“I’m looking forward to …. Getting a shutout, I’m on defense so shutting them out will be really nice,” senior Chelsie Breen said in an interview Wednesday.
Breen’s wish came true on Friday when the Vandal soccer team shut out the Utah Valley Wolverines 1-0.
“I was very pleased how we defended as a team tonight,” Idaho coach Pete Showler said. “Utah Valley is very good at attacking. They send seven up high every chance they get. It’s a funny game at times. It was not our strongest 90 minutes but the girls played hard and were up to the task and got it done. Everybody played their part today and we figured out a way to win.”
Utah Valley consistently outshot Idaho putting up 10 shots in the first half to Idaho’s five. The Wolverines’ offensive pressure continued through the second half as they put up 11 shots to Idaho’s six. Idaho goalkeeper Marina Siegl had her longest game of the season playing 82 of the 90 minutes of the match.
Siegl is credited with 11 saves in the match. In the 82nd minute of the match, Idaho put in freshman goalkeeper Torell Stewart who got a save of her own in the last eight minutes of the match saving the shutout.
The match was the first of the season that the two goalkeepers did not each play a half of the match.
In the 80th minute of the match, sophomore JP Burgess received a pass from freshman Kaysha Darcy to put the ball into the right side of the net from 12 yards out.
The goal was a pair of firsts for the two young Vandals. For Burgess, it was her first career goal at Idaho and Darcy picked up her first career assist.
The Vandals have now shut out the Wolverines in two straight matches. The last time the two teams met on Sept. 21, 2012, the Vandals shut them out 1-0.
The Vandals now travel to Bakersfield Calf. to take on Cal-State Bakersfield on Sunday.
Curtis Ginnetti can be reached at [email protected]