Steven Devine | Argonaut
Katie Baran fights for ball control against a Central Washington defender during a game Saturday on the SprinTurf. The game ended in a 0-0 tie but Idaho concluded the Spring season with a victory, coming out on top of a 2-0 match against Walla Walla Community College Sunday, also on the SprinTurf
Coach Pete Showler and the Idaho women’s soccer team have dealt with the circumstances. Saturday and Sunday, the elements provided them an unexpected challenge — they coped with that one as well.
The Vandals concluded their spring slate with three matches, and excluding their alumni series, came out of the season 2-0-1 despite a shorthanded roster that excluded the nine seniors who left the program after the fall season.
Saturday, Idaho faced a SprinTurf challenge that proved tougher than any of the Vandals’ other spring match-ups. Against a Central Washington University squad that utilized all of its seniors from the fall season, Idaho kept the shutout and the teams settled for a 0-0 draw after three 30-minute periods.
Blustery conditions played into Idaho’s ability to get into any sort of an offensive flow, and the SprinTurf saw everything from hail, to 20-mile-per-hour gusts, to rain and sunshine during the 90-minute match.
“It was a sloppy game all around,” Showler said. “It made it hard for us. We didn’t deal with it as well as we needed to but there are a lot of things that can be learned from that and we’ve got to take the positives and we have to improve in some areas.”
While the Wildcats didn’t take an abundance of shots on goal, those that were on target were foiled by sophomore goalkeeper Marina Siegl.
Behind 20-game starter Liz Boyden and senior back-up Caroline Towles, Siegl didn’t see any action during the fall season but the Uffing, Germany, native has kept three clean sheets in three opportunities this spring.
“It’s always nice to have a new goalkeeper come out and get that shutout in her debut,” Showler said. “Big strides are being taken because the monkey is off our back in terms of nerves.”
Sunday morning, Idaho squared off with a group of former Vandals for the annual alumni game. The teams played mini 7 vs. 7 games inside the Kibbie Dome.
The alumni group consisted of all nine seniors from last fall’s squad, and Alison “Larry” Paige, only two years removed from her senior season, made the trip from her hometown of London for the game.
“It’s really good to come back and see all the people and catch up with the coaches and trainers,” Page said. “You make such good friend when you’re here playing. It’s been nice being able to come back. That’s the reason I came back.”
The day concluded with a 2-0 victory against Walla Walla Community College, which saw defender Chelsie Breen tally her third and final goal of the spring campaign. Weather was a factor early on, but the Vandals were able to break through against a physical WWCC team utilizing Showler’s new tactics.
“It was a brand new formation and system we were trying so there’s still a long way to go with that, but the way we are adapting to it is good,” he said.
Showler will welcome 11 recruits to the program ahead of the fall season.
Theo Lawson can be reached at [email protected]