Earlier this month, Vandal soccer released its 20-game schedule for the upcoming 2014 season.
With the record of 4-16-0 last season, Idaho will look to bounce back as it enters the Big Sky conference after spending the past nine years in the WAC.
Idaho showed signs of improvement during its spring season. In seven games, the Vandals went 2-4-1, but would net 14 goals — just three shy of the 17 totaled during the 20 games in fall. Idaho will also return its leading scorer, sophomore Alyssa Pease, who scored three times during her freshman campaign.
The Vandals will start the season on the road, with a short trip to Western Washington to take on Seattle U on Aug. 22. Idaho’s home debut is just two days later. Texas Christian University from the Big 12 Conference will make its first ever trip to Moscow.
TCU finished last season 6-10-3, and like the Vandals, struggled to score goals with only 18 on the year. The Horned Frogs lost four seniors who combined for just one goal and six assist last season. The core of its roster returns, though, which includes sophomore Michelle Prokof, who led the team with eight goals on 32 shots in her freshman campaign.
The match against TCU will be the first of nine home games, which includes Idaho’s two biggest rivals — Boise State and Washington State.
“Anytime we can play them as an in-state rival is exciting for us,” head coach Derek Pittman said of Boise State. “Hopefully that game will continue each and every year. It is exciting and something our players and school will be excited to play every time we get the opportunity.”
The Battle of the Palouse returns to Guy Wicks Field Sept. 14. Idaho will play a WSU squad that scored 37 goals last season, which led them to a 14-3-4 record and an NCAA tournament birth, which ended with in a first-round exit against Illinois.
The Cougars lost its leading scorer Micaela Castain, who finished her senior season with 11 goals and 11 assist. Vandal fans may remember her performance last season, in which Castain became the third player in school history to finish a match with two goals and two assist — Idaho lost 5-0.
The non-conference schedule wraps up with a pair of games in the desert, as Idaho travels down to Arizona Sept. 19-21, to take on Grand Canyon and University of Arizona.
“The non-conference schedule gives us a good look at different types of teams, styles and conferences,” Pittman said. “It will really test our players in not only the physical and technical abilities but also the mental side of things.”
Idaho starts conference play Sept. 26-28, with home matches against Northern Colorado and North Dakota.
In five years, five different schools have won the Big Sky tournament. Pittman said he believes the conference has a lot of parity and teams like Portland State, Northern Arizona, Northern Colorado, Weber State and Idaho State have all made progress in the last three years.
The Vandals will play a total of five conference matches at home. Including NCU and NDU, Idaho will welcome Northern 
Arizona, Weber State and Idaho State to Guy Wicks Field.
Its not until Oct. 19, the last conference game of the season, Idaho will face arguably the top team in the Big Sky — Portland State.
Last year PSU went undefeated in conference play, and won the Big Sky regular season championship. The Vikings return every player who contributed to the 32 goals scored last season — and all but one player, will be coming back. Two of the key players returning, junior Cori Bianchini and senior Eryn Brown, combined for 35 of the teams 87 points. Brown led the team with eight goals.
“I feel like the conference is pretty wide open,” Pittman said. “There is an opportunity for us to go in there and make some noise right off the bat.”