Vandals to get their first WAC win.
“We take one game at a time and Seattle U is the one right now,” he said. “We’re focusing on what we do well and improving on areas that still need to be improved upon.”
Two games into WAC play, the Redhawks are tied with Denver atop the standings. Both WAC newcomers have a 1-0-1 league record while Seattle U boasts a 6-5-1 overall record. Idaho’s record is 0-1-1 in the WAC and 3-10-1 overall heading into the match this weekend.
“We need to score more goals … that then takes the pressure off the defense a little bit,” Showler said. “We’ve been defending well, but you can only defend for so long.”
The Vandals will need their tough defense this weekend. The Redhawks have scored 16 goals in their six victories this season — four more than the Vandals have scored all season.
It will help that the Vandals and Redhawks are familiar opponents. This weekend’s match marks the first time the Vandals and Redhawks have met as WAC foes, but the two teams have had a strong history the past few years.
“I think we’ve played Seattle U most seasons since I’ve been here,” Showler said. ” … They’re a very good, very athletic, very well-organized team.”
This is Seattle U’s first year in the WAC, but Idaho started playing the Redhawks after the team first joined Division I athletics in 2007. Since then, Idaho has played close matches but has failed to snatch a victory against the Redhawks. With the Vandals still in search of their first WAC win and six matches left before the WAC Tournament, this year’s match is more meaningful than ever.
“We need our first WAC win and they have theirs already,” Showler said. “There’s a lot more at stake now than playing them in a nonconference game, although we take every game with the same emphasis — we want to win it.”
The Vandals will be competing in their fourth straight road game after matches at UNLV, Texas State and Texas-San Antonio. The Vandals lost two heartbreakers and tied one game during that road stretch.
“This doesn’t seem like a road trip after the trips we’ve had to Miami and to Texas, and we’ve got another one coming up in a couple weeks to La. Tech,” Showler said. “The girls are resilient. They just get on with it. It doesn’t seem to faze them too much if we’re traveling.”
Idaho will enjoy four of their last five games at home, but for now they have their sights set on the Redhawks and grabbing their first WAC win of the season.
“The emphasis is on us going there and trying to upset them and come away with a WAC win,” Showler said. “It’s always going to be a tough challenge.”
Stephan Wiebe can be reached at [email protected]